CBG JUCO/Prep Showdown: Top emerging forwards

Commonwealth Basketball Group hosted its annual JUCO/Prep showdown this past weekend, bringing in some of the best junior college, prep school, and high school programs both from Virginia and across the East Coast and Midwest. After taking in the entire weekend of action, we came away with a handful of emerging forwards who caught the eye as prospects to track closely moving forward.    Cudjoe made his way back to the court in July after being out about a year with a torn ACL, and the Long Island product continues to inch closer to full strength while looking increasingly more like his old self and showing the considerable two-way talent that had him surging onto high-major radars. Taking a post-grad year at West Nottingham, Cudjoe is a lynchpin for the Rams on both ends of the floor with his natural versatility. He's a unique athlete with his size, agility, vertical explosiveness, and ability to cover ground laterally, making him an extremely high-ceiling defensive presence who can wreak havoc as an off-ball roamer. His offensive game is still getting fully back in rhythm but Cudjoe is an emphatic finisher near the rim with promising flashes of ball skills and shooting touch to develop further. It remains to be seen how high his recruitment can climb while he gets back to full speed and makes up for lost developmental reps, but Cudjoe is a clear D1 talent with significant upside to continue tapping into over time.     Rocktop came down on Sunday as the lone Jersey representative in the field and Bolden made sure it was a worthwhile trip with a hard-fought effort against traditional prep power Massanutten Military (VA). The Indiana native has emerged quickly since arriving in the Garden State, showing a blend of skill and athleticism that make him a matchup problem around the basket. He brings a workmanlike approach to the floor, racking up his production efficiently without needing many plays called for him. Bolden thrives inside with quick leaping ability and swift finishing touch while evading larger shot-blockers. We'll be curious as we see him more if he's able to stretch defenses away from the rim but Bolden's ability to thrive with his bread-and-butter interior game should win him some fans among D1 programs.     One of the more intriguing new finds of the weekend, Enechukwu is just settling into the region after transferring in from Klein Oak (TX) for his senior year. He stands out immediately with his physical tools, possessing ideal positional size with a strong, broad frame and quick feet while covering ground before exploding above the rim. Upon watching more, his skillset provided more reason for intrigue, as Enechukwu flashed genuine skill and feel as a playmaker off the dribble along with clear shooting touch on his way to a trio of 3s despite an unorthodox stroke. His motor, strength, and ability to move his feet also make him a versatile frontcourt option on the defensive end. He's still a bit rough around the edges but Enechukwu's raw physical ability and foundational two-way skillset could make for an interesting developmental bet for a high-academic program at the scholarship level.     Shining Star Academy is working in a ton of new pieces but looked to be coming together nicely with Stinney leading the way as a quickly-developing hybrid forward. A repeat junior via Henrico HS, he's an active and live body around the rim, patrolling the baseline or crashing the glass for swift finishes and explosive dunks. Long and lanky, he looks to have a nice wiry muscle foundation to build onto over time. Stinney does a nice job of staying within himself and starring in his role but does show flashes of offensive skill to develop moving forward, highlighted by a catch-and-shoot corner 3 that looked comfortable and mechanically clean. He'll have to add strength to his frame to bang bodies inside at the D1 level but scholarship-level programs should be monitoring Stinney closely as part of the 2028 class.     St. James is making its Elite Prep League debut this season with its post-grad program and McComb looks primed to break out as one of the primary pieces up front. A post-grad via Lake Braddock, he's a live body inside as an active cutter and crasher with a penchant for physicality despite a relatively slim frame. McComb impressed with his ability to move his feet in space on the defensive end and showed the potential to stretch the floor as a shooter from beyond the arc. His rugged approach and budding versatility at his size should make McComb a small-college priority with a chance to generate some scholarship-level attention.     Playing as part of an ensemble showcase squad put together by the folks at CBG, Hathaway only got to show us a few brief glimpses but did enough to catch the eye as an intriguing prospect to track moving forward. He's impossible to miss with a rare blend of legit size and guard-like fluidity, covering ground gracefully in both the open floor and tight spaces. He also flashed promising touch and mechanics as a midrange shooter with potential to eventually space out to 3. Hathaway is definitely still a bet for the long-term right now but the finished product could be really appealing if he continues to take incremental steps in the years to come.     Another enticing piece running with the CBG Premier ensemble, May is very much still coming into his own but shows traits that are impossible to ignore when projecting him forward as a long-term prospect. He caught our eye back in July but looks to have tacked on a couple more inches to a wildly lanky frame, while still moving with relative grace and control. May is still learning to assert himself in the flow of the game but showed a glimpse of his upside on a sequence in which he followed a clean corner 3 off the catch with an athletic chasedown block on the other end. Heading to Amelia Academy for a repeat junior year, May should benefit from the additional year of development and could be an interesting late bloomer for scholarship-level programs to begin tracking.     A native of Canada making his competitive debut in the States, Deng showed a promising two-way foundation that immediately makes him a prospect to keep track of in the region. With great size and length for his position, he shows impressive comfort on the perimeter whether spacing the floor off the catch or attacking off the bounce to his dominant left hand. He's willing to do some work inside as well with soft hands and emerging athleticism as a finisher at the rim. Deng looks like he'll need some time to adjust to the speed and physicality of high-level prep basketball but the outlines of a modern hybrid forward at the D1 level are all there.

Commonwealth Basketball Group hosted its annual JUCO/Prep showdown this past weekend, bringing in some of the best junior college, prep school, and high school programs both from Virginia and across the East Coast and Midwest. After taking in the entire weekend of action, we came away with a handful of emerging forwards who caught the eye as prospects to track closely moving forward.

Devin Bolden

NJ #9

PF #3

HEIGHT 6'7"

POS PF

CLASS 2027

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Devin Bolden

State: New Jersey

School: RockTop Academy

Club: Progeny UAA

Rocktop came down on Sunday as the lone Jersey representative in the field and Bolden made sure it was a worthwhile trip with a hard-fought effort against traditional prep power Massanutten Military (VA). The Indiana native has emerged quickly since arriving in the Garden State, showing a blend of skill and athleticism that make him a matchup problem around the basket. He brings a workmanlike approach to the floor, racking up his production efficiently without needing many plays called for him. Bolden thrives inside with quick leaping ability and swift finishing touch while evading larger shot-blockers. We'll be curious as we see him more if he's able to stretch defenses away from the rim but Bolden's ability to thrive with his bread-and-butter interior game should win him some fans among D1 programs.