Expo Prospects Who Made an Impression

The Expo brought together a strong group of juniors and seniors, and with that much talent in the gym, making an impression wasn't easy. These prospects found a way to do exactly that. Some caught my attention with their scoring, others with how hard they competed, and a few continued to make plays every time I looked their way.  These guys gave me something to remember when the day was over, and showed us there's more to their game.    Roehr is a small guard with confidence and a big game. He kept trying to put pressure on the defense and get himself downhill. He was shifty with the ball and showed some creativity once he got around the rim, adjusting his finishes when the first angle wasn't there. What I liked was that he didn't get discouraged when drives ended with contact instead of baskets. He kept attacking, drew fouls and competed when he was in the game. He hit a couple of 3s and the defense had to make sure to get out on him. There's something to work with as he continues adding to his game but I like when those under the radar small school players come out and show that they belong in the conversation.     Lamar is a player who might not have a ton of loud plays, but if you're watching his game closely, he's adding plenty of solid plays that most would miss. He also had one of my favorite finishes of the entire day, using an up-and-under reverse that showed his creativity around the basket. He was effective without needing the ball a ton and he's not a player who is going to force too much but he's constantly moving, he cuts when he has to and gets himself involved in transition. He took open shots when the ball found him and if anything, I wanted him to shoot a bit more as he was knocking down shots and efficient on the day. Avery is a positive on the floor, you can tell that he understands the small things and is a name that I feel I will see more throughout the year. Solid day.     Salazar is not a player that I had seen play prior to the event and while I was in the building I saw him have a couple of good plays, but on re-watch he was a difference-maker. He did a bit of everything and was one of the standouts for me on the day. He battled on the glass and had a few rebounds that were well out of his area and went right up with it, set physical screens and finished when he got it, cut for easy baskets and even showed some back-to-the-basket ability. My favorite play of the event was his no-look bounce pass to a cutting big that most players wouldn't even attempt. Salazar was also vocal about getting teammates engaged defensively. I wasn't particularly high on him entering the day, but he just kept making plays and certainly boosted his stock. I want to see how he plays this year.     Robison got better as the day went along as he adjusted to speed but once he saw a basket go in and he got a couple of rebounds, he started to take over. If he plays anything like he did at the Expo he will be a major varsity contributor. Robison has great size and he's very athletic. He was running the break and got plenty of fast break finishes, he rebounded with two hands and started the break himself, and made himself available at the rim. Robison finished with either hand and used his body well to establish position. He also had a dunk and a few mid range baskets and if he can put it altogether he'll be dangerous. His upside is high and he's an under the radar player who I feel will earn more looks. Liked what I saw from Robison, and that builds on his last outing when he got on my radar.     Powell came out to the Expo and was one of the more physical players at the event. He was bumping players and playing them tight defensively and looked for contact when he had the ball as well. He has a strong frame and finished through for a couple of and-1 plays. Powell was a force on the glass, moved players around with his body and established position down low as well. He also showed off some touch with floaters and middies and had a couple of iso baskets. He's a stock booster who I had not seen before the event but feel he could take off after the event.     Mondragon did a lot of his work by simply understanding where he needed to be. While everyone else was looking to just score and shoot the ball, he was scoring in quiet ways and stacking together solid plays. He ran the floor, used his size to carve out space and consistently put a body on someone when shots went up. That positioning led to rebounds and a couple of easy finishes when teammates found him around the basket. Mondragon also flashed some touch in the mid-range. He didn't need anything designed for him to make plays, and was getting overlooked but if you paid attention, he had just as solid a day. His effort was high and he showed he belongs.     Alexander made it out to the Expo and showed us that there's some good basketball being played at the small schools and that they could hang with the speed and physicality with the other top players in the state. He got out there and was shooting the 3-ball, had good size and showed off his athleticism. Zavier was using his length to keep plays alive and grabbed boards in bunches. He also handled it in spots. He started the break, found guards and ran the break and finished in transition. The smooth lefty got going offensively but it was the defense that I feel can stick. He was denying guys on the perimeter, had a couple of deflections and defended multiple positions. I appreciate that he got out and showed us what he's about and we can make sense of the year that we're sure he's going to have. He made an impression.

The Expo brought together a strong group of juniors and seniors, and with that much talent in the gym, making an impression wasn't easy. These prospects found a way to do exactly that. Some caught my attention with their scoring, others with how hard they competed, and a few continued to make plays every time I looked their way. These guys gave me something to remember when the day was over, and showed us there's more to their game.