Hardwood Classic: Saturday Standouts (Part II)
2019 Trayvon Williams, 6’3 G (Kingdom Hoops 16)
With each viewing he gets more dominant, and today he was as good as we’ve seen him. He’s a big and strong guard with great length and super athleticism, and is quickly becoming an elite prospect in Iowa’s very strong 2019 class. It’s very clear that Williams is supremely confident in his abilities, and that was evident when he was attacking the rim at every opportunity while going up against MOKAN Elite in the Sweet 16. He skied way, way above the rim to flush down an alley-oop in that game. He’s certainly a D1 prospect.
2019 Noah Carter, 6’4 F (Iowa Barnstormers 16U)
He’s a big and versatile forward that has some serious bounce. He threw down four slam dunks in the two games we saw, and most impressive is he does it from a standstill. He’s also a more-than-capable 3-point shooter, and he reportedly participated in the 3-point contest Friday night. Carter is an undersized post, but could be a sleeper D1 prospect.
2019 Kylan Smallwood, 6’3 G/F (Kingdom Hoops 16U)
A big and physical wing, Smallwood is best when he’s crashing the boards and scoring through contact at the rim. We saw him step out and can a couple 3s today, but that’s still a spot where the Creston guard could see some improvement. As it is, he’s a nice wing, who could warrant some D1 looks before too long, and will likely get some D2 coaches willing to offer soon.
2019 Agueck Deng, 6’7 F (Kingdom Hoops Elite 16U)
This Valley stretch-four almost single-handedly willed his Kingdom Hoops squad to an upset win over national power MOKAN Elite this evening. He netted three 3s in a short span during a second half run, and scored 15 points in the half alone, even giving his team a one point lead — albeit brief — at one point late in the game. He’s also able to play well above the rim. The ceiling is very high for this rising junior.
2018 Hunter Strait, 6’2 PG (Team Iowa 17U)
Like Trey Hutcheson from Part I of the standouts, we’re not surprised at all to see this top-5 prospect on this list. Strait always finds a way to dazzle, and did so today by notching 16 points, some of them very clutch, in his teams first-round win over Kingdom Hoops Red. His jumper is coming along well, and is starting to become a real threat. His handles always have been among the best in the state. And his vision and passing are elite. He should be getting some D1 offers. As it is, he’s got three D2 offers, so far.
2018 Spencer Touro, 5’11 SG (Team Iowa 17U)
We’ve seen this kid have some crazy good games in the past, most notably at the Norwalk Team Camp last summer. And today he was doing it again. His jumper is a beauty and it was dropping early and often today. He connected on five 3s during a win over Kingdom Hoops Red, and scored his teams final six points (all at the free-throw line), to help seal the win. A D3 or NAIA program would be lucky to have him, and D2s might want to take a look.
2018 Nick Johnson, 6’5 PF (Kingdom Hoops Red 17U)
We love this kid’s game. And although he’ll have some nearly impossible shoes to fill next season — that being all state big Douglas Wilson’s — it appears Johnson will be able to have a certain degree of success for Hoover in the winter. He’s tough, and not afraid to get physical with anybody. And he’s certainly capable of knocking down a 3-ball; he could be a 40+ percent guy from deep next season.