UA Rise & Adidas MDC: Top 2021 Guards and Wings
Bryce McGowens (Upward SE)- Already a Top 50 talent in 2021 in my eyes, McGowens played like it at the MDC. The Upward SE group battled throughout the weekend on their way to the 16U gold championship. A long 6’5”,…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingBryce McGowens (Upward SE)- Already a Top 50 talent in 2021 in my eyes, McGowens played like it at the MDC. The Upward SE group battled throughout the weekend on their way to the 16U gold championship. A long 6’5”, McGowens has a nice perimeter shot that he gets off with ease and hits consistently. McGowens connected on 7 3’s in the two Upward games I saw and used his outside marksmanship to open up other parts of his game. He is a solid ball-handler who can maneuver through traffic with long strides, take hits, and extend to finish. His mixture of a calm, laid-back personality but an aggressive game is impressive. There are only a handful of 2021 prospects at the same size with the type of scoring tools and smooth athleticism that McGowens possesses. On an extremely talented, deep Upward SE team, he seems to be the leader and gets things done every time out.
Matt Cleveland (Hype Hawks)- As mentioned in the guards article, Hype got a huge win over SE United. As expected, Cleveland was up for the challenge and came through with 20 of the team’s 55 points. There haven’t been many games that I’ve seen from him recently where his performance was less than exceptional. Having watched his 30-point outings against both the Atlanta Celtics and EAB, Cleveland has more than proven himself this spring. A tremendous slasher with length and explosive leaping ability, it is very difficult to stop Cleveland when he gets a head of steam. When you add in his shooting progression along with an energetic, intense approach, you have a rare prospect. I don’t pay tons of attention to national rankings but after looking through 2021 nationally, I think he may push Top 35 status by the end of the summer. He will attend the upcoming NBPA Top 100 camp, which will be a great test and chance to solidify himself even further.
Grant Slatten (EAB)- It was at this event last year when I first became fond of Slatten’s game. He has added a lot to his game since then and has been really good the entire spring. Slatten is a terrific outside shooter with soft touch and a smooth release that has no extra movement from start to finish. He is very capable slashing to the basket as well; his size, dexterity, and ability to hang allow him to finish consistently. I think his biggest improvements lie in his physical abilities. Slatten has grown about 3 inches over the past year, gotten stronger, and has really developed his athleticism. After almost completing a huge poster dunk in the 1st half against the CM Knights, he had a nice baseline rip in the 2nd half where he went off of two feet and powered home a big slam in traffic. With the contact period for 2021 prospects opening on June 15th and the upcoming June live periods, Slatten should be getting considerable traffic.
Brody Peebles (Pro One)- Heading into the weekend, I knew of Peebles’ reputation but had not seen him in live action. He lived up to that reputation Saturday night, putting on a great display of scoring in Pro One’s game against FBG 904. Peebles is a high-level shooter but was particularly impressive attacking the basket in this game. A solid 6’2”, Peebles can play on or off the ball effectively and makes good decisions when penetrating. He drew and took contact very well, completing multiple and-ones and getting to the FT line often. Peebles also displayed his athleticism in transition, getting up for two dunks without much trouble. Averaging 27.8 PPG for the tournament, Peebles is a very advanced scorer for a 2021 prospect and has good IQ and toughness to go with it. He is already getting a lot of early recruitment, don’t expect that to slow down any time soon.
Jaylen Jackson (Team Forrest)- I don’t think anyone made a bigger impression on me throughout all age groups than Jackson did. He and his Team Forrest squad completed a terrific comeback win against a really good Upward SE team on Sunday. Jackson was a force the entire game, blowing me away with his strength, aggression, and athleticism. He was a frequent visitor in the paint, soaring for rebounds and finishing with authority. A monstrous putback dunk in this game energized his team and had everyone wanting to know more about him. Jackson also displayed some perimeter skill, handling the ball in transition and taking a few jumpers that looked good. He finished with 19 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 blocks against an Upward team that has a plethora of Division 1 prospects. I am going to have to make sure to watch Jackson again soon.
Miguel Miranda (Team Knight)- Another prospect who I had not seen before last weekend, Miranda had a great game with contributions in multiple areas when Team Knight took on Game Elite Big 5. A big-bodied wing, Miranda used his size on both ends of the floor and created matchup problems that helped his team. He went for 23 points, doing so in a variety of ways and showing some nice skill. Miranda is comfortable taking deep jumpers off the bounce and gets clean looks because of his size. He can get to the basket, absorb contact, and finish also. What I liked the most was his effort rebounding. Miranda hauled in an impressive 16 rebounds, securing boards in traffic and committing to the glass the whole duration of the game. He has a sufficient set of tools that will make his name known by lots of coaches.