Under The Radar Juniors – Pt. 2

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>June is such an important month for high school basketball. For many players and teams it's the only time of year they get the ability to matchup against opposing teams with college coaches in attendance. Prospects relish the opportunity to compete in hopes of gaining college attention or media attention to elevate their status. But for some prospects, their attention could be under the radar due to multiple reasons and that's where this list comes in.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These are the Juniors I saw in June that are either flying under the radar of college programs, the media, or both.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2689901' first='Drew' last='Jolley'] - Prescott </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the biggest stock risers when the 2028 rankings release is Jolley. There's plenty of reasons as to why that's the case, but all-in-all it was his play and impact on both ends of the court that stood out this summer. He's a patient and efficient scorer on the offensive end as he will sit down low and attack the rim and finishes with strength versus opposing bigs. Pair that will a spacing game that sees him step out to the mid-range and it's no surprise how smooth his scoring bag is. Defensively he swats shots and disrupts the paint, this coupled with a high motor crashing the glass makes him an intriguing prospect to continue to evaluate.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2194806' first='Zen' last='London'] - Mountain Pointe</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For so long the biggest aspect and most talked about part of [player_tooltip player_id='2194806' first='Zen' last='London']'s game was his defensive skill. And that's an elite aspect to be fair, after all he may be the best defensive guard in the state of Arizona. But what London has done on the offensive end has turned him into a true all-around threat. He's attacking the rim in the half court and is getting downhill which is an improvement from when his game used to mostly rely on transition scoring. London is also adding a knockdown shot in the mid-range as well. With a lethal defensive bag that allows him to control that end of the court, the evolving offensive game makes him one of the most impressive juniors to keep an eye on this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='3259747' first='DJ' last='Charles'] - Canyon View</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Don't let size turn you away from seeing how smooth [player_tooltip player_id='3259747' first='DJ' last='Charles']' game is. The Canyon View point guard is your traditional point guard in the sense where he'll control the court for his team and slow the game down when needed. But what's unique is his confidence to take a big shot when needed and his understanding of when to score versus playmake. He'll knock down a deep shot beyond the perimeter and isn't afraid to bait a defender into overcommitting as he'll blow by them and get to the rim. As a passer, he sets his teammates up with open looks often and uses a nice crossover to run the floor and the offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2552782' first='Jaiden' last='Hong'] - Chaparral</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Chaparral may be one of the biggest sleeper teams in the 5A conference this upcoming season. A big reason for that is due to how much Hong impacts the floor for his Firebirds. When Hong steps on the floor, he's one of the smartest players on the court with a high IQ and feel for the game. That translates to his ability to set the tone with his playmaking ability or skill to score when needed. Often, he's looking to set his teammates up and to create opportunities and open shots. But at the same time, he will take efficient shots or get to the rim for easy baskets. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='3143427' first='Myking' last='Marfell-Williams'] - Westview</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As the Westview Knights make the jump back up to the 5A conference from 4A, Marfell-Williams will be key to Westview continuing the success they've built up the last couple of seasons. Myking is a sniper on the floor as he can pull up from anywhere and knock a shot down. It doesn't matter if it's off the dribble, off the catch, or a pull up jumper four feet behind the line, you feel confident it's going down when he takes it. Due to the pressure he puts on defenses, he utilizes the pump fake and a tight handle to get to the rim and finish with ease. As a lethal scorer, his impact will be needed as Westview joins arguably the top region the 5A conference.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->