Top 250 Expo: Wilk’s 10 Best
The Prep Hoops Top 250 Expo invaded the 314 over the weekend, and Center St. Louis was home to an event that was packed with talented prospects, scouts, and college coaches. The most prolific scorers are typically the guys who…
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Continue ReadingThe Prep Hoops Top 250 Expo invaded the 314 over the weekend, and Center St. Louis was home to an event that was packed with talented prospects, scouts, and college coaches. The most prolific scorers are typically the guys who get the hype right? You have to remember; though, that there are many ways to score the ball. Also, every college program has different needs in a given recruiting year. Who can run the show? Who will lock down defensively? Who will do the little things to help the team win? Here is a look at who impressed the most in several individual categories against stiff competition on Saturday:
Top Overall Performer: 6’6 c/o ’21 Jordan Nesbitt (St. Louis Christian)
Jordan was the highest ranked player at the event, and it was clear why. He has size, strength, athleticism, and was scoring it in every way. He is a match-up nightmare for any defender. Pick your poison. He is probably more quick and athletic than any smaller defender he sees. If not, he will simply overpower them or take them inside. If you guard him with size, he will break them down off the dribble and blow right by them.
Top Shooter: 6’0 c/o ’21 Chris Porter (O’Fallon)
Chris has a very quick trigger and it does not require much time or space for him to get off a quality look. He showed some deep range and was nearly automatic when he was left open. He is also comfortable putting it on the floor and pulling up when defenders try to run him off the line.
Top Slasher: 6’4 c/o ’20 Sam Richardson (Hancock)
Sam is long, rangy, and super-athletic. In transition or the half-court he is slippery and elusive to the paint and was an almost automatic finish around the rim. He is very crafty with the ball and can create quality looks inside the arc almost whenever he wants to.
Top High-Flyer: 6’4 c/o ’20 Jacques Thomas (Rockwood Summit)
Jacques can really get off the floor. He is springy and looked almost like a human po-go stick on Saturday. He elevates over defenders around the rim and on his jumper. He elevates to contest shots. And yes, he elevates and finishes with authority, especially in transition.
Top Floor General: 6’0 c/o ’20 Rashad Weekly-McDaniels (Trinity)
Rashad has some of the best vision and sheer passing ability that I have seen in quite some time. He was launching full-court bounce pass dimes, perfectly placing lobs to his athletic teammates, dropping no-look dump-offs around the rim, and kicking to shooters right in their pocket. He set up defenders very nicely and was passing guys open regularly.
Top Bucket Getter: 6’0 c/o ’21 Wunya Brown (St. Mary’s)
Wunya really scored it at a high clip. He shot well from three and hit some almost impossible fade-away and leaning contested jumpers. He consistently broke his man down off the bounce and is a very crafty finisher with excellent in-air ball control around the basket.
Most Versatile: 6’5 c/o ’20 Daniel Abreu (Willard)
Daniel can spot up and stroke it from three. He is continuously improving his jumper running off screens and pulling up off the dribble. He is an automatic bucket inside the arc whether its a mid-range jumper or getting to the rim. He has vastly improved his athleticism and confidence which leads to aggressive finishes above the rim. He brings it on the defensive end as well. Big and strong enough to defend inside and can switch onto a quicker guard and hold his own as well.
Top Ball-handler: 5’9 c/o ’21 Preston Fortner (Francis Howell)
Preston had the ball on an absolute string and was snatching ankles all day long. He is lightening quick with the ball and can stop and pull-up on a dime. He is a nightmare to guard in the pick and roll. His hesitation dribble and electric crossover had defenders on skates.
Top Two-Way Player: 6’2 c/o ’21 DeMarcus Sanford Jr (Lift for Life)
DeMarcus takes pride in playing at a high level on both ends of the floor. He can shoot it from deep. He uses his wingspan and shifty handle to slash his way to the bucket. He can even post-up and score inside. He is a menace defensively. He is a shadow as an on-ball defender and is smart and opportunistic jumping passing lanes for steals and deflections.
Top Forward: 6’7 c/o ’20 Evan Worley (Hillsboro)
Offensively, Evan brings a lot of versatility. He can not only stretch the floor with his jumper, but he looks like a wing on the perimeter with his ability to pull-up off the dribble and bury shots now. He was catching lobs and hammering dunks, cleaning up the offensive glass, and had a smooth “Dirk-esque” turn-around jumper in the short corner. Defensively, he is very long and has great instincts and that allowed him to block tons of shots either on post-up attempts or drives.