Christmas Crossover: Day 1 Takeaways
It’s the most wonderful time of the year to cover basketball. The inaugural Christmas Crossover is taking place in Houston, TX. Teams from Houston are taking on teams from across the state as well as teams from Louisiana and Georgia. Here our some prospects that stood out in Day 1 of the event.
Ty Archibald 6’0 SG / 2019 / Houston Christian
Ty has been shooting the ball lights out lately, and he kept that same energy in this game but not as efficient. He shot 4/10 from behind the arc and finished with team high of 23 points. He was active on defense playing the passing lanes and tough hard nose defense. He came away with 5 steals in the game and also had 2 blocks. Ty played with a great motor from start to finish.
Noah Kon 6’0 PG / 2021 / Houston Christian PHTX50
Attacked the lane aggressively. Got his team involved in the game. Played with a good motor. Has good bounce to his game. He gets after it defensively, which ends up putting him in to foul trouble. Finished the game with 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assist.
Kobe Haynes 5’9 PG / 2021 / Houston Christian
Kobe shot the ball very well from the floor. Took smart shots and made the right decisions at the right times. He also was very active defensively and came away with 4 steals in the game. He applied pressure on his man and was all over the floor. He finished the game with 18 points, shooting 4/9 overall field goal, 3/7 from deep, and netted 7/8 from the foul line.
Byron Joshua 5’10 PG / 2020 / Crescent City (LA) #10 Prep Hoops Louisiana class of 2020
Is a very quick and decisive point guard who runs the show for the Pioneers. He has really good floor awareness. Made his living at the foul line where he shot 17/20. He played good defensively in spurts. Came away with 2 steals in the game. Got to the areas he wanted to in the game. He finished the game with 26 points and 9 assist.
Trayslon Wilburn 6’7 PF / 2020 / Crescent City (LA) #32 Prep Hoops Louisiana class of 2020
Traylson is a big that takes up space on the floor with his long wingspan. He was able to alter shots and tip passes. The big has to realize that with his athleticism you can’t block every shot. Which is what got him into foul trouble. Played solid inside the paint and on the high post. He also shot the ball well from behind the arc. He finished with 19 points (7/11-FG and 3/6-3PT) and 5 rebounds.
Jordin Farrell 6’2 G / 2020 / Crescent City (LA)
Came into the game with tons of energy. he is the guy you want coming off the bench as your 6th man every game. He was in the mix for loose balls. Played solid on ball defense. Attacked the lane from the wing. Even showed a mid-range game. He shot 6/11-FG and finished with 13 points and had 2 steals.
Kevin Credit Jr 5’11 PG / 2020 / iSchool
Quick guard who does the little things and plays defense. Active hands on the defensive side of the ball. Plays in the passing lanes really well. He shot the ball at a high rate from all over the field. He also finished well around the rim. Finished the game with 21 points on 9/12 shooting from the field in total, and 3/5 from behind the arc. He aslo came away with 2 steals and had several tipped passes.
Quevian Adger 6’7 SF / 2020 / iSchool PHTX75
He was lights out from behind the arc shooting 3/3. He wasn’t shooting wide open looks either, these shots were tightly contested. Plays with a great motor. Has a good feel for the game. Plays above the rim. Runs the floor really well getting out on transition filling the lanes correctly. Active on the glass and sees the floor well when handling the ball. He finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assist.
Jonathan Aku 6’10 C / 2020 / iSchool PHTX75
He has soft hands and finishes around the rim at a high rate, because he dunks everything. Has good post control with how he uses his size. Played well in the pick and roll set also. Active on the defensive rebounds. Defensively he is long and athletic. Altered shots and blocked shots also. He wasn’t just blocking anyone either he was blocking an opponent who stood 6’8. Pulled down 13 rebounds in total, 11 were defensively. Finished with 15 points on 7/9 shooting from the field. His only two misses came from jump shots. He also had 4 blocks in the game.
D’A Houston 6’1 CG / 2020 / Episcopal PHTX75
Here is a player that is anchored by his defense. Played hard nosed defense on his opponents. Had active hands in the passing lanes and came away with 2 steals. He also plays the game with two speeds offensively. He was able to get to the rim and finish, as well as shoot the ball from behind the arc. He hit the glass hard tonight also by pulling down 7 rebounds. He finished the game with a team high of 17 points on 6/11 shooting from the field and 3/6 shooting from behind the arc.
Adam Kanafani 6’4 F / 2020 / Episcopal
I walk away impressed by this prospect every game. He is the glue guy for the Knights. He does everything that needs to be done on the floor. He is aggressive and strong. He utilizes his strength very well. He finishes at the rim through contact also. Drives the lane hard from the wing and short corner. Plays defensive on every position on the floor. Has good lateral movement defensively. He’s always in the mix for 50/50 balls. Finished the game with 15 points, 5 steals, and 4 rebounds.
Jahari Long 6’4 PG / 2020 / Episcopal PHTX75
This crafty point who plays with the game speed of a Brandon Roy type player has a great IQ. Although he doesn’t play at a fast pace he can speed up his defender really quickly when he wants too. Always in control of the flow of his team. He very rarely turns the ball over and didn’t have any turnovers this game. He always gets his teammates involved in the game and makes the right and smart passes. He can also make some tough and difficult passes look easy. He finished with 13 points in the game and had 4 assist.
Montavious Murphy 6’9 PF / 2019 / Concordia Lutheran PHTX100
This prospect is arguably the best prospect from the Greater Houston Area for the class of 2019. The Kansas State University commit came to play as he does night in and night out. He shot the ball well from behind the arc. He played solid in the paint. He contested shots and altered shots defensively. Super active rebounder. Plays with a great motor and is uber bouncy. Finished with 31 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. He shot 5/11 from deep.
Pierce Hellums 6’2 SG / 2019 / Concordia Lutheran PHTX100
Pierce is a Sam Houston State University commit. Shot the ball well from deep tonight shooting 5/11. Get’s scrappy at times defensively. His ball handling and running a team from the point perspective is getting better. Finished the game with 19 points.
RJ Keene 6’6 SF / 2021 / Concordia Lutheran PHTX50
Plays aggressively every time he touches a basketball court. He runs the floor well and gets after it defensively. He is a great team player and get’s in his opponents head. He finished the game with 19 points on 7/13 shooting from the filed and 3/6 shooting from behind the arc.
Anthony Edwards 6’5 SG / 2019 / Holy Spirit (GA) #1 Prep Hoops Georgia class of 2019, ESPN #4 class of 2019, 247 Sports #4 class of 2019, Rivals #3 class of 2019
Strong, physical, aggressive are just a few adjectives to describe his game. He was able to get to the rim at will. He plays with a super high motor. Has multiple speeds that he plays with. Smart guard who values possessions and makes the right plays for the team. He is uber bouncy with great athleticism. He started off a little slow but got cooking really fast in the game. He was active on the glass and also got his teammates involved in the game. He finished with 25 points, 14 rebounds, and 6 assist in the game.
DeAndre Brown 6’2 SG / 2020 / Holy Spirit (GA) #51 Prep Hoops Georgia class of 2020
This lefty has game. He may fly under the radar because of his teammate but don’t be fooled by his small frame. He is a quick guard that get’s going and gets his teammates involved in the game. He was pesky on the defensive side of the ball as well. Finished the game with 24 points, brought down 5 rebounds, and dished out 5 assist.
JoQuarius Valrie 6’4 WG / 2019 / Jack Yates
Plays with a high motor. He is super active on the floor both offensively and defensively. He is athletic wing that could play some two guard. He is bouncy and plays above the rim. Has a quick second jump. Active on the glass pulled down 12 rebounds, 8 of which where offensive boards. He plays good on ball defense and will also guard the post man. He finished the game with a Day 1 high of 33 points. He shot 11/22 from the floor, went 5/10 from behind the arc.
Rubin Jones 6’4 PG / 2020 / Jack Yates PHTX75
Has great court vision and looks to get his teammates involved in the game. Pushes the tempo and can also slow down the defense. He throws no look dimes which hits his teammates on the spot. Tenacious defender who will get all in his opponents face. Has great hands defensively and also altered some shots. His shots weren’t falling for him tonight but he did everything else on the floor. Had a very impressive stat line. Finished the game with 10 points, 7 assist, 7 steals, and 6 rebounds.
Mohamed Ngom 6’10 C / 2022 / Texas Christian PHTX25
Mo runs the floor like a deer, runs the lanes very well in transition both offensively and defensively. Finishes well around the rim. He is long and athletic prospect who alters shots and swat them away. He hits the glass hard, not just with his athleticism but he also boxes out on possessions. Finished the game with 15 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and had 6 blocked shots. He shot 7/10 from the floor.
Austin Benigi 5’11 PG / 2022 / Texas Christian PHTX25
Plays with a great motor. He’s a physical guard who can speed you up or slow you down. It took him a while to get going, but he adjusted quickly. He was able to get in the lane. He hit the open man once the defense collapsed. Had a solid game and finished with 14 points on 5/9 shooting from the field. He also dished out 6 assist in the game.
Prep Hoops Texas Rankings Top (100 for class of 2019, 75 for class of 2020, 50 for class of 2021, and 25 for class of 2022).