Vantage Hoops Top 250 Expo: 2020/2021 Standouts
The 2018 Prep Hoops Top 250 Expo at Randolph Macon College last Saturday was a huge success, bringing over 120 high school players from the Virginia area and beyond to compete in front of scouts and college coaches. The atmosphere was great with skill development drills and intensely competitive games as kids pushed each other during the final exposure event before the high school season began.
Throughout the next week or so, we will be breaking down some of the best performers of the event in a number of ways. We will be doing class breakdowns of top performers and top breakout performers, along with specialized lists that include top shooters, top defenders and others across the board.
We finish with our look at some of the best young guys at the camp, looking at the standouts from the rising sophomore and freshman class.
Ricky Council IV | 6’4” WF | Norther Durham (NC) 2020
Concil’s older brother Ricky III was mentioned in our senior standouts, and his brother is going to be one to watch moving forward. At 6’4” he has great size on the wing, plays well above the rim in transition and he can make shots from all three levels with ease. His handle needs to tighten a little bit, but he can rock you side-to-side to create space for shots and he doesn’t need much room to get it off with his size. He’s skinny now but his frame looks like one that will fill out, and if he continues to improve he’ll be a midmajor prospect for sure.
Jaden House | 6’2” WG | Henrico 2020
Henrico will be looking for more options to help senior Timon Jones this year, and if House plays the way he did at the camp he could be next in line. At 6’2” he has good size already to play the two spot, and he’s a naturally gifted scorer that can fill it up with the best of them. He shoots it well off the catch from deep, can attack closeouts well and is a strong and athletic finisher. He’s still pretty raw, but that could be looked at as a plus because he’s already naturally talented and he still has tons of room to grow moving forward.
Jared La Treill | 6’3” WG | North Cross 2020
Look out for La Treill this year, as he’s reclassified to 2020, worked on his body to get stronger and has sprouted up to a legit 6’3”. He isn’t the fastest or most agile but he does one thing really well, and that’s stroke it from deep. He has deep range off the catch, great shot preparation and easy and efficient form with a good release point. He also has good feel and understanding of the game, constantly making good passes and the right play. If he can be aggressive but smart on the offensive end he could have a big season moving forward.
Ricky Goode-Wright | 5’10” PG | James Monroe 2021
James Monroe has a point guard to build around, as Goode-Wright should come in and start and be one of the better freshman in the Fredericksburg area. He plays much older than his age, with a poise and understanding of the game that you’d expect from a veteran let alone an incoming freshman. He has deep range off the bounce, sees the floor really well and can finish with a number of floaters and pull ups to negate his size. He controls the tempo of the game as well, and puts his teammates in situations to succeed.
Khai Seargeant | 5’10” PG | Massaponnex 2020
Seargeant was one of the breakout performers and we’re expecting him to continue to make a name for himself at Massaponnex over the next three seasons. He’s a strong and quick compact guard that can make plays off the bounce for himself and for others. He pushed in transition and scored at will, got into the lane with ease and showed both vision and the ability to finish in traffic when need be. His quickness is also an impact on the defensive end when guarding the ball. If he continues to improve more in the ways he has expect him to be a big time player moving forward.
Donnell Sims Jr. | 6’2” G | Hanover 2021
Sims is a well built combo guard for a freshman who thrives in transition and is an excellent finisher in traffic. He gets downhill and can bully smaller guards to finish around the rim. He’s an athletic guard who has a smooth style of play, can play at different paces and uses his strength and athleticism on the defensive end to push guards around. He needs to improve his consistency on his jump shot from both midrange and from deep, but his athleticism, size and high IQ means he’ll likely be an impact player as a freshman for Hanover right away.
Robert Smith | 6’3” WG | Spotswood 2020
Smith is the next in line at the Harrisonburg powerhouse. He has great size for a young wing, doesn’t force things offensively and is great in transition where he can use his strength and athleticism to finish against smaller players. He’s an excellent athlete on both ends of the floor, is a high motor guy that crashes the glass and he’s developing into a good shooter and big time playmaker. With continued development he should turn into a very good player moving forward.