Double Pump Spring Hoopfest – Under the Radar freshman Part 2
My colleagues Devin Ugland and Joel Francisco had a strong breakdown of the top 2021 prospects in the gym during the three-day Double Pump Spring Hoopfest. Aside from those known prospects, there were several players on smaller club programs who stood out.
We previously gave you five under-the-radar freshman who stood out. Here are several names additional names to remember and track from the weekend that was.
Ricky Williams, 5-11 G, And1 Academy 15u
Williams (Mission Hills) came out the gate with 8 quick points in And1’s rout of Team Fundamentals and continued his hot shooting throughout the event. Williams has very solid length and a lanky frame, and has repeatable mechanics off the catch. He even showed some craftiness getting to the basket and finished several buckets through contact. He made a couple of nice passes in transition, but needs to work on his ball skills in the halfcourt to take the next step as a prospect.
Israel Ashman, 5-8 PG, California Select 15u
Ashman (Serra HS) is a blur in open court for the San Diego-based squad. He pushes the pace relentlessly off of offensive rebounds and has the strength to finish plays through contact. Defensively, he is equally relentless, hounding ball handlers into turnovers and shooting the passing lanes for steals. Ashman at times plays too fast, which leads to unforced errors. Improving his shooting from the perimeter will be a priority moving forward.
LaRoi Glover, Jr., 6-5 PF, California Select 15u
The eponymous son of the NFL great has come a long way, and is still not close to scratching the surface of his full potential. Glover (Cathedral Catholic) is a long, physical post presence with a solid frame and improved athleticism and leaping ability. Against the California SEAL Select Team, he finished plays around the rim out of high-low action with teammate Diego Campisano (also improved). Glover displayed soft hands and nice touch around the rim. He also did a good job pursuing rebounds in out out of his area. Glover’s scoring is limited to his right hand finishes off of no more than a dribble or two. Expanding his game to the midrange will open up more scoring opportunities moving forward.
James Behmer, 6-4 F, Gamepoint 15u Select
With Gamepoint’s Elite team in Atlanta, Behmer (Cathedral Catholic) took advantage of the stage to show why he’s one of the bigger sleepers in his class in San Diego. The long, bouncy four-man has soft hands, good touch around the rim, and can step out and consistently hit jump shots from 15-20 feet off the catch. He sometimes struggles to attack off the dribble against stronger defenders, and needs to improve his off hand. With that said, very few prospects have the physical tools that Behmer possesses.
Orion Tomlinson, 5-10 G, 24/7 Select
The 2022 guard from Fresno is a known commodity on the youth circuit, but he more than held his own playing 15u this weekend. A prolific shooter with deep range, Tomlinson made College Bound 15u pay for helping off of him, knocking down five threes in the first half of a blowout game. Tomlinson has a long frame, is crafty off the bounce, but it’s his shooting that is most impressive at this stage. As he develops, adding some scoring from midrange and at the rim will be a priority.