Next Up Camp: Top 10 Prospects
To put a bow on the coverage of the annual Next Up Recruits Freshman Camp, here’s a ranking of the top 10 prospects overall at camp. This ranking is based on overall performance for the day including the two sessions of drills in the morning and the 3 games in the afternoon. This should not be taken as an indicator of who the best 10 prospects in the class are as several of the best players weren’t in attendance at camp.
- James Jewell, Eastern – Jewell was dynamic all day long. On offense he dunked everything, showed good range on his jump shot and put the ball on the floor enough to have the look of a future big time prospect. Defensively, he protected the rim by blocking shots. James was impressive all day long at camp.The only thing he needs to do is keep growing and make sure he does everything he can to add weight after getting bullied at times on Saturday.
- Jackson Twombly, Frankfort – Jackson shined brightest during the games in the afternoon. He played with a motor, rebounded with two hands and made shots out past the three point line. Twombly’s ceiling is going to be determined by if he continues to grow. If he hits 6’8 or taller he will be a legitimate mid major D1 prospect.
- Turrell Cleaves, Jr., Butler – Cleaves was probably the best player I saw in the drills portion of the morning. When the games started he tended to disappear a little bit because of the glut of point guards at camp. Turrell has all the intangibles to be a big time prospect down the line.
- Justin Becker, Roberston County – Becker was the opposite of Cleaves. During drills Justin looked like he had other places he would rather be than at camp going through drills. He just went through the motions in the morning. Once the games started, he found his motor and showed out as one of the best prospects in the gym. If Justin keeps growing he could be a big time stretch forward with how he shoots the ball.
- Luke Imfield, Boyle County – Imfield was a kid no one had heard of before he stepped in the gym on Saturday but he’s long, plays hard and showed the ability to knock down perimeter shots and also get to the rim. Luke looked especially good in the afternoon games where he scored 20+ in all three contests. He reminds me a lot of former Boyle County star Hagen Tyler.
- Turner Buttry, Bowling Green – Turner did what he does best on Saturday. He competed all day long. Buttry is a tough guard known for his shooting ability and he showed his toughness after rolling an ankle and getting back up and continuing to play after a short break. Turner will drive and take contact in addition to his shot making ability.
- Kaleb Glenn, Westport Middle (2023) – Glenn was dominant in almost every drill. He dunked everything he could and bullied opposing players going to the rim and had no issues finishing through contact. Where he struggled was making perimeter jump shots and he sometimes got lost in the flow of the games playing with ball dominant guards. Regardless, Glenn is a name to know for the future.
- Aden Slone, Boyle County – Slone struggled a little bit in the 1 on 1 drills as he couldn’t score very well against bigger defenders. But his future is likely to be that of a distributing pass first guard and that’s exactly what Aden did in the afternoon games. Slone is a good prospect who should see the floor a ton at Boyle County this year. One scout in the gym compared him to Braxton Beverly at the same age. High praise for sure!
- Jack Edelen, Collegiate (2023) – Recently re-classified back to 2023, Jack did what he’s done every other time I’ve seen him. He played hard and with a high IQ while knowing how to draw contact at the rim and finish through it. Edelen didn’t have a great shooting day overall and lacks elevation on his jump shot but he is very smart and knows how to run a team.That is hard to show during an event like this where you’re mainly playing with strangers.
- Trey Skaggs, Caudill Middle (2023) – Another 8th grader, Skaggs showed a very impressive skill level for his age and a long 6’4 frame that looks like he could easily grow several more inches. Trey was listed as a wing guard on the coaches’ packet but he played both inside and out throughout the day, impressing in both the one on one drills and the 5 on 5 games. He is definitely a name to know and track for the future.