In my newest of my items for Ballislife.com, I did a little bit of bouncing round all through the nation. Some layovers and delayed flights blended with various faculty and NBA video games. I finished to take a look at a number of practices all through my travels, together with hitting various video games in each Minneapolis and yet one more in my hometown of Cleveland. Whereas the groups that I noticed weren’t within the Ballislife FAB 50 over the previous couple of weeks, there was some severe expertise who you’re going to be listening to about on the school degree and in recruiting circles very shortly.
Listed below are a number of of the highest gamers that I noticed in Cleveland, Minneapolis, Denver, and New Mexico over the previous two weeks:
Nasir Whitlock, 6’1, PG, DeLaSalle HS (MN), 2023My private selection for Minnesota’s Mr. Basketball, Whitlock is placing up straight online game numbers for Minnesota powerhouse DeLaSalle. He dropped an absurd 52 factors towards storied Minneapolis program Hopkins HS (who has the state’s prime 2026, Jayden Moore) and adopted that up with a 29-point, 5-assist outing in a blowout win the next Tuesday. The Lehigh-bound level guard is a strolling bucket, mixing deep vary with an computerized pullup from mid-range. Whitlock shouldn’t be a man who’s going to wow you along with his velocity or athleticism, however performs the sport at his personal velocity and has an excellent change of tempo. Whitlock is the prime instance of a dude who didn’t must play on a shoe circuit (ran with Achieve Elite) to make it D1 and who merely regularly received higher all through his highschool profession.
Assane Diop, 6’10, PF, Accelerated Prep (CO), 2023A consensus top-60 recruit nationally, Diop has the prospect to be a key piece in a Colorado’s excellent recruiting class. Assane has been well-known on the scene for a number of years now, however has regularly improved. Upon stopping by follow in Denver, the largest enchancment that you could possibly see within the 6-foot-10 Senegalese huge man was in his taking pictures and ball dealing with. He has the flexibility to not solely maintain the protection trustworthy along with his jumper, but in addition create for self/others.
Daniel Freitag, 6’2, PG/SG, Bloomington Jefferson HS (MN), 2024Considered by most to be the highest junior within the state of Minnesota, Freitag is a type of uncommon two sport dudes who legitimately has Energy 5 affords in each basketball and soccer. An elite on ball defender, Freitag makes use of his chiseled physique and fast fingers to use immense ball strain. The Howard Pulley guard is excellent utilizing his shoulders to complete by contact, has developed extra consistency as a shooter, and has made severe strides as a lead guard. Whether or not it’s soccer or basketball, you’ll be seeing Daniel Freitag on a television display screen enjoying for an enormous time program come 2024.
Jayden Moore, 5’11, PG, Hopkins HS (MN), 2026The consensus primary freshman within the state of Minnesota has lived as much as the hype, averaging 21 factors, 9 rebounds, and eight assists an evening for one of many state’s most legendary packages. With two years of varsity enjoying expertise beneath his belt, “Judah” shouldn’t be your common freshman. Enjoying the sport with a courtroom savvy properly past his years, Moore sees the sport a play forward. He’s excellent in rapidly pushing the ball up the ground, makes excessive degree passes out of choose and roll performs, and is excellent making correct reads towards completely different defensive coverages. Enjoying up two years final summer season within the Adidas 3SSB 16U with J-Suggs Sizzle, Moore gained a proposal from West Virginia, however that’s merely the primary of a plethora of excessive main affords to return.
Brady Wooley, 6’8, PF, Orono HS (MN), 2025The quickest rising sophomore within the state of Minnesota, Wooley is the kind of new age ahead that everybody is in search of these days. He’s not going to place up large numbers, however impacts the sport in so some ways. Wooley is a talented passer who can stretch protection out to the 3-point line, does an excellent job of discovering open areas to flash/minimize offensively, and makes use of size to offer a formidable shot blocking presence. Wooley has already been on campus at Minnesota and Iowa State with many extra to hitch as soon as the stay interval begins.
Shemarion Hardy, 6’2, SG, Cleveland Heights HS (OH), 2023Not an enormous identify, Hardy is the kind of internal metropolis dude who you hate to play towards. Enjoying for former NBA guard JR Bremer at Cleveland Heights (and in similar convention that I performed in myself), “Mar” is an athletic lefty who’s constantly in assault mode. The bouncy combo guard has no scarcity of canine in him, nice elevation on his jumper, and the flexibility to complete excessive of you in transition. He has been one of many vibrant surprises within the metropolis of Cleveland this season and is a reputation to recollect all through his faculty profession.
