December Report: Colby's New Finds

The end of the month is near which means it’s time to reflect on the action that I took in and break it down into a series of articles. For this particular piece, I’ll be breaking down some of the new faces I came across. With me covering Baltimore heavily, it’s rare that I see someone new unless they’re a freshman, but I was able to get out to different events that featured teams from around the country and discover some new prospects who fit at various levels. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/12/Mathiang-Maker.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1341852" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/12/Mathiang-Maker-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="994004" first="Mathiang" last="Maker"] | 6’8 | Dream City Christian ’23 (AZ) Maker caught my eye immediately thanks to his size and length at 6-foot-8. It didn’t take him long to display his comfortability with the ball whether it was in the open floor or in the half court trying to create a shot for himself. He fits the mold as a prototypical wing at the next level and can score from inside and out. In the game that I saw him play, he registered 13 points on 5-of-11 from the field and 3-of-7 from three while hauling in seven boards. Maker is the cousin of Thon Maker and poses plenty of upside throughout the next calendar year. [player_tooltip player_id="1237854" first="Jaion" last="Pitt"] | 6’6 | Dream City Christian ’25 (AZ) Pitt was one of the more talented freshmen I took in this month. He has good size at 6-foot-6 with a body that seems to be more developed than you average freshman. While he wasn’t much of a communicator, Pitt was very confident in his play in a quiet way. He used his athleticism and length to guard multiple position and alter shots around the rim defensively. Offensively, he scored inside the paint with soft touch floaters or crafty layups. It wouldn’t shock me to see Pitt eventually emerge as a high major target by the time he’s a junior. Vakaris Grauslys | 6’1 | West Nottingham ’22 Grauslys was my most impressive find of the month as I made the trip up to West Nottingham Academy one evening as they earned a big win over John Carroll. Led by Vakaris’ 32 points (including seven three’s), the Rams seemed to be rolling on all cylinders and it was the Lithuanian’s leadership that shined brightest. He had complete control of the game and was taking whatever the defense gave him. If he wasn’t cashing in on three’s off the catch, Vakaris was finding small driving lanes and finishing around the rim creatively to avoid opposing shot blockers. He made sound reads on ball screen actions, was extremely vocal on defense and made the small plays that teams need in their point guards to squeak out close games. Vakaris is a guy I’d want to go to war with. [player_tooltip player_id="1286680" first="Yves" last="Missi"] | 6’10 | West Nottingham ’24 High majors are now getting involved with Missi and after catching him in action, it’s easy to see why. The native of Cameroon has explosive athleticism to go with his 7-foot-3 wingspan. After a slow start in the rebounding department, Missi controlled the glass from the second quarter on in the game against John Carroll. He had a couple of jaw dropping dunks that showcased his explosion. He ran the floor consistently, showing mobility and nimble feet on certain situations. UCLA and Syracuse are just two of the high major programs who have offered and plenty more will get into the mix by summer. https://twitter.com/ColbyGHoops/status/1468406887645421578?s=20 Bryan Ndjonga | 6’8 | West Nottingham ’24 The other high upside sophomore for the Rams is Ndjonga, also a Cameroon native and the cousin of Philadelphia 76ers’ star Joel Emiid. Ndjonga is a wing who could be featured also as a stretch four. He’s still raw, but it’s easy to see the upside and potential he has with his smooth outside shooting stroke. If he can keep growing as a shot creator, his stock with skyrocket. Ndjonga has the athleticism, length and feet to guard multiple positions on the defensive end. As he continues to adjust to the pace and style that comes with the American game, his potential will be evident. Evan Buck | 6’0 | Harford Tech ’22 With many games being canceled due to COVID, I was left scrambling to find a game one evening and stumbled upon St. Paul’s and Harford Tech. Buck was a senior for the Cobras and despite losing big on the scoreboard, showed his ability to score from all three levels. He was the lone bright spot in the loss and after knocking down an early three, used the rest of the game attacking his defender off the dribble and finishing around the rim or hitting jumpers in the mid-range. Buck could project as a Division III prospect if he can continue to produce at the level I saw against St. Paul’s. Tyson Oghene | 6’4 | St. Maria Goretti ’22 I was my first time seeing Oghene in a game against John Carroll where he scored 14 points. He has solid size and good strength for an off-ball guard or wing at the high school level. He converted on a shot from beyond the arc and had a number of nice takes to the rim. He isn’t a guy who will bounce the air out of the ball. He’s gonna look to rip and attack or explode after a crossover to get his edge. After talking with a few people regarding Oghene, he could be a great name for JuCo coaches to take note of. [player_tooltip player_id="1317122" first="Tristan" last="Cook"] | 5’11 | St. Maria Goretti ’23 Cook is very quick off the dribble and showed time and time again in the loss against John Carroll when he finished with 16 points. Cook is a capable shot-maker from mid-range off the bounce and can also get going from three especially when he’s shooting off the catch. He was most challenging to guard in the open floor where despite his size, covers ground quickly and gets to the rim in the blink of an eye. Cook will be on my radar going forward.