Thursday’s Summer Draft League Playoffs: Honorable Mentions

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On Thursday, July 30th, I attended round 1 of the elite division playoffs for the Summer Draft League at Brandeis University in Waltham, MA.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I watched two consolation games and two playoff games. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Read: <a href="https://prephoops.com/2026/07/thursdays-summer-draft-league-playoffs-first-team/" data-type="link" data-id="https://prephoops.com/2026/07/thursdays-summer-draft-league-playoffs-first-team/">Thursday's Summer Draft League Playoffs: First-Team</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Below are my honorable mentions from Thursday's games.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":3711958,"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a6d243fae750"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Makumbi is a super intriguing long term prospect. The 5-foot-10 guard has big-time length for his size and a knack for slithering through the defense for points at the rim. On one occassion, he slow-stepped his way into a left-handed layup on the right side of the floor, which totally threw off the defense and showed a high level of skill for his age. He can also make shots from three and is super unselfish when it comes to making extra passes and kicking out to teammates for easy threes. Something tells me Makumbi is going to continue to get a lot bigger physically, and he's intriguing because he has a nice foundation in terms of his skillset.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":3711960,"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a6d243fae7b8"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Hughes plays the right way on both ends of the floor. Offensively, the 5-foot-10 guard cuts and screens hard, never holds the ball for too long, and takes great shots—he plays within himself and exudes unselfishness out on the court. Defensively, he works extremely hard sliding his feet and staying in a good stance, and he has super active hands. His toughness and strength allow him to guard forwards, too, despite being undersized. I'm not sure whether Hughes will be able to crack the rotation for a talented Worcester Academy team this season, but he's an awesome athlete who does all the little things and is a coach's dream in a lot of ways, so he'll eventually carve out a roll and will figure it out.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":3711961,"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","fullHeight":true,"anchor":"acf-block-6a6d243fae807"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Monroe is long and wiry in his 5-foot-7 frame, but he moves like a true hooper. He has the ball on a string and effortlessly glides past the defense with his change-of-speed and change-of-direction capabilities. Once he gets a paint touch, he has good passing vision and never holds the ball too long. His ability to play off the ball is intriguing, too—he has an unbelievable up-fake and did a good job driving closeouts and then hitting pull-up jumpers or getting all the way to the rim. Monroe is a rising freshman at Brookline High School and could get some playing time if he grows physically. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":3711963,"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a6d243fae854"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Hill has a three-level scoring game and the athleticism to go with it. The 5-foot-8 guard has good burst on drives to the rim and really excels as a finisher—he had one lefty take under duress that really impressed me—but he also got hot from three in the second half and looked quite comfortable from the perimeter all game. Furthermore, he does a good job hitting shooters and cutters with on-time, on-target feeds. Defensively, he plays hard and uses his athleticism to stymie opponents of all sizes. Hill is a nice piece in Wellesley's 2030 class, and I'll be curious to see whether he gets any playing time this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":3711965,"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a6d243fae89f"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Gardner is extremely intriguing because of his combination of size and skill. The 6-foot forward can handle the ball effectively and does a good job getting his body square before quickly driving to the rim and finishing with both hands—he showed off some really nice footwork and craft around the rim that you don't usually see with guys his age/size. He also has the ability to occasionally make shots from the outside and is good at using his physical tools to get rebounds and defend the paint. Gardner should continue to get bigger and stronger and could be a really nice prospect in a few years with added improvement.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["3711670"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a6d243fae8ed"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Lys is a super skilled and well-rounded player who does lots of different things on both ends of the floor. Offensively, he can create offense off the dribble or in pick and roll situations, but he's also a decisive and aggressive closeout attacker who understands how to attack the second side and use his strength and athleticism at the rim—he had one attack where he totally bodied a defender before creating enough space to finish high off the glass. Defensively, he slides his feet really well and has super active hands, not to mention awesome conditioning and effort. Lys should get a lot better playing with Rivers this season and could be a nice piece for their future.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->