Ugland’s Summer Stock Raisers: Class of 2019 (Part II)
The last three months of travel basketball were filled with tournaments, events and showcase camps for high school basketball prospects to showcase their skills in front of scouts, media and college coaches alike.
Here are five players in the class of 2019 who raised their recruiting stock over the summer:
James Keefe, Loyola / Cali Stars
Keefe went from solid varsity starter to bonafide Division I caliber prospect in a matter of months. The 6-foot-7, 195-pound forward is as active and high motor as they come, snatching rebounds at their peak and shooting outlet passes to guards while running the middle of the floor for rim-run opportunities. Keefe’s continued improvement as a face-up shooter is what drew in the college interest. The next step for him is to be able to put it on the deck more and get to the basket off the bounce. Keefe is drawing strong interest from mid-major programs across the country.
Ryan Langborg, La Jolla Country Day / Gamepoint Elite
Langborg announced his pledge to Princeton last night and the Tigers quickly earned one of the best all-around scorers Southern California has to offer. The 6-foot-4 guard is largely labeled with the “shooter” tag, but he has advanced his game into a player who can hit the mid-range jumper off the bounce and create those opportunities under immense ball pressure from a defender.
Gavin Lloyd, Immanuel / West Coast Elite 17 UAA
Lloyd has the potential to be a coach’s dream. He’s athletic, active and has quick instincts on both sides of the ball at 6-feet-9 with a strong frame. Lloyd rebounds well in and out of his space, works hard as the shot is in the air, finding a body and blocking out, and rim-runs with purpose. Llloyd currently holds an offer from Northern Arizona.
Bishop Montgomery wing Oscar Lopez saw his recruitment take a huge jump in the month of July.Oscar Lopez, Bishop Montgomery / West Coast Elite
As we’ve noted before, the biggest change in Lopez didn’t come in his game, but rather in his body as he’s dropped a considerable amount of weight and tightened up his frame. His improvements on that front have resulted in better conditioning and more pop off the floor when finishing around the basket and blocking shots from weak-side help. Lopez no offers to 13 since April, including big ones from Georgia Tech, UC Davis, DePaul, New Mexico and Montana.
Tory San Antonio, Rancho Verde / West Coast Elite 17 UAA
San Antonio cut his teeth playing with Puerto Rico’s FIBA U17 team and came back to the states with an impressive boost of confidence in his game. One thing you can never question about the 6-foot-4 wing is the motor and energy he brings to the floor, especially on the defensive end, but it’s his improved 3-point shooting that stood out the most over the summer. San Antonio holds offers from Hawaii, Montana, Cal Baptist and Cal State Fullerton.