Top Five Rising Juniors: The Hoop Memorial Day Classic (Day 1)
While most of the focus has been on the rising seniors at The Hoop Memorial Day Classic, a number of rising juniors also made their mark at the tournament. Here’s a look at the top five Class of 2020 standouts we spotted on the first day.
Jack Chlumak (2020 Newberg/Team Fly Jackson 16U) – After making an impression at the Oregon High Academic Showcase on Friday night, Chlumak continued to turn heads at The Hoop Memorial Day Showcase. Running the point, he was able to get to the basket and make plays for himself or others. While his outside shot appears to be a work in progress, the rest of his game is already fairly advanced for his age.
Jett Sheng (2020 Catlin Gabel/OBC Blue) – Sheng is playing up at the 17U level with OBC’s Blue team and he more than held his own at the tournament. Comfortable with the ball in his hands, Sheng set up his teammates well and nailed a few threes of his own. As he continues to develop physically more of his drives to the basket will result in points.
Payton Richardson (2020 Western Mennonite/Hoop Salem 16U) – Richardson started the AAU circuit playing with the Rose City Rebels 16U squad but has switched over to the Hoop Salem program. He has good length and athleticism at 6-foot-3 and really made a mark on the boards on both ends. As he physically develops and hones his skills, Richardson will be very hard to handle out on the wing.
Emorej Lynk (2020 Kennedy/Hoop Salem 16U) – One thing stands out immediately about Lynk – his physical stature and athleticism for his age. While he was obviously physically dominating over his opponents at the tournament, especially on drives to the basket and on the boards, he did show off some good ball-handling and passing skills.
Blake Lambert (2020 Life Christian/OBC 16U) – It may be easy to overlook Lambert in terms of physical size at 5-foot-3, but it would be a big mistake to overlook his game. Lambert plays with a very effective chip on his shoulder and he’s flat out a fireball on the floor. He fearlessly took the ball to the basket and finished plays, hit a number of outside shots, and got into grills on defense.