Strictly BBall Newsletter No. 2

Border League Preview, Team USA Youth Minicamp, and Rankings Updates!

by Griffin Greenberg on October 9

As we inch closer and closer to regular season play in high school basketball, fall events have officially arrived! Border League in Las Vegas, NV begins later this week and the youth Team USA minicamp just finished up this past weekend.

We take you through a quick preview of those events, as well as our player of the week, recruiting and rankings updates, an underrated player and more in this week’s edition of the Strictly BBall Newsletter.

THIS WEEK’S TOP STORIES

Events/Games of the Week

by Griffin Greenberg

1. Border League: October 13-15

The Border League in Las Vegas has become the premier early season high school basketball event. 12 games at the event will be aired on ESPN platforms, including 11 Geico Top Flight Invite games and 1 Super 16 game. Below are the teams and key players competing, more information will come out in another article before the event.

Geico Top Flight Invite Bracket (8 teams)

• Features Prolific Prep (CA), Florida Eagles (FL), AZ Compass Prep (AZ), Explorers (FL), Bishop O’Connell (VA), LABC (CA), LV Orange (NV), and Air Nado (NV).

• Players featured are Cooper Flagg (Florida Eagles), Cameron Boozer (Explorers), AJ Dybantsa (Prolific Prep), Tyran Stokes (Prolific Prep), Asa Newell (Florida Eagles), Jamari Phillips (AZ Compass Prep), Bryson Tucker (Bishop O’Connell), Liam McNeeley (Florida Eagles), Derrion Reid (Prolific Prep),Derik Queen (Florida Eagles), Jeremiah Fears (AZ Compass Prep), Trent Perry (LABC), Rob Wright III (Florida Eagles), Sammie Yeanay (AZ Compass Prep), Tee Bartlett (Air Nado), Del Jones (AZ Compass Prep), Nick Jefferson (LV Orange) and more!

Ball Dawgs Super 16 Bracket (16 teams)

• Features St. John Bosco (CA), Overtime Elite (GA), Corona Centennial (CA), Wasatch Academy (UT), Sierra Canyon (CA), Corner Canyon (UT), Notre Dame (CA), Southern California Academy (CA), Owyhee (ID), Dream City Christian (AZ), Campbell Hall (CA), Millennium (AZ), Mater Dei (CA), Bella Vista (AZ), American Fork (UT), Trinity (NV), Canyon International (AZ), and Arbor View (NV).

• Players featured are Karter Knox (Overtime Elite), Brandon McCoy (St. John Bosco), Carter Bryant (Corona Centennial), Bryson Tiller (Overtime Elite), Bryce James (Notre Dame), Naas Cunningham (Southern California Academy), Liam Campbell (Owyhee), Cameron Holmes (Millennium), Mercy Miller (Notre Dame), John Mobley Jr. (Wasatch Academy), Isaiah Elohim (Sierra Canyon), Larry Johnson (Southern California Academy), Brannon Martinsen (Mater Dei), Isaiah Harwell (Wasatch Academy), Eric Freeny (Corona Centennial), Kanon Catchings (Overtime Elite), Elzie Harrington (St. John Bosco), John Bol (Overtime Elite), Jaeden Mustaf (Overtime Elite), Brody Kozlowski (Corner Canyon), Mikel Brown (Overtime Elite), Chris Nwuli (Wasatch Academy) and more!

2. Team USA Basketball Junior Minicamp

84 of the top high school athletes in the US were selected to be a part of the Team USA Junior Minicamp in Colorado Springs this past weekend. The minicamp serves the purpose of evaluating each of the player and later narrowing down teams by age range when medal play arrives.

Notable standouts from this past weekend included Drake Powell, Boogie Fland, Brandon McCoy, Cam Scott, and Kiyan Anthony.

Strictly’s Take

by Joe Doerrer

Strictly Nolan and I will be arriving in Las Vegas Wednesday in advance of the Border League event. (We’re sneaking in an outing to the WNBA Finals Game 2!)

I am most excited to just be back in the gym with all these high profile players, but if I had to pick 2 things I’m MOST excited for it would be…

1. The matchup of the year with No. 3 Montverde and No. 2 Prolific Prep potentially facing off in the Top Flight division.

2. Bryce James continuing to show his development as a player for Notre Dame.

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Strictly BBall Player of the Week

by Griffin Greenberg 

Drake Powell (Team USA Minicamp)

Powell put up a string of impressive performances across the weekend in Colorado Springs. The North Carolina commit is a 6’5 high energy wing that displayed his ability to get out in transition, make an impact with his explosiveness, and ability to create his own shot when needed. He also showed growth as a passer this weekend. Powell was arguably the biggest stock riser of the summer and proved why he is a true 5 star in the 2024 class.

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MSHTV Camp Standouts

by Nolan Newberg & Joe Doerrer

Strictly took a road trip to Indianapolis in late September to watch the best middle school and high school freshman players in the country at the MSHTV camp.

Here’s who stood out as players who we think could eventually dominate high school hoops:

1. 2027 Bryce Curry (Lakota West, OH) - Bryce Curry hasn’t even started his 9th grade season yet, but I’m confident he will be one of the best high school hoopers in Ohio this year. Bryce is a 6’2 combo guard that is capable of scoring the ball in a number of ways. His shot making from behind the arc was impressive, but he primarily operated around the rim. His athleticism and body control on finishes was off the charts in the games I watched.

   Bryce already holds offers from schools like Illinois, Cincinnati, and Texas A&M. A list of schools that will grow rapidly these next few years.

2. 2027 Scottie Adkinson (Webster Groves, MO) - Scottie Adkinson made waves this summer playing on Brad Beal Elite for Made Hoops. He was a top scorer in a league filled with some of the best middle school competition in the country. Scottie’s quickness and leaping ability make him lethal when driving to the basket. Scottie is going to be one of the best finishing guards in all of high school, but he also has a lot of potential in other facets of his game. Scottie’s playmaking and 3pt jumper are two things I expect to improve in the near future.

3. 2027 Lincoln Cosby (Overtime Elite, GA) - Overtime Elite has now started signing 9th grade players and many believe Lincoln Cosby could be the future face of the program in Atlanta. Lincoln’s measurements, standing at 6’9 at 14 years old, and perimeter skillset screams limitless potential. Don’t look for Lincoln to put up huge numbers in OTE this season, as he’ll likely be mostly a catch and shoot guy, but 2-3 years down the line we could be looking at a Tyler Smith type player with a chance at getting NBA looks.

4. 2028 Jarrett Harris (Christel House South Academy, IN) - If I had to pick one breakout player from the MSHTV Camp this year, it would have to be Jarrett Harris. Jarrett is a 6’5 super bouncy 13-year-old who dunks EVERYTHING. He has natural instincts inside, and takes pride in being active on defense. Jarrett wasn’t just disruptive in the paint either. There were numerous times when he switched onto quicker opponents and defended well on the perimeter. Considering his size and skill level at 13-years-old, I’m certain this kid will be a special player in high school

5. 2028 Tito Onyemechi (St. Maximillian Kolbe, Canada) Young hoopers with elite athleticism are always something that intrigues me. So when I saw 6’5 Tito Onyemechi at the MSHTV Camp, I knew I had to make it out to multiple games of his. Simply put, Tito did not disappoint in any of the games I was in attendance for. As anticipated, he is a dominant inside player who is a mismatch for any 8th grader guarding him. What did surprise me about Tito is the promise he showed as a 3pt scorer. Tito was drilling tough triples from NBA range, and off his own shot creation like stepbacks. In a few years, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him as one of Canada’s best high school prospects.

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Weekly Recruiting Update

by Griffin Greenberg

Commitments

Class of 2024 4-star Montverde Academy (Montverde, FL) guard Curtis Givens has committed to LSU.

Class of 2025 4-star DME Academy (Daytona Beach, FL) center Moustapha Thiam has committed to UCF.

Class of 2024 4-star St. Thomas More (Windsor, CT) forward Tyler Betsey has committed to Cincinnati.

Class of 2024 4-star Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, CA) guard Isaiah Elohim has committed to Arkansas.

Class of 2024 4-star The Rock School (Gainesville, FL) forward Ryan Jones Jr. has committed to Virginia Tech.

Class of 2024 4-star Dream City Christian (Glendale, AZ) center Emmanuel Stephen has committed to Arizona.

Class of 2024 4-star Huntington Prep (Huntington, WV) guard Carlsheon Young has committed to Oklahoma State.

Class of 2024 4-star Trinity (Las Vegas, NV) center Papa N’Diaye has committed to UNLV.

Class of 2024 4-star Legacy the School of Sport Sciences (Spring, TX) guard Zion Pipkin has committed to Wichita State.

Class of 2024 3-star The Bullis School (Potomac, MD) forward Cayden Diggs has committed to Old Dominion.

Class of 2024 3-star The Branson School (Ross, CA) guard Jase Butler has committed to Illinois.

Class of 2024 3-star DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, MD) forward Malcolm Thomas has committed to Villanova.

Class of 2024 3-star Stony Point (Round Rock, TX) forward Josiah Moseley has committed to Villanova.

Commitment announcements

Class of 2024 4-star forward Rakease Passmore is set to announce his college decision between Oklahoma, Kansas, and LSU on October 11th.

Final schools

Class of 2024 4-star guard Trent Perry is down to 6 schools… TCU, USC, Colorado, Gonzaga, Stanford, and Oregon.

Class of 2024 4-star center Malick Diallo is down to 5 schools… Cal, TCU, Vanderbilt, BYU, and Loyola Chicago.

Class of 2024 4-star Mitchell Holmes is down to 5 schools… Auburn, Rice, Providence, SMU, and TCU.

Class of 2024 3-star Casmir Chavis is down to 4 schools… Washington, Georgia, ASU, and West Virginia.

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Rankings Update! (2025 On3 drop)

by Griffin Greenberg on September 04

Risers:

#26 Brayden Burries (Formerly #61) - Roosevelt (CA)

Burries has emerged as one of the top guards in his class this summer. He has a great feel for the game and is very well-rounded as a guard, showcasing elite shot-creating skills for himself and his teammates. Burries picked up offers from Duke, Texas, Kansas, Alabama, UCLA, and more this summer.

#78 Colt Langdon (Formerly #137) - Millbrook (NC)

Colt Langdon is an explosive and high-energy forward that shoots the ball very well. His size and skillset make him tough to guard and he holds his own on each end. Langdon picked up offers from Iowa, Mississippi State, Butler, Georgetown, and more this summer.

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