Spring Kickoff Recap: Top Bigs
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Spring is here and that can only mean one thing. It’s Circuit Season! The Prephoops Circuit is upon us. I will be covering and providing exposure for the Hustle Region Circuit. The Hustle Region Circuit consists of AAU Programs from…
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Continue ReadingSpring is here and that can only mean one thing. It’s Circuit Season! The Prephoops Circuit is upon us. I will be covering and providing exposure for the Hustle Region Circuit. The Hustle Region Circuit consists of AAU Programs from California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Utah, Montana, Idaho, Colorado, and New Mexico. The circuit features 10 stops including the Hustle Region Final in Irvine July 15th – 17th. Stop number 2 took place in Denver, Colorado with the Spring Kick-Off. The event featured nearly 100 programs ranging from age 15U – to 17U. The event also featured some promising big men prospects. In this article, we take a look at the top Bigs from the event.
Ethan Berninger Ethan Berninger 6'5" | SG Dakota Ridge | 2025 State CO 6’3 SF Colorado Premiere 2025 – Berninger is a terrific looking prospect. He’s a hybrid forward that was able to score with his back to the basket and play out on the perimeter. He was one of the best grab-and-go guys I saw, snagging boards like a PF while leading the break like a guard.
Cade Stevens 6’7 SF Elevation Flyers 2023 – Stevens was one of the top prospects at the event. He’s a decent R&J athlete that has some ball skills. Stevens is a patient attacker that played from a triple threat position using jab steps and shot fakes before attacking from the wing. He served as an interior defender and rim protector showing good timing on block attempts when defending 1 v 1.
CJ Seifert 6’4 PF Colorado Anarchy 2023 Seifert is a good and athletic big that was one of the fastest at changing ends. A devastating rim runner, Seifert impacted the game, simply by sprinting, catching, and finishing. An above-average R&J athlete, Seifert rim ran for several dunks throughout the weekend.
Luke Wagstaff Luke Wagstaff 6'7" Fort Collins | 2023 CO 6’7 PF Team Daum 2023 (featured image) – Wagstaff was the best low post scorers I saw. He displayed a nice back-to-the-basket game displaying good hands and a nice touch. Wagstaff was able to play with a firm base absorbing contact while finishing around the rim. He liked to turn over his left shoulder and showed good fundamentals finishing with good arc on his shot.
Malachi Hall 6’1 PF Rising Stars 2025 – Hall showed a lot of heart this weekend, competing as an undersized low post grinder. He was able to score around the basket. Hall was good catching and finishing around the rim, and used offensive putbacks to pad his rebounding and scoring stats.
Jett Hinze 6’6 PF Colorado Titans 2023 – Hinze was a banger that did his damage around the basket. He was able to score off direct post-ups as well after battling for offensive rebounds. His best skill was his interior defense, as he was tough to move, and did a good job blocking out for defensive boards.
Jacob Barker Jacob Barker 6'11" | C Resurrection Christian | 2024 State CO PF Colorado Premiere 2024 Barker was one of the better rim protectors I saw on the weekend. He aggressively attacked shot attempts around the basket and used his length to alter the shots he couldn’t get to. He has long arms and showed good timing making him one of the better shot blockers at the event.
Bennet Olujic 6’7 PF BDH Elite 2023 – This is the first time I saw Olujic since the Emerald City PNW Camp in Seattle. He played with a similar high motor, rebounding on both backboards and contesting shots. Olujic was a good two-way frontcourt player, that helped BDH go 3-1 on the weekend.