ISM Academy Juco Jam Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The new ISM Basketball Academy hosted their Juco Jam event over the weekend in Eden Prairie, with a mix of prep schools and junior colleges competing. These are the high school prospects who caught my eye in the four games I watched on Saturday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2435232"],"_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"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6accce837277a"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Jumair is now at We Are United Prep, and showed no issues matching up with college players 2-3+ years older than him on Saturday. The junior guard was effortlessly weaving through defenders to get to his spots, gliding to the rim for some finishes, hitting a couple of pull-up threes, and getting into the lane to dump it off to his big man. In an event where a lot of guards were getting sped up by the heavy ball pressure defenders were putting on them, Jumair stayed composed and made smart decisions with the ball in his hands.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2548370"],"_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"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6accce83727ac"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">As one of the youngest prospects at the event it took Trason a bit to get acclimated to the level of intensity that the Juco teams played with defensively, but once he got comfortable he showed just how dangerous he can be. Trason was one of the best pure shooters I saw, draining a number of threes from well beyond the arc across the two games I watched. The lefty has a smooth release, and does a nice job of recognizing when he can get defenders in the air with a shot fake before dribbling into an open look. Showcased his playmaking ability out in transition with a number of nice passes to set up good looks at the rim. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2411140"],"_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"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6accce83727ce"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">There wasn't a player at the event who could match Kevin's size and physicality around the basket. Listed at 7' on the We Are United Prep roster, Kevin has extremely long arms and massive hands that help him palm the ball to go up and dunk everything in traffic. If he caught anywhere near the basket, Kevin was going to power his way up and look to finish with a dunk. Over the past couple of years he's become a bit leaner, and it shows with how much better he's able to run the floor and keep up with the pace of play against smaller players. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2430652"],"_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"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6accce83727ed"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">You won't find many guards as quick as Kendyn in the 2027 class. The 6' point guard is an absolute pest of a defender, and was giving guards issues on the ball all day long. He's so quick moving his feet laterally on the ball, has no problem guarding out on an island away from the basket, and battles to get over the top of screens. When there's an opportunity to push the pace in transition you can bet Kendyn is going to take it, as he can fly up the floor while keeping his eyes scanning looking for an open teammate. He helped lead ISM to a pair of wins in the two games I watched. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2126474"],"_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"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6accce837280a"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='2126474' first='Kamar' last='Thomas'] is a bit of a Swiss Army Knife for We Are United Prep. At 6'4 he can guard bigger than his size with his long frame, but showed no issues moving his feet with smaller guards when his team put out a lineup filled with size. Kamar continues to show improvements with his three point shot, but is still at his best when he's getting to the rim as he's so good at converting in traffic. Defensively he competed with intensity and you can tell he takes pride in his play on that end of the floor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["3791541"],"_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"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6accce8372826"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">I've now watched Noah in some fall league games against local high schools, and now a couple of games against local college programs, and he just never looks fazed by anything you throw at him. This is a guard who's competed at the youth levels with Morocco, and has also played up with his old club in France. You can tell that experience has paid off as he's so poised on the ball, handling it under pressure and using his 6'4-6'5 frame to see the floor and deliver passes over the top of the defense. He may not make any extra flashy highlight plays, but Noah simply goes out and leads his team to wins every time he steps out onto the floor. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->