Rumble in the Rapids: Top 16U Stars from the Weekend

This year's Rumble in the Rapids showcase gave spectators a glimpse ahead at some of the state's best talent for the class of 2028. Here's a rundown of some of the most elite performers in the 16U field from this weekend:    Ashton led a unit from The Acadamy that absolutely wiped the floor with every team in their path. There were some really great programs at Rumble in the Rapids, but Callan and [program_tooltip program_id='2539820' first='The' last='Academy'] made them all look like middle schoolers playing against varsity; winning every game by at least 25 points and having every game shortened due to the mercy rule.   Callan is an enormous part of why this team functions so well. He's tough in the paint, he has tremendous court vision, and possesses fabulous ball-handling skills.   At 6'3", Ashton doesn't have the size of a true post player, but he plays like it at times. He fights hard for shots on offense, and can be a shot-disrupter on defense. He scored in double figures in each game of the tournament, and would have likely had 5+ assists in every game. He's so quick in transition that he'll often grab a rebound, and already know that one of his teammates is moving quickly up the floor-and fires the ball ahead for a fast break assist.   Callan's coach believes that Ashton is headed for Division I basketball down the road. His father played college basketball, and there are a lot of programs who would want a kid with a motor like Ashton's.   Playing on a program with as many talented players as [program_tooltip program_id='2539820' first='The' last='Academy'] has to offer, it's fun to see Ashton's full range of talents on full display.     I had the chance to watch Elias play twice this weekend, and this is the kind of kid who always finds a way to impact the game on both sides of the floor.   Everything offensively seems to run through Elias. He's very confident with the ball in his hands, and has the ability to distribute the ball well. But even when he's not dishing out assists, he has a ferocious midrange jumper-and has the ability to consistently knock down shots in the paint or from behind the arc.   On defense, he always has a hand in his opponent's face, and has great hustle when transitioning after a made basket.   You can also tell that he's a natural leader. His Michigan Jayhawks team really seems to go to him for guidance, and in overtime of his first game of the weekend-Elias is the one who knocked down the eventual game-winning shot.   His team hadn't won a game over their last two tournaments, but finished 3-and-1 at this year's Rumble in the Rapids.     The Storm were one of the most impressive teams at this year's Rumble in the Rapids; finishing 4-0 in their pool. And Josh is one of the driving forces for this team's success.   For a kid of his age, already standing 6'2", Josh already has tremendous body control-showing off elite footwork and having patience for the right lanes to open up.   In a win over PGU Elite, Josh scored ten points in the first half. And didn't need to score much in the second half, as he spent most of the final 16 minutes distributing to teammates.   He's part of a smart and crafty Storm team that goes 10 players deep, so you won't often have a lot of statistical standouts. But Josh's abilities are evident in the way he handles the game when the ball is in his hands.     Becker was another crucial cog in [program_tooltip program_id='2539820' first='The' last='Academy']'s 4-0 performance at Rumble in the Rapids this weekend. Standing an imposing 6'8", he was one of the taller players in the entire event. And he's already using his size to dominate opponents.   In watching Becker play twice, I lost track of how many dunks I saw him throw down. He's so quick in transition that when his team forces a turnover, they can quickly find Becker all alone down the floor for a one-handed jam, or a two-hunded flush.   He's a cheat code on defense, always disrupting shots; and any shots that do fall against him almost feel like they drop by luck.   Outside of just his size, he's got great presence in the paint; not just letting rebounds come to his massive wingspan, but really fighting hard against other players to get work for a rebound.   He's also great with his hands, which is sometimes rare for big men at this age. He plays well with his back to the basket and seems comfortable hitting turnaround jumpers.   You wouldn't know it by the size, but Becker is actually the youngest player on his team. But he prides himself on always coming with energy.   His coach is confident that Division I programs will be busting down his door in the near future; not just because of his size and talent right now. But there's still a good chance that he could grow another 2-3 inches by the time he finishes his prep career.     Miles is part of a team full of 15U players that decided to compete with an older division this weekend. And he was part of helping a talented group go 3-1 against some of the better teams in the field.   He's an absolute dynamo with the ball in his hands; Miles has great handles and can stop on a dime to readjust when he needs to. Plus he can beat the defender off the dribble and has a nice turnaround jumper.   And Miles is no slouch on defense. Playing at just 5'10", he prides himself on playing above the rim and disrupting shots. At one point in their win over PGU Elite, Miles tracked down what looked to be a breakaway dunk-and when his opponent missed the shot, Miles was there to get the rebound and push his team back into transition.   Miles still has 3 years left of high school, and will be a player to watch on the AAU circuit for the 2029 class.     Kyle didn't get the chance to play the full slate of games at Rumble in the Rapids: he had his high school prom to get to on Saturday night! But in only 3 games, he left an impact on those who got the chance to see him play.   For the entire weekend's slate of games among 27 teams, I'm not sure I saw a better ball-handler than Kyle. For his age, he already could remind fans of a young Caitlin Clark. He toys with the defense when he's got the ball in his hands, he has exceptional court vision to find an open teammate, and he makes ridiculous passes from seemingly impossible angles.   Kyle also plays well against contact: in a win over [program_tooltip program_id='2776179' first='D1' last='SBGFUNDAMENTALS'], he scored an impressive early and-1 bucket. Then later in the half he buried a 3-pointer, and just seconds later secured a steal, which resulted in a fast break layup.   It's Kyle's first season with OTD, but he's also turning into a fabulous defender. He gets his hands on a lot of passes, forcing turnovers or disrupting the offense.   OTD opened the weekend with a loss to [program_tooltip program_id='2539820' first='The' last='Academy'], but Kyle was the one player on his team who managed to still look impressive, dropping 18 points. And in his final game of the weekend, scored another 13, while dishing out close to double-digit assists.      Liam came into the weekend without a lot of attention, but he may quickly turn some heads as one of the best shooters on the 16U AAU circuit.   Despite only going 1-3 as a team, Liam shot great from deep, displaying a quick release from behind the arc. He dropped four 3-pointers against [program_tooltip program_id='2077010' first='Common' last='Bond'], and then in a loss to the Jayhawks he buried an incredible seven 3-pointers, scoring 33 points total.   The game really seems to come naturally to Liam. He's a pesky defender, and can sneak up on you to poke the ball away.   After each game, his coach was beaming about Liam's performance. Liam says that shooting is the best aspect of his game, and he would like to work on driving the lane more.

This year's Rumble in the Rapids showcase gave spectators a glimpse ahead at some of the state's best talent for the class of 2028. Here's a rundown of some of the most elite performers in the 16U field from this weekend: