Colby’s April 2024 Stock Risers
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With the month of April behind us and the two live period weekends complete, it’s time to dig through the notebook and highlight some prospects who I believe took advantage of the stage and improved their stock. Brandon Jennings Brandon…
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Continue ReadingWith the month of April behind us and the two live period weekends complete, it’s time to dig through the notebook and highlight some prospects who I believe took advantage of the stage and improved their stock.
Brandon Jennings Brandon Jennings 6'4" | PG St. Christopher's | 2024 State VA | Global Squad
I knew very little about Jennings before the spring, but Adam Ayalew told me to keep and eye on him when I took the trip down to Rock Hill for UA S2. Jennings didn’t take long to support the hype that Adam spoke about. He’s a 6’3-6’4 southpaw combo guard who can score it at a high clip from multiple levels. After a productive day one at S2 as a scorer, he followed on day two by showcasing more of his skill set as a playmakers for others. It was good to see his well-rounded approach as a an offensive threat. Jennings received an offer from Winthrop following the weekend while sparking interest from a plethora of other programs.
Brant Byers | Team Thrill
It doesn’t take long to notice Byers’ value due to his size at 6’7 and floor-spacing ability. Both of which have been noticed by college programs this spring. He’s an active mover without the ball and understands relocating principles around the perimeter where he finds open windows for teammates to find him. Byers is a confident shooter and can get his shot off quickly to make any hesitation from his defender pay. He’s the prototypical wing or even small-ball four prospect that can thrive at the LM D1 level with potential to go even higher with continued progression. American, Mount St. Mary’s, Lehigh and Stonehill all have offered Byers this spring.
Donavan Freeman Donavan Freeman 6'9" | PF IMG Academy | 2024 #34 Nation FL | Team Takeover
Freeman has been a top five prospect in our 2024 rankings since he entered high school, but his assertiveness, consistency and development over the last 6-to-7 months now has him in the driver’s seat to take over as our No. 1 ranked prospect. He has been a shot disruptor at the rim, a consistent rebounding presence next to Pat Ngongba and a threat on catches from 15 and in. Alabama and Syracuse are heavily involved with Freeman while Georgia Tech is his most recent offer.
Tyonne Farrell Tyonne Farrell 6'6" | PF Mount St. Joseph | 2024 State #210 Nation MD | Team Melo
Farrell is another versatile forward who is adding value to his individual stock. While he’s always brought a junkyard dog mentality, his skill set is now starting to align. For Melo so far this spring, Farrell is averaging 11.5 points per game and just had his most impressive outing in their last game of S2 where he logged 26 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field and a perfect 8-of-8 from the charity stripe. Now that the word is getting around, I expect interest with Farrell to pick up. If he can grab another rebound or two per game above what he averages right now, that interest will turn into offers. Towson recently offered the Mount St. Joe product.
Caden Diggs Caden Diggs 6'7" | SF Bullis | 2024 State #125 Nation MD | New World
The hype around Diggs has grown as a result of his play this spring with New World. The 6’7 wing has the size, length, athleticism and versatile tools to be an extremely intriguing prospect. Confidence and consistency were the two things that I was looking for with Diggs in terms of areas that needed improvement and you can tell something about his approach has changed in a good way since suiting up with New World. As a result, he’s showing his worth as a shot creator, his explosive finishing capabilities in transition and his switchability on the defensive side of the ball. His play has resulted in offers from Iowa, George Mason and St. Josephs (Pa).
Matthew Shelton Matthew Shelton 6'5" | PF Evergreen Christian | 2024 State VA | Mid-Atlantic Select
Shelton is a name that I’ll be keeping tabs on for the remainder of the spring. The 6’5 wing is explosive athletically with the ability to throw down on defenders in traffic. As violent as he can be on the rim, Shelton shoots a ball with soft touch and can fill it up quickly from three off the catch. He can make things happen on the ball in transition and has burst off his back foot when he decides to take advantage of a driving lane. Expect more programs to get involved as we move forward. Loyola (MD) is his most recent offer while Mount St. Mary’s and Bethune-Cookman extended offers during the high school season.