UAA MDW 17U Notables (Part 1)

Under Armour opened with their first event this weekend in Westfield, IN at the Pacers Athletic Center. I had the opporunity to cover the event throughout the three days to see plenty of talented prospects that I’ll break down throughout the series of articles I release this week. B-Maze Elite <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/BJ-Edwards.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1203651" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/BJ-Edwards-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> BJ Edwards | 6’3 | 2022 -Edwards handled the majority of the ball-handling duties for B-Maze and showed great poise, pace and control in doing so. He’s always looking to take advantage of his defender falling asleep even if it’s for a split second and get into the paint where he was deadly all weekend. When teams attempted to pressure Edwards, he utilized his 6-foot-3 frame and quick first step to make them pay, have a numbers advantage after the blow by and respond according to the defensive rotations. In the three games that I saw Edwards play, he finished with 15+ points and did his damage from all three levels. Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech are among the programs prioritizing him. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/03/31F64C73-CEDC-4A4E-B44F-6506D6F2ED58.jpeg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1155467" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/03/31F64C73-CEDC-4A4E-B44F-6506D6F2ED58-300x225.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> Quante Berry | 6’4 | 2022 -Berry and Edwards make up one of the most dynamic backcourts you’ll see on the circuit. Edwards is a 6-foot-4 guard who approaches the game with more of a scorer’s mentality. Berry is a capable shot-maker from three, but was at his best this weekend finding driving lanes in the defense and finishing with craft around the rim. He has good length for his size that comes to use on his finishes in transition over the rim. Berry plays with a chip on his shoulder defensively and you can tell with his energy and effort. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/03/12996725-3105-4EAF-AC23-53C823923999.jpeg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1155469" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/03/12996725-3105-4EAF-AC23-53C823923999-300x225.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="1179411" first="Handje" last="Tamba"] | 6’10 | 2022 -Tamba is a 6-foot-10 big who stands out immediately due to his size and wingspan. He ran the floor consistently and was effective in getting his shoulder into his defender, establishing position under the rim and sealing with a wide base. He’d open his stance as guards drove baseline and displayed dependable hands on dump-off passes where he’d finish or draw fouls. Tamba used his length to alter any shots in the painted area and pursued rebounds both in and out of his area. Tennessee, Auburn and Georgetown are all tracking Tamba closely. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/JaKobi-Gillespie.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1203650" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/JaKobi-Gillespie-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> Ja’Kobi Gillespie | 6’0 | 2022 -Gillespie asserted himself as a crucial piece for B-Maze, especially in crunch time. The 6-foot combo guard made plays on both sides of the ball when his team needed it most. A perfect example of this was Gillespie’s play against Houston Defender where 16 of his 17 points came in the third and fourth quarters. A fearless driver, Gillespie finished around the basket despite opposing bigs doing all they could to block his layup attempts. He understood how to play off Edwards and Berry’s penetration by making himself available in spots around the arc for catch-and-shoots. Defensively he was a pest in passing lanes and determined on the ball. If there was ever a 50/50, you could bet Gillespie was the first one diving on the floor. Houston Defenders Zy Morite | 6’4 | 2021 -Morite was by far the best available prospect at this event. The 6-foot-4 guard possesses some of the most explosive athleticism I’ve seen and as shown in the video below, he threw down the dunk of the weekend over the extended arm of 6-foot-10 [player_tooltip player_id="1179411" first="Handje" last="Tamba"]. Morite is more than just a dynamite athlete, though. He scored with efficiency from three and mid-range. He showed solid instincts off the bounce after getting by his defender in the half court and on his paint touches, would locate open teammates around the baseline or the perimeter. Morite will play with the Defenders through July to try and ignite interest or offers. If not, he’ll elect to do a post-grad prep year as a number of the top powerhouses are courting him. I’d evaluate Morite as a legitimate MM to HM prospect. https://twitter.com/ColbyGHoops/status/1399039976004800516?s=20 [player_tooltip player_id="958610" first="Xavier" last="Owens"] | 6’5 | 2022 -Owens helped Morite in the scoring department as the 6-foot-5 wing hit shots from all around the arc throughout the weekend. Once the defense keyed in on his shooting, he used his long strides to get to the rim and finish smoothly. I saw Owens defending positions 2-4 and doing so effectively. His versatility was noticed after grabbing defensive rebounds and leading the fast break himself. Owens holds offers from Western Kentucky, Murray State and New Orleans. Jourdain Dishmond | 6’9 | 2021 -Dishmond is a big-body 6-foot-9 lefty who punished his matches with regularity in the paint. He has the size and build of a high-level defensive end on the football field and it comes to light as he clears the paint with box outs. Dishmond executed on his touches on the block and absorbed any contact that came his way. He wasn’t a black hole in the paint, either. One the double-team came, Dishmond quickly located the open teammate for quality looks. He recently signed with Holmes Community College and should be a force nationally at the JuCo level. Team Thrill <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/Jarace-Walker-1.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1204495" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/Jarace-Walker-1-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> Jarace Walker | 6’8 | 2022 -Walker played at a high level in four out of the five games, but he was flat-out special in his team’s last game against West Coast Elite where he tallied 23 points. He got started early but nailing three triples off pick-and-pop sets with point guard [player_tooltip player_id="902040" first="Trae" last="English"] and from there the defense was at his mercy. It’s no secret that Walker is a physical specimen and one of the top prospects in the 2022 class, but when he brings this sort of focus and assertiveness is when he reveals himself as a potential future NBA prospect. Walker has scheduled visits with Houston and Auburn. Ohio State is also expected to get a visit out of the 6-foot-8 forward. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/Christian-Winborne.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1183840" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/Christian-Winborne-300x218.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="218" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="777071" first="Christian" last="Winborne"] | 6’3 | 2022 -Winborne didn’t have his best weekend shooting the basketball. Don’t get me wrong, he still made his fair share of shots from three and mid-range, but they weren’t to his usual standards efficiency wise. Still, Winborne didn’t allow that to negatively impact his production level and used his defensive tenacity to help his team. The 6-foot-2 guard picked his man up 94 feet and did a nice job of sprinting at an angle to a spot in order to reestablish guarding position. A number of schools are looking to get visits from Winborne, of those include Northwestern, Rutgers, Virginia Tech, Penn, Harvard and others. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/Trae-English.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1204493" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/Trae-English-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="902040" first="Trae" last="English"] | 5’11 | 2022 -I’ve watched English plenty of times over the last two years and this weekend was by far the best stretch of games I’ve seen him play. There wasn’t a defender that I saw who could keep English in front of them. He’s an absolute blur in the open floor and has the speed to catch the ball from rebounding bigs around the opposite free-throw line and beat everyone down the floor. He operated with efficiency in ball-screens where he’d put his defender in jail, use his quick burst to force the big to commit to himself or his original matchup and finish the play with tough layup or an assist. English had just as much of an impact defensively where he made life difficult for his matchup anytime they had the ball. He’s constantly looking to poke with active hands and while he picked up a few fouls on the way, he’ll generate more turnovers than not in said situations. English made it official this weekend that he will do a post-grad prep year at Scotland Campus where he should blossom into quite the player and pick up Division I interest. [player_tooltip player_id="777073" first="Antonio" last="Hamlin"] | 6’2 | 2022 -Hamlin was steady throughout the weekend, but really stole my attention in his team’s only loss to D1 Indiana. While the rest of the team put together a lackluster performance, both Hamlin and English were locked in and doing whatever they could to fire up their guys. On the weekend he drew eight charges, which would make college coaches at any level smile. In the particular game against D1 Indiana he took three, while also having an impact offensively with his outside shot to keep his team in striking distance. Hamlin’s leadership is improving with his willingness to communicate and his ‘lead by example’ mentality.<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/Noah-Batchelor-1.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1204494 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/Noah-Batchelor-1-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> Michael Moore | 6’9 | 2022 -Moore was a dominant shot-blocker in Thrill’s five games. He found himself in foul trouble early in two games, but remained disciplined to avoid contact with opposing player’s bodies. Moore rebounded with aggression and did his job of standing in the dunker’s spot offensively to finish two-handed flushes after the defense collapsed. Noah Batchelor | 6’7 | 2022 -Batchelor continued his production after what has been a nice spring. He made defenses pay whenever he had open looks from three, finished strong dunks in transition and had a handful of high IQ passes that resulted in assists. Seeing Batchelor take a competitive approach on the defensive side of things was an aspect that I was watching closely all spring. He has certainly climbed the ladder in that sense and embraces one-on-one scenarios with dynamic scorers. Batchelor has three unofficial visits scheduled for June to Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech and NC State.