Gamechangers from Mayhem in the Plex

Clayton Conover

May 15, 2022 @ 07:12 PM

The 6’5 forward was a pleasant surprise due to his rebounding intensity and passing vision off the dribble. Given his vision out of the post or off the bounce, Williams was sensational hitting skip passes and the occasional no look to the corner shooter. The forward was one of the more creative playmakers and visionary passers at this tournament, regardless of size. On drives, Williams displayed some creative footwork such as spin moves to get around the defender. Given his size, I would like to see Williams hunt for contact a bit more often, since his frame will allow him to garner six or more free throws a game with this mindset.

Robert Hall - TA Elite - Plano Senior - 2022

Hall was an emphatic rebounder and interior presence at 6’6 200 or so pounds. He understands his role as the dude who does most of the dirty work on the glass. While he is a 2022, he proved he understands his role and how to impact winning without taking a ton of shots. On multiple occassions, Hall recorded two blocks in the same possession, simply put he can be a dominant division 3 or better combo forward and defensive specialist.

Prince Olufemi - Dallas Premiere - Lake Highlands - 2023

At 6’1, Olufemi was a consistent scoring guard that could extend out to college range while proving to be capable scoring through contact around the rim. Olufemi’s touch is the clear calling card for the combo guard, where his short floater off the right hand is up there with anyone in the gym. Olufemi is tough competitor on defense as well, although continuing to improve his hip speed will aid him against quicker guards.

Chidi Umeh - Dallas Premiere - Wylie East - 2023

Umeh is an intriguing prospect due to his lengthy frame and flashes as a shooter off the catch. Starting on defense, Umeh’s length is a legitimate deterrent against drives when he is aggressive on help. When in position, he is very tough to shoot over at 6’6. Although he had limited possessions handling the rock, he flashed playmaking vision when attacking the rim. The right hand appears to be much more dependable for him, although his frame allows him to remain a threat off the dribble. A few times he hit threes out to college distance, proving he has a bit more in his bag than a pure interior defender. Continuing to stay aggressive on help defense should aid his overall team defensive impact.

Caleb Edwards Caleb Edwards 6'1" Grand Oaks | 2023 TX - Texas Footwork Bengals - Grand Oaks - 2023

Edwards was quite simply dominant for the Bengals in the two games I watched, where he put 20+ and 30 in each of those contests. At 6’2, the combo guard displayed the ability to hit movement threes on a relatively high volume. Against Premiere, Edwards had three made three pointers in four possessions while taking no dribbles. Another intriguing aspect of Edwards is his passing vision on cuts or a motion flow, where he was incredibly accurate on decent sample size. While he possesses all the necessary physical traits to be excellent on defense, he tends of overextend on the perimeter, where a simple miscommunication leads to a easy opponent make. Either way, Edwards is someone to keep an eye on as a perimeter scorer.