EYBL Las Vegas: 2028 Standout Wings/Slashers

Las Vegas - Last week/weekend, Nike EYBL held its 4th Session at the Las Vegas Convention Center, which featured 20 hardwood courts and was the final stop before the illustrious Peach Jam this week in South Carolina. The event started on Wednesday, July 7th and ended Sunday, July 12th. I was in attendance from the 7th through the 9th to catch 3 days of action, and did my best to cover the 17u, 16u, and 15u divisions, so I may have not caught every player that stood out over the event. This article takes a look at 8 standout wings and slashers from the 2028 class (rising juniors). This will be followed by a look at standout players by position per class. In this article you will find the following information: players name, height, position, school, club team, stats from the event, and a breakdown of their skill sets. The players are listed in alphabetical order, not ranked order, and we begin with Will Brunson.   Will Brunson (6'5 | WG) - IMG Academy/NY Rens 17s   Brunson is a lengthy, athletic, and skilled wing/slasher that can score from 3-levels, is a versatile defender, and can space the floor from beyond the arc to open up the court. Brunson was one of the top rising junior prospects I saw at Session 4, with a strong showing in a loss to JL3, going for 11 points and showcasing his shifty moves and scoring ability. Brunson has a sure handle on the ball, keeps the dribble alive to survey the floor, the moves to shake his defender when looking to attack, using the hesitation, spin-move, fadeaway, and the various crossover combos to create space, is accurate with the jumper from the mid-range to the 3-point line off the bounce with great body control, and is a creative scorer at the basket, using the euro-step, spin-move, and floater to score over height in the paint. Brunson is active on the glass, looks to push the ball off the glass with the awareness to find players ahead, moves well off the to get open looks with the 3-ball off the catch, and is a versatile defender that contests shots in the paint and on the perimeter, as well as the timing and length to jump passing lanes to get out in transition.    Mason Collins (6'6 | WF) - Tatnall/[program_tooltip program_id='2226228' first='Team' last='CP3']   Collins is a physical, athletic, and skilled wing/forward that is active on the glass, can score the ball from various spots on the floor, and opens up the court from beyond the arc with frequency. Collins had a great week of play at Session 4, with a monster showing against JET Academy, going for 24 points, connecting on 3 threes, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals to display his all around impact on both ends of the court. Collins crashes the boards on both ends, getting put-backs off the miss, limiting opponents to single shot possessions, alter shots in the paint, as well as the agility and length to close out and contest perimeter shots, the timing and instincts to jump passing lanes or deflect entry passes, and has great off-ball movement to get to his shot spots, where he is accurate with the 3-ball off the catch with range. Collins has quality moves to create space from his defender, using the crossover, pump-fake, hesitation, and fadeaway to get his defender off balance, is effective with the jumper off the bounce from the mid-range to the 3-point line, is a crafty scorer when attacking the basket, using the euro-step, spin-move, and reverse lay-ups to evade shot-blockers, and seals his defender off to get open for catches off the pick and roll action.    Colton Hiller (6'7 | WG) - Coatesville/PSA Cardinals 17s   Hiller is a lengthy and skilled wing/slasher that looks to play above the rim often, excels in the open court of play, and is one of the purest shooters from beyond the arc in the nation. Hiller, one of the top rising juniors nationally and playing up in the EYBL division, had a strong showing during Session 4, with a standout showing in his team's win over AB Elite, where he put up 14 points and connected on a pair of threes. Hiller is active on the boards on both ends, getting points off the put-back dunk or tip-in, limits opponents to single shot possessions, can push the ball off the glass or make the outlet pass to get up the court to get open for buckets in transition, and is an underrated rim protector with the timing and bounce to block shots in the paint, along with the lateral foot-speed and length to close out and alter perimeter shots. Where Hiller is at his best is moving off the ball, cutting off screens, and keeps moving to force his defender to continuously chase him, gets to his shot spots, and is nearly automatic with the 3-ball off the catch with the height and high shooting release that make him tough to defend on the wing, which allows him to use the pump-fake to attack his defender, where he is effective with the pull-up jumper or creative on shots at the basket, using the euro-step lay-up or two-handed flush off the baseline.    [player_tooltip player_id='2194462' first='Jordan' last='Mize'] (6'7 | WG) - Sierra Canyon/NW Rotary    Mize is a bouncy, athletic, and skilled wing/slasher that can score the ball from 3-levels, uses his length and agility to defend various positions, and has great body control when on the attack. Mize, coming off a CIF Open Division State Championship, has been showcasing his all-around shot making and skill set this Spring and Summer, with a great showing at Session 4, finishing with 22 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals in a win over Legynds and an average of nearly 18 points per game over his team's 5 games. Mize has dynamic handles, the moves to separate from his defender, using the crossover, step-back, fadeaway, spin-move, and hesitation to get his opponent off balance, is efficient with the jumper off the dribble from the middy to the 3-point line, and is a crafty scorer around the basket, using the pro-hop, up-and-under, and euro-step lay-ups to score among height, as well as the bounce to take flight and go at the basket down the lane, in the open court, or off the baseline. Mize moves well off the ball to get to his shot spots from the 3-point line off the catch, the court vision to make reads to divers out of the pick and roll action or up the court off the glass, and has the active hands and timing to jump passing lanes or deflect the ball to turn defense to offense.     William Nelson Jr. (6'7 | WF) - Tennessee Collegiate Academy/ProSkills    Nelson is an athletic, bouncy, skilled, and physical wing that can space the floor from beyond the arc, excels in transition with great on court speed and control, and looks to punch anything close to the basket. Nelson had a strong showing at Session 4, with a dominant double-double in a win over Vegas Elite, going for 18 points and 10 rebounds. Nelson crashes the boards to get put-back dunks or tip-ins off the miss, corrals the defensive rebound with the handle to push the ball up the court, has the wingspan, timing, and agile movement to block/alter shots in the paint, as well as altering perimeter shots on close outs, jumps passing lanes, and gets deflections that allow his guards to get the ball and push. Offensively, there is not much Nelson isn't capable of doing when it comes to scoring the ball, with solid handles to keep his dribble alive and survey the defense, uses the wide-crossover and hesitation moves to get his defender off balance, has the long strides and body control to absorb contact en route to the basket for the finish, using the pump fake into the up-and-under, the spin-move, and reverse lay-ups to score among heights in the paint, and is accurate with the jumper off the bounce from the mid-range to the 3-point line with consistency.    Jalen Parker (6'5 | WG) - Spire Academy/Vegas Elite   Parker is a shift and skilled sharp shooting wing/guard that can light it up from beyond the arc, scores in volume, and has the court awareness to make plays for open teammates. Parker has a strong showing in a tough two point loss to Pro Skills on Day 2 of Session 4, where he would connect on 3 threes and finish with 12 points for the game, helping keep his team close. Parker has solid handles, keeps the dribble alive to see what the defense is giving up, has the court vision and precise passing to find open teammates diving to the basket out of the pick and roll action, off the drive and kick pass, and to open teammates ahead in transition for easy points, is an advantageous defender with good timing and bounce to get pin-blocks at the basket, as well as blocks/altered shots when closing out on perimeter shooters, and has active hands to deflect passes or jump passing lanes to push the pace of play. Parker is at his best when he is shooting the ball with a sweet stroke and quick release that make his shot tough to disrupt, with the moves to create space from his defender, using the crossover, hesitation, between-cross, and wrap-behind to get his defender off balance, is accurate with the jumper off the dribble from the middy to the 3-point line, and is lights out when shooting off the catch, displaying quality off ball movement, intent on getting to his spots, and being ready to fire as soon as the ball hits his hands.    [player_tooltip player_id='2750234' first='Houston' last='Rolle'] (6'6 | WG) - Heritage Christian/Team Why Not   Rolle is a bouncy, athletic, and skilled wing/slasher that plays well off the ball to get to his spots, scores in volume from beyond the arc, and crashes the boards on both ends. Rolle has been on a tear this Spring and Summer and has emerged as one of the top rising juniors in California, which he had on display in Session 4, as he would finish with 14 points in a win over NW Rotary, and an average of 20 points and 7 rebounds per game over the 5 games. Rolle moves fluidly off the ball to get to his shot spots, squares his body up, is lights out from the 3-point line off the catch, makes timely back cuts to get free from his defender for catch and score opportunities at the basket, has good timing and bounce to get plenty of put-back chances off missed shots, and has the court vision to make good reads to open teammates when attacking off the dribble with the drive and kick pass or up the court to open players in transition. Rolle has solid handles, has shifty moves to create space from his defender, using the crossover, hesitation, and fadeaway to get his opponent off balance, is accurate with the jumper from the mid-range to the 3-point line off the bounce, and is a creative scorer around the basket, using the spin-move, reverse, and up-and-under lay-ups to score among height, and looks to go at the rim with the bounce and physicality to dunk on defenders typing to protect the basket.     AJ Williams (6'8 | WG) - Eagles Landing Christian/[program_tooltip program_id='2226228' first='Team' last='CP3'] 17s   Williams is a physical and skilled wing/slasher that can score in volume, has great body control when looking to create shots from the perimeter, and is electric on the glass. Williams, considered by most as the top ranked rising junior, put up great numbers in a loss to Vegas Elite at Session 4, as he would go for 23 points, connecting on a pair of threes, and 13 rebounds, and an average of 21 points and 10 rebounds for the Vegas stop of the Circuit. Williams has a strong handle on the ball, does not waste dribbles but uses the job-step to wait until he is ready to attack to put the ball on the deck, has the moves to score off the bounce, using the various crossover combos, hesitation, spin-move, and fadeaway to create space from his defender, as well as absorb contact in the air to maintain control, is efficient with the jumper from the middy to the 3-point line, and is a crafty scorer around the basket, using the euro-step, reverse, and up-and-under lay-ups to evade shot blockers. Williams is a great positional rebounder, looks to push the ball up the court off the glass, has active hands, good timing, and the instincts to jump passing lanes, deflect passes, or poke the ball out to get out in transition.

Las Vegas - Last week/weekend, Nike EYBL held its 4th Session at the Las Vegas Convention Center, which featured 20 hardwood courts and was the final stop before the illustrious Peach Jam this week in South Carolina. The event started on Wednesday, July 7th and ended Sunday, July 12th. I was in attendance from the 7th through the 9th to catch 3 days of action, and did my best to cover the 17u, 16u, and 15u divisions, so I may have not caught every player that stood out over the event. This article takes a look at 8 standout wings and slashers from the 2028 class (rising juniors). This will be followed by a look at standout players by position per class. In this article you will find the following information: players name, height, position, school, club team, stats from the event, and a breakdown of their skill sets. The players are listed in alphabetical order, not ranked order, and we begin with Will Brunson.