Exposure Breakout Standouts (Part 2)
In this article:
We took a trip down to Lake Point Sports Complex in Georgia for a big time event in the Breakout Exposure, an Adidas affiliated event. It featured some of the top Adidas programs from across the country, and many of…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingWe took a trip down to Lake Point Sports Complex in Georgia for a big time event in the Breakout Exposure, an Adidas affiliated event. It featured some of the top Adidas programs from across the country, and many of the top prospects in the country in many of the classes. We checked out teams from multiple areas, and start with our part one of the many standouts, looking at some of the top players from Virginia we got a chance to see.
Tyler Nickel Tyler Nickel 6'8" | SF East Rockingham | 2022 State #85 Nation VA | 6’7” WF | Team Loaded VA 17U ’22
Nickel showed why he’s one of the top wings on the east coast and was one of the top scorers on a very talented Loaded VA team, as he showed his ability to score it in a number of ways both on and off the basketball. The 6’7” wing is a natural scorer who can make contested shots including fadeaways in the post and the mid post, he can catch and shoot from deep and he showed his athletic finishing ability with a few big time throw downs and posters throughout the event. He has a chance to be the VHSL’s all time leading scorer, and he already has an impressive offer sheet that should only expand this summer.
Jayden Epps Jayden Epps 6'1" | CG Combine Academy | 2022 State #41 Nation NC | | 6’1” PG | Team Loaded VA 17U ’22
The Providence commit was cooking all weekend, but he also showed that when surrounded by other elite talent he’s just as much of a threat to make plays for others as he is to score the basketball, which he is more known for. Epps isn’t the most explosive guy, but he has a different type of game as he’s able to make deep shots off the bounce and off the catch, he is shifty off the bounce and he plays with great balance allowing him to play through contact and hit floaters and pull-ups. He’s a microwave scorer that can impact the game in other ways as well, and he showed improvement in the areas he needed to before he heads off to the Big East.
Donald Hand Jr. | 6’4” CG | Team Loaded VA 17U ’22
Hand Jr. has shown over the past year or so that he’s one of the top scorers in the country, and he didn’t disappoint this weekend as he wasn’t the top scorer on a very talented Loaded team but the ways he scored it were extremely impressive. The 6’4” guard has NBA range off the catch and off the bounce, he’s able to play both guard positions and is a natural three level scorer with a mix or athleticism and craftiness around the basket. He’s set to sky up the national rankings and is set to see his recruitment take off as well.
Maliq Brown Maliq Brown 6'8" | PF Blue Ridge | 2022 State #123 Nation VA | 6’8” PF | Team Loaded VA 17U ‘22
Brown is the x-factor on this Loaded group, and is possibly the most unheralded guy on this team but is super efficient and productive and provides a mismatch as their go-to big man. Brown isn’t someone who has a lot of flash to his game, but he has a mix of athleticism and a high motor that allows him to play in transition with the guards, rebound on both ends of the floor and it makes him a versatile defender that can guard in the paint and switch onto guards and wings as well. He brings a blue collar mentality every time he steps on the floor and he’s very effective and productive across the board without needing many plays ran for him.
John St. Germain John St. Germain 6'2" | PG St. Anne's Belfield | 2023 State VA | 6’0” PG | Team Loaded VA 16U ’23
St. Germain is the straw that stirs the drink for a talented Loaded 16U group, and he sets the tone on both ends of the floor for them with his savvy and toughness. He’s a very high IQ guy who sees the game in slow motion, makes great reads out of the pick-and-roll and he can create shots for both himself and others with the ball in his hands. He changes speeds and directions well, he can make shots from multiple levels and he’s a tough on ball defender with great instincts and rotates off the ball well too.
Carter Lang Carter Lang 6'9" | C St. Anne's Belfield | 2023 State #199 Nation VA | 6’9” C | Team Loaded VA 16U ’23
An emerging big man prospect with a mix of strength and skillset that makes him very productive and intriguing moving forward. A lefty big man with a good motor, Lang can play in the post where he’s an excellent rebounder and can score over the shoulder, he can step out and make shots from deep and he has been a walking double-double almost every time I watch him over the past few years. He has a great motor and continues to improve, and if he can continue to work on his lateral quickness he’ll turn a lot of heads moving forward.
Damon “Red” Thompson | 5’10” PG | Team Loaded VA 15U ’24
The go-to guy from a scoring standpoint for this Loaded 15U group, Thompson was huge down the stretch for them in multiple close wins they had. He’s a highly skilled scorer off the bounce, can get to spots off the bounce where he can score from multiple levels and was excellent in the midrange as he can score it on pull-ups and hit floaters and push shots with both hands. He’s a big time shooter from deep and can get it going quickly, and he’s going to be one of the top scorers in Richmond over the next few years.
Dom Bailey | 6’2” WG | Team Loaded VA 15U ’24
Thompson’s teammate at both John Marshall and on this Loaded team, Bailey is the unheralded elite glue guy who can impact the game in so many different ways with his energy on both ends of the floor. An elite defender, Bailey is a guy who gives terrific effort on the defensive end and loves the challenge of defending the other team’s best player, as he can deny them the ball and is excellent at anticipating and staying in front and takes a lot of charges both on and off the ball. He’s starting to show more confidence offensively as a guy who can make shots from deep, make plays for others and he also gives great effort on the glass on both ends.