Under Armour Memorial Day: Saturday Standouts

WESTFIELD, Ind. -- The Under Armour Association returned to action on Saturday from Pacers Athletic Center. Here's a look at some of the top individual standouts on day one... [player_tooltip player_id="820274" first="Stephon" last="Castle"] - 2023 - G - Atlanta Express<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/20210529_124132.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-1203669" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/20210529_124132-300x155.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="155" /></a> You just watch this kid for a few minutes and know there’s a big future in store for him. It’s easy to fall in love with the positional size, athleticism, and scoring ability, but what’s going to separate Castle from a lot of guards in his class is his feel for the game. Castle has the tools to get just about any shot he wants and doesn’t settle. In a blowout win over Wisconsin Playground Club, Castle just set everything up like a pro. He’s going to use his size and strength from the guard spot to put a ton of pressure on defenders and get to the rim. Once he earns some respect, Castle is going to use the extra space to get open, rhythm jumpers. Then he can feel when there’s multiple eyes on him and defenders starting to cheat into the paint once he gains possession. That’s when Castle becomes very deadly as he can see the whole floor and react to what the defense is doing on the fly. He knows his teammates’ skillsets, what they’re capable of, and where they need the ball. A top 40 prospect nationally right now, Castle holds early power-five offers from Georgia, Miami (FL), and Auburn. [player_tooltip player_id="1089684" first="Stevie" last="Clark"] - 2024 - SF - Wisconsin Playground Club Clark gets in these zones and has a tendency to blow games open. In the second quarter against Gateway, the Oshkosh North standout got hot and PGC never looked back. A versatile, multi-dimensional, and skilled wing/forward, Clark has played his way up a couple of spots in the rankings this spring. Previously at No. 10, Clark has shot the ball at a high level from everywhere on the floor. He’s got the toughness and finishing ability to live at the rim as well. Clark has a big motor, will stick his face into the fan, and scrap on the glass. Adding his upside at the next level, Clark can probably play four spots right now, including a lot of point forward. He finished with a game-high 20 points in Saturday afternoon’s win. [player_tooltip player_id="950097" first="Learic" last="Davis"] - 2022 - G/W - Wisconsin Playground Club<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/Learic-Davis.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-1203670" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/Learic-Davis-300x155.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="155" /></a> PGC was not playing well early against Nova Village and trailed by double digits at the half. Davis was the guy that kept them afloat until everyone else started to arrive. The Milwaukee Bradley Tech product scored a team-high 16 points in the comeback win. An explosive athlete, Davis got things going with a couple slams after breaking down the defense in the halfcourt. Davis also made some impact plays on the defensive end, using his length to get his hands in the passing lanes as well as block/alter shots. One of the most intriguing prospects in the state right now, Davis can play three positions and spends his share of time at the point. A huge upside kid that’s nowhere near his ceiling, Davis is taking steps in the right direction this spring and schools will be pleased with his progress. Caleb Foster - 2023 - PG - Team Curry Foster plays up in 17U and even looked like a man amongst boys. Despite a loss to Wisconsin Playground Club, Foster was the best prospect on the floor and put Team Curry on his back in the second half. A strong, tough, and physical guard, Foster just comes at defenders relentlessly. PGC threw multiple bodies and rotated defenders at him to no avail. While he's an explosive scorer, there's a noticeable poise and balance that Foster plays with. He plays fast, but is never in a hurry. Liked what he did as a downhill attacker, but Foster shoots it well from all areas of the floor as well and has excellent touch when he's forced to fade away from the basket or float the ball over the trees inside. Auburn, Washington, Georgetown, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, Clemson, and Wake Forest have all offered Foster, who's flirting with top 25 status in the 2023 class. Cal Klesmit - 2023 - G - Wisconsin Playground Club Klesmit had 20 points, nine rebounds, and two assists to pace PGC in their Saturday night win over Grand Park Premier. Getting his team off on the right foot after a disappointing loss in the morning, Klesmit scored 11 of his team's first 13 points. A supremely confident scorer that's been going off on just about everyone this spring, Klesmit recently moved into the top five of the 2023 player rankings. The lefty has in-the-gym range as a shooter and a killer instinct that just sucks the life out of the opposition when he gets rolling offensively. Also thought Klesmit made an impact on the other end. In PGC's full court press, Klesmit was flying around, creating havoc, and playing opportunistic basketball. Aidan Mahaney - 2022 - PG - West Coast Elite Nor Cal<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/20210529_112634.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-1203671" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/20210529_112634-300x155.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="155" /></a> Love the way Mahaney approaches the point guard position. He's a true leader, vocally and by example. A very skilled, high-IQ floor general, Mahaney makes everyone around him better. While he's a pass-first guard who will defer a lot, Mahaney's got a noticeable swagger about him and a killer instinct offensively. During Saturday morning's win over Grassroots Sizzle, Mahaney went to work at times. He doesn't look the part as an isolation scorer, but there's times where Mahaney can just size a guy up and leave him in the dust. Stanford, Arizona, California, and Xavier are the high major schools who have extended offers thus far. [player_tooltip player_id="801136" first="Maximus" last="Nelson"] - 2022 - PF - Wisconsin Playground Club Nelson went off for 30 points in a win over Team Curry Saturday morning. The Appleton North star was deadly in the pick n’ pop game, knocking in six triples and never cooling off. Nelson does a terrific job of setting good, hard screens, then opening up his hips and getting himself set to shoot the rock. The 6-foot-8 forward has a guard-like stroke and is very intriguing when he catches and shoots away from the ball as well. The sweet-shooting big can roam the perimeter and snipe from beyond the arc. Nelson has a great understanding of how to play off dribble penetration and move to the spot that was just vacated by the ballhandler. A lot of the Team Curry bigs really didn’t want to come out and guard Nelson on the perimeter. He made them pay, also knocking down a few face-up 3’s as well. [player_tooltip player_id="727964" first="Jack" last="Rose"] - 2022 - SG - Wisconsin Playground Club You give him space or don’t close with a hand up, Rose is really starting to make defenders play consistently. He’s not going to beat anybody at this level with athletic ability, but Rose is a skilled, high-IQ, natural scorer that can has plenty of tricks in his bag. In Saturday’s win over Team Curry, Rose came up with 18 points, including a key 3-pointer late that stopped the bleeding after PGC nearly squandered a 12-point fourth quarter lead. It’s no secret that Rose can score the ball, but college coaches will love the competitive edge he plays with. Rose came up with timely steals and offensive rebounds that turned the game for PGC in the second half. If the ball is loose, Rose is always the first one to hit the deck. Bryce Spiller - 2024 - SG - Gateway Gateway is a program that's always stacked with sleepers and they've got a couple of good-looking prospects with their 15U group, led by Spiller. Already 6-foot-3 with some added length, Spiller is going to check off a lot of boxes with his blend of skill on the ball and outside shooting ability. He didn't finish at the rim as well as he would have liked during a loss to Wisconsin Playground Club, but Spiller showed consistent shot creating ability against a team that likes to turn up the pressure and cause havoc for 94 feet. A smooth wing that probably catches some people by surprise with how athletic he is for a relatively lanky frame, there's a pretty good upside here and someone that has a chance to be an assassin as a scorer over the next several years.