Brandon’s Thursday Tournament Recaps
Prep Hoops Texas Contributor Brandon Jenkins found himself busy on Thursday attending a couple of tournaments across the DFW. This is what he took away from the games he spectated:
Sulphur Springs Has a Pair of Division I Unsigned Seniors
When a team loses three of their highest ranked prospects (Victor Iwuakor,God’s Gift Ezedinma, and Michael Jefferson), you would think that they would struggle. That is not the case for the Wildcats of Sulphur Springs. Two seniors have incredibly made up for the losses through the transfer market. The forty-seventh ranked player in the state Xavier Cork and Keaston Willis have been filling up the stat sheet and their performances have resulted in a Wildcat record of five wins and one loss to start the season.
Keaston Willis / 6’2″ / SG / Sulphur Springs / 2019
Willis is proving to be an elite scorer who is comfortable getting busy off the bounce. The senior guard hit multiple mid-range and three point jumpshots off the dribble with ease in the game vs. Lake Ridge. In the third quarter, Willis displayed his devious bounce, rising off of two and putting a defender in the rim. He finished with a game-high 30 points in the win.
Xavier Cork / 6’9″ / C / Sulphur Springs / 2019
It baffles me that Xavier Cork does not have more Division I offers. You cannot teach height and he has a solid feel for the game at his size. Cork is not a goofy project big man. He loves to reject shots, run the floor, and dunk everything possible. These Division I’s better wake up before it is too late. Cork finished with 22 and had multiple rebounds in the Lake Ridge victory.
Long Range Lake Ridge Bombers
Lake Ridge has elite thin-framed shooters in senior Tahliek Chavez and junior Jalen Lake. The sharpshooting tandem really caught fire this morning, hitting eight three-pointers combined in the game vs. Sulphur Springs. Their ability to hit the three could possibly alleviate the price of their schooling.
Jalen Lake / 6’2″ / SG / Mansfield Lake Ridge / 2021
????Hidden Gem????
Lake got off to a great start this morning, knocking down three long balls in the first three minutes of the game. His long range shooting opened up his in-between game, which led to a game-high 20-point performance from him in the loss.
Tahlik Chavez / 6’1″ / SG / Mansfield Lake Ridge / 2019
I followed Chavez a lot this summer with Urban DFW. I knew he was a deadeye shooter, but I did not know that he could shoot it at a high clip off the dribble. The unsigned senior has a quick trigger and is not shy in letting it fly. Chavez finished with 18 points in the loss.
Houston… You Have a Prospect
Donovan Williams / 6’5″ / SG / Fort Bend Elkins / 2019
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Donovan Williams is the best player in Houston and the city needs to recognize it. The Texas commit has a tremendous amount of upside and is not a finished product by any means. However, he is consistently producing for Elkins on both ends of the floor. Williams was always aggressive and rarely settled for jumpers Thursday morning. He always tries to make the rim pop in transition and is a threat to posterize a defender that tries to jump with him. The four-star swingman will be truly special in the Big 12.
Coppell’s Diaper Dandy
Ryan Agarwal / 6’3″ / SG / Coppell / 2022
????Diaper Dandy????
Ryan is a new freshman who truly stood out in the Coppell’s rematch loss to South Garland. He is a long range catch and shoot threat who has great size at the swingman position. What stood out about Ryan, was his awareness defensively. He uses his length to protect the basket, blocking three shots. The freshman already has earned himself a starting spot on the varsity squad and will be one I will have to keep my eye on as he continues to progress throughout his high school career.