National Hoop Fest: Day 2 2024 Standouts
The National High School Hoops Festival is always one of the best events throughout the country during the high school season. I was in attendance for day two and will break down standouts from various classes that caught my eye. …
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Continue ReadingThe National High School Hoops Festival is always one of the best events throughout the country during the high school season. I was in attendance for day two and will break down standouts from various classes that caught my eye.
For the standout unsigned seniors, click here!
For the standout 2023 prospects, click here!
Darren Harris Darren Harris 6'6" | SF Paul VI | 2024 State #59 Nation VA | 6’5 | Paul IV
It’s safe to say that Harris stole much of the attention among the sophomore prospects with his play over the weekend and made a real argument as one of the top shooters you’ll see nationally in his class. Harris led Paul IV in a commanding win over Archbishop Spalding and did so in superb, efficient fashion with 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field and a perfect 5-of-5 from beyond the arc. Everything from his shot preparation, his release point and the rotation that Harris gets on the ball following his release are mature beyond his years. He has a great sense of feel when coming of pin downs as to how his matchups is trailing him, when to utilize pump fakes to create space and how much room he needs to get his shot off against longer defenders.
Daquan Davis Daquan Davis 6'1" | PG Overtime Elite (GA) | 2024 #119 Nation GA | 6’1 | St. Frances
Davis stole the hearts of many fans this weekend with his dog mentality every second on the floor. In St. Frances’ last second win over DeMatha, the 6-foot-1 guard didn’t post an unforgettable stat line. In fact, he scored just eight points for the game, but it was his intensity on the defensive end that ultimately helped his team gain an edge and made it challenging for any DeMatha guard he was matched up against to break free for a clean look. Davis came up in the clutch following 2022 Bryce Lindsay Bryce Lindsay 6'2" | CG St. Frances | 2022 State MD ‘s coast-to-coast layup to give the Panthers the lead with a few seconds remaining when he helped as a trapper as soon as 2022 Rodney Rice Rodney Rice 6'4" | CG DeMatha | 2022 State #89 Nation MD crossed half court to deflect the ball, recover it and then knock down both free-throw attempts to ice the game.
Productive outing for 2024 Daquan Davis |@thedaquandavis| of St Frances @SFA_Basketball here at the National HS Hoops Festival.
Shotmaking sophomore drops 5 triples and played a major part in a victory for SFA over Huntington Prep. pic.twitter.com/LLhzpHCZUC
— Endless Motor Sports (@endless_motor) December 5, 2021
Jaeden Mustaf Jaeden Mustaf 6'4" | SG OTE | 2024 #51 Nation GA | 6’5 | DeMatha
Mustaf was the leader for the Stags in the close loss, recording 17 points, four rebounds and three steals. He was engaged on both ends and seems to be getting more comfortable making plays off the bounce by getting to the rim and finishing around contests. He was also an impact defensively where he guarded multiple position throughout the course of the game and showcased great anticipation in passing lanes to cause turnovers and transition opportunities. Between Mustaf and teammate 2024 AJ Swinton AJ Swinton 6'6" | SF Bishop O'Connell (VA) | 2024 State #134 Nation VA , DeMatha has a sophomore class that has impressive upside.
Mustaf 🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨
Jaeden Mustaf DeMatha 2024 Guard/Wing with the punisher today vs Glenelg. @jaetm3 @DeMathaHoops pic.twitter.com/qPa9tWLzhz— Capitol Hoops (@CapitolHoops) November 25, 2021
Trentyn Flowers Trentyn Flowers 6'8" | CG Rosedale Christian | 2024 CA-S | 6’7 | Huntington Prep
I wasn’t in attendance for day one, but the record shows that Flowers had a tremendous showing against St. Frances despite his team coming up short. At 6-foot-7, he’s extremely dynamic on the offensive end and seems to have really good feel overall. He understands how to create space for himself operating off the dribble and obtains the instincts to make the corrects reads to others depending on how the defense reacts. Huntington Prep ended the weekend with a win over Bishop O’Connell where Flowers registered 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting and seven boards.
Del Jones Del Jones 6'2" | PG AZ Compass Prep | 2024 CA-S | 6’2 | Bishop O’Connell
Jones is a microwave scorer who is featured as a combo guard. At this point in his development, he can get spastic with how often he looks to score, but when his shot is falling, the defense is in trouble. Although he wasn’t very efficient on Sunday, Jones still managed to chip in with 14 points on 6-of-18 shooting in Bishop O’Connell’s loss to Huntington Prep. Jones is crafty in isolation situations and makes it a habit of getting into the paint.
Machi Chester Machi Chester 6'3" | PG Friendship Collegiate | 2024 State MD | 6’3 | Bishop O’Connell
Another sophomore in O’Connell’s arsenal is Chester, a 6-foot-3 guard with a strong frame and good athleticism that allows him to be a versatile piece on the defensive end. He plays with toughness and isn’t afraid to get in the mix when called upon. He also showed some promise as an outside threat as he converted on two triples on his way to eight points. He didn’t fill up the stat sheet, but he showed plenty of characteristics that would represent an intriguing prospect in the long term.
Malcolm Thomas | 6’7 | DeMatha
I enjoyed watching Thomas because of the quiet confidence that he has in his game. The 6-foot-7 southpaw is polish with fundamentals, which came into the light with his soft touch on bank shots from the mid-range. He has sneaky athleticism that resulted in put back dunks on the offensive end and momentum changing blocked shots defensively. He’s a hard worker who communicated well in ball screen scenarios. Don’t be surprised if we see Thomas’ minutes pick up steadily as the season progresses.