UCO Team Camp: Star Performers
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After a busy June of team camps and summer league, the state of Oklahoma saved the best for last. The past three days in Edmond featured the best collection of high school teams and individual talent of any high school…
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Continue ReadingAfter a busy June of team camps and summer league, the state of Oklahoma saved the best for last. The past three days in Edmond featured the best collection of high school teams and individual talent of any high school event this month. With 91 teams in attendance, UCO’s team camp included top programs from Tulsa, a deep pool of 405 programs and impressively some of the top small school teams from all over the state. The rest of the week be jam-packed with scouting reports and evaluations of players from all over Oklahoma.
Leading off is a six pack of players who stood out from the rest.
Jarreth Ingram Jarreth Ingram 6'4" | SF Noah | 2023 State OK , 6’6 Wing, Class of 2023, Tulsa Memorial
Last season the former home school standout stepped into a sixth man role on a senior laden team and flashed big time potential throughout the season. His efforts cumulated in a staring performance in the Class 5A State Championship game. Now as one of the key returning pieces, he has a bigger role as Memorial tries to stay on top. Athletic and active, Ingram is one of the better rebounders in Oklahoma. On offense that leads to easy points on putbacks; while on defensive rebounds he’s an one man fast break who can finish it himself or set up his teammates. The Chargers also make good use of his passing ability in the half-court, often setting him up in the high post or on the wing to hit cutters and open teammates.
There’s still moments where his feel for the game needs improvement. But the combination of size, athleticism and motor make him a top Oklahoma 2023 prospect. Seemingly all the Division II programs in Oklahoma agree, as he’s racked up the offers in the last week. Including one on Monday night after UCO head coach Bob Huffman watched Ingram help the Chargers to a hard fought victory.
O’rian Scales O’rian Scales 5'10" | PG Putnam City West | 2023 OK , 5’10 Guard, Class of 2023, Putnam City West
The gritty Patriot guard personified the Putnam City West way with a complete performance in a Tuesday morning victory. Scales was first noticed last December as a sniper from beyond the arc. He hit his customary deep threes, but he’s improving as an athlete and a ballhandler off the dribble. Noticeably quicker and more confident, the senior guard is a better finisher at the rim and more adept at drawing contact to earn trips to the line. To round out his performance, he often picked up Dayton Forsythe Dayton Forsythe 6'3" | PG Dale | 2024 State #206 Nation OK in the backcourt and closely covered him all game. West has an exciting group of talent in the Classes of 2024 and 2025, but the inspired play of Scales could be the key to them unlocking their potential.
Dayton Forsythe Dayton Forsythe 6'3" | PG Dale | 2024 State #206 Nation OK , 6’2 Guard, Class of 2024, Dale
While the junior floor general had some struggles on Tuesday morning against the Patriots, he bounced back with a vengeance in a Wednesday morning bracket play rematch. From the opening tip he used his strength and crafty handling ability to get wherever he wanted on the court. Gliding by foes to finishes at the rim? Check. Stop on the dime and nail the midrange pull up? Check. Off the dribble threes? Check. Even when teams brought double teams or successful help defense, Forsythe consistently made the right pass to open teammates. These traits are why he put together back to back performances to quarterback his small town team to wins over two of the top teams in the OKC Metro, Putnam City West and Millwood.
Forsythe has no back down to his game and more importantly has the basketball IQ to make adjustments to what teams throw at him. Sometimes he can lean on his strength too much to create space, which likely won’t work as well at the collegiate level. But with his ability to adapt to different levels of competitions, odds are he’ll keep finding ways to be successful. The seemingly never tired small town guard also put together this run against bigger schools in Edmond, while also playing baseball in the evenings.
TO Barrett TO Barrett 6'4" | SG Link Academy | 2024 #138 Nation MO , 6’4 Guard, Class of 2024, Edmond North
The Huskies were down a couple key players in a Tuesday match up against Tulsa Memorial but that did not phase Barrett as he helped them to a close victory. One of the developments to watch with the fast rising junior has been his shooting. If he shots the ball like he did against Tulsa Memorial, the sky could be the limit. Along with the scoring, Barrett was making “big boy” passes all over the court. From pushing it on the break and rifling it down court with pace and precision to open teammates. To showing improved court awareness and feel in halfcourt sets as a playmaker, the defensive mind guard is becoming quite the problem on offense as well. The ascension of the Husky junior over the last six months have been remarkable and it’s scary to think where he could be in another six months.
Jaden Nickens Jaden Nickens 6'3" | CG Douglass | 2025 State OK , 6’3 Guard, Class of 2025, Millwood
In a Mustang-Millwood contest with a pair of Class of 2023 players that will be high level football players at the next level, Nickens may have been the best pure athlete on the court. Strong and quick, he flew all over the court. From jumping passing lanes and disrupting plays on defense. To knifing to the rim for acrobatic and occasional powerful finishes, it was an impressive display of raw athleticism from the two sport recruit youngster.
The talented 2025 is a streaky shooter. In some games this month he’s ripped off multiple deep threes and smooth looking fadeaways in the midrange. Other games, his jumper looked out of rhythm and the bricks have piled up. In Oklahoma with his size and athleticism, he seemingly can get to the rim whenever he wants as a bully guard. So the improvement of his jumper and other skills apply more when talking about his long term prospects. The sky is the limit for the super sophomore, it’s just a manner of keeping his foundation solid at the ground floor.
CJ Nickson CJ Nickson 6'6" | SF Weatherford | 2025 State #309 Nation OK , 6’5 Wing, Class of 2025, Weatherford
Speaking of athletic 2025 prospects, Nickson is firmly in the running for the title of most athletic prospect as well. Already with broad shoulders, he’s a force around the rim with big rebounds, pinning shots on the glass and slams thats threaten to break backboards. But perhaps more importantly he wasn’t limited to just being a force around the rim. He’s one of the top ballhandlers for his squad and with his strength and quickness is a handful going downhill. Mix in made jumpers and Nickson is more than an one trick pony. There are definitely flashes that along with being a bruiser around the rim, he could mature into be a perimeter threat as a bigger guard.