Hoops By Ugland Skills Summit: Top 2021/2022 Performers
Irvine, Ca. — The Hoops By Ugland Skills Summit at Beckman high school featured 90-plus players from the classes of 2019 to 2022.
The event featured two hours worth of intense skill work, guest speakers with deep roots in the basketball community and camp games to close out the day.
Here is the first set of top performers from the classes of 2021 and 2022:
AJ Burgin, 2021, San Diego
Burgin made his name as a prospect due to his ability to knock down open 3-pointers with consistency, but the 6-foot-1 guard continues to show he’s growing his game. Burgin was one of the more active on-ball defenders in the event, taking on any and all challenges when guarding the opponent’s best offensive player.
Alex Archer, 2021, Cerritos
Archer has an intriguing combination of size, length and skill set for the point guard position. The 6-foot-3 sophomore is smooth and poised with the ball in his hands and makes high basketball IQ decisions in both transition and half-court settings. Archer’s offense is beginning to take shape, but he still has some work to do on that end to find his true scoring identity.
Anthony Robinson, 2021, Long Beach Poly
Robinson reminds me of a former Poly star who graduated this past season: Pepperdine’s Darryl Polk, Jr. The 5-foot-9 point guard is tough as nails and lightning quick with the ball in his hands. Defenders had a hard time keeping him out of the paint because of his quick first step and good second level speed. Robinson has impressive passing instincts for such a young prospect.
Phoenix Shadow Mountain wing De’Vontes Cobbs is an intriguing prospect in the 2022 class.Boogie Evans, 2021, St. John Bosco
Evans is one of the fastest players with the ball in his hands in Southern California and it was good to see him learning to harness that speed and use it when needed. The 5-foot-7 point guard gets into the paint as he pleases, draws defenders and kicks to open 3-point shooters. The next step for Evans is to be more consistent with his 3-point shooting to keep defenders honest.
Devon Arlington, 2022, San Marcos
Arlington will team with Chris Howell at San Marcos to form a one of the highest basketball IQ backcourts you’ll find in SoCal. The 6-foot-2 point guard has good size and instincts for the game and plays with a bit of a throwback style with his dedication to fundamentals and making the right basketball play. Arlington makes high level reads of defenses and uses his good court vision to locate open teammates. The incoming freshman must continue to work on his perimeter shooting.
De’Vontes Cobbs, 2022, Shadow Mountain (AZ)
Cobbs has the potential to be a highly-rated recruit by the time his senior year comes around. The 6-foot-3 wing is ultra-athletic, finishes above the rim with power or finesse, and can heat up in a hurry from 3-point range. As of now, Cobbs is of the “athletic slasher” mold and is best off the ball in transition, but if the playmaking skills for others continue to grow, look for him to be a high major recruit.