KYDA Invitational-2022 Prospects (Part 2)
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This weekend in Scranton, Pennsylvania the KYDA Invitational took place featuring teams from MD, NY and PA for a great slate of games throughout the various age groups. I was in attendance for the Saturday action and was fortunate enough…
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Continue ReadingThis weekend in Scranton, Pennsylvania the KYDA Invitational took place featuring teams from MD, NY and PA for a great slate of games throughout the various age groups. I was in attendance for the Saturday action and was fortunate enough to get my eyes on some prospects that I haven’t seen live before. For this series, I’ll break down some of the standouts that I witnessed starting with the 2022 class.
For part one of this series, click here!
Denver Anglin | 6’1 | NY Rens
Every team needs a guard that provides an edge, toughness and energy to a game and that’s exactly what Denver Anglin did for the Rens in their dominant win over Team Final. The 6-foot-1 guard put on a shooting clinic as he nailed four triples to account for 12 of his 15 points. He consistently found open windows in the defense off other’s penetration and was shot-ready on the pass. Angling showcases a quick trigger and range on his three’s, two of which were daggers as Final looked to make one last push in the second half.
Corey Floyd | 6’3 | Team Final
This was my second event seeing Floyd live in action and he impressed yet again. Floyd’s bully mentality when attacking the rim can overwhelm the majority of guard at the high school level. You pair that with his ability to shoot the long ball and create separation off the bounce and what you have is a handful if you’re the opposing coach. Despite coming up short, the UConn commit led Final with 13 points in the game against Rens.
Quadir Copeland | 6’6 | Team Melo
Whenever you’re watching a game with Copeland involved, you’re more than likely going to see a ton of video highlight material. The 6-foot-6 guard has the feel and vision as a passer that is unique for his size and he isn’t afraid to add some swagger with how delivers. That craft carries over into his finishing around the basket as he does so in a variety of ways, but one aspect of Copeland that tends to go overlooked is his pure toughness. He has the athleticism to finish above the rim, but when an opposing big slides over to challenge, Copeland fully embraces contact and has the control and focus to finish the play. Melo lost in their matchup against City Rocks, but Copeland scored 12 points and was a big impact in other box score categories.
Jarace Walker | 6’9 | Team Thrill
Walker put together a solid offensive outing against Final as he finished with 16 points and did damage from just about everywhere on the floor. Where I thought he was most impactful was on the defensive end by deterring shots in the paint. Final is a team that’s loaded with size or athletic guards who feast on opportunities around the rim. Walker’s blend of size, athleticism and timing on those shots resulted in him swatting away multiple attempts, but more importantly his presence forced players to look over their shoulder before going up to make sure he wasn’t in the area.
Jameel Brown Jameel Brown 6'4" | SG Westtown School | 2022 State #180 Nation PA | 6’4 | Team Final
Brown and Floyd were consistently putting pressure on the rim from the backcourt for Final throughout Saturday’s games. Brown was especially aggressive in drawing contact on his way and earning trips to the free-throw line where he took advantage. In the win over Thrill, Brown recorded 15 points, eight of which came from the charity stripe. He also supplied valuable on-ball defense and caused multiple turnovers throughout the two days simply by moving his feet and speeding up the ball-handler into bad situations or shots.
Chisom Okpara | 6’7 | NY Rens
Okpara is the definition of a stat sheet stuffer. In my opinion, he’s at his best when being asked to fill a Draymond Green type of role as an undersized big who can secure rebounds, push the ball himself in stints and make plays for himself or others on a consistent basis. His size and strength allow him to guard bigger forwards while his athleticism makes him valuable on switches following ball screens when matched up against guard on the perimeter. Okpara may not put together a ton of big time scoring performances with this Rens group when you consider the elite shot-makers around him, but there’s no denying his value and importance that was displayed in their win over Final.
Christian Winborne Christian Winborne 6'2" | CG Gilman | 2022 State #199 Nation MD | 6’3 | Team Thrill
Winborne is proving himself week after week against top-tier talent and beginning to catch the eyes of high major programs. Now that he’s equipped with reliable scorers around him, folks are starting to see his ability to operate as more of a balanced point guard. Where he’s boosting his value in that sense is his feel in ball screen scenarios. Because Winborne is a capable scorer from all three levels off the dribble, the big guarding the screener must account for Winborne at all times. The 6-foot-3 lead guard is starting to get a better feel for how to utilize his rolling big as well as the weakside shooters who are open as their man has the responsibility to tag the roller. Defensively Winborne is guarding high caliber playmakers in an effective manner and keeping them at bay.