Last Week Ryan Bernardi (Head Coach at BCA) invited me to attend an open gym as his team was preparing for the June Live Period.' He has invited numerous local former/current college basketball players into the gym to help his team adapt to playing against tough competition and it did not disappoint.' Here are some notes on the six BCA players present for the workout.
6’0 2021 Brock Williams: Team Felton UAA 17U
Brock has already proven himself as one of the best pure scorers in the entire country, he averaged over 34 points per game, helping the BCA program reach heights it hasn’t seen in quite some time, if ever.' The next step for Williams is to become a better leader, showing the ability to guide a team to the promised land and that’s something Williams understands.' He is blessed with unbelievable quickness, finishing ability, and athleticism that make him a bonafide division one level talent.' He just received his first division one offer from his hometown Elon University, expect that offer list to grow as Williams looks to lead this BCA Squad to new heights this coming season.' The next step for Brock to further develop his game is to improve consistency on his outside shot, simplify the game, and develop into a more natural leader, all of these areas of improvement are priorities for Williams and this BCA coaching staff this summer, expect the best version of Brock Williams we’ve seen to date to come later this month in the NCISAA live events.
6’4 2020 Jackeem Herbin: NC Red Storm 17U
Jackeem Herbin had a breakout season in his first year at BCA, showing the ability to guard multiple positions on the floor while being a go to offensive option when defenses were keying in on Brock Williams.' His ability to handle the ball at his size to go with his ability to shoot it from 25+ feet make him a really intriguing prospect that should garner attention from high level D2s and Low-Mid Major D1 programs.' His ability to create offense from all 3 levels is his money maker, and that should stand out to coaches this June.' As Herbin continues to develop his game, he must find a way to limit/eliminate some of the silly mistakes he makes on the court from time to time.' Expect Herbin to key in on maintaining a high level of focus throughout every contest while showing flashes of being the best player on the court as he did in moments last season with BCA and thus far this summer with NC Red Storm.' He’s a really intriguing player that could end up being a super steal if he ends up at the right program.
6’7 2020 Collin Wilson: Team Stacked 17U
Wilson will be asked to play a big role for this BCA team as currently constructed, being asked to be an interior presence despite being more of a small ball 4 by nature.' His improved consistency from beyond the arc and newfound willingness to relentlessly attack off the dribble should show with an improved level of productivity for Wilson this year.' He’s enjoyed a really nice spring with Team Stacked and has improved considerably in his overall court awareness.' As Wilson continues to become more coachable, achieve more consistency in his motor, and get his handle tighter, expect him to come closer to reaching his full potential.' A bonafide scholarship level talent.
6’3 2021 Ryan Roberts: NC Ice 16U
I’ll be hard pressed to find a kid that’s improved more in every aspect of his game/body in the last 10 months than Ryan Roberts.' He’s lost almost 30 pounds, allowing him to become more athletic, mobile, and just better in almost every way.' It’s clear he’s put in some serious time to improve his ball skills and consistency when shooting the ball, all of this should be very obvious when watching Roberts play now as opposed to a year ago.' Roberts trajectory as a prospect is heading in the right direction, as long as he doesn’t get complacent and continues to do what he’s been doing in the last year, everything should work itself out for the young shooter from Burlington.' He has a real chance to play at the Division One level and the next step for him is the ability to create his own jump shot off the dribble on a consistent level.' Expect Roberts to be BCA’s best outside threat while also showing flashes of athleticism and brilliance throughout the course of June and next season.
5’10 2021 Isaiah Escobar: NC Ice 16U
Escobar is another kid on the BCA roster that has made tremendous strides in his development over the past year.' He went from being a kid that somewhat struggled to carve out a consistent role on the team last year to becoming a vital piece to this team.' He is without question the glue guy of this roster, using his communication skills to get everyone in the right spots defensively, his willingness to be a pesky on ball defender, his outside shooting touch, and his capability of handling the ball and running the team in spots to earn consistent minutes for this team.' Escobar should have the attention from D3s and could see his stock raise up even more if he continues to develop.' He’s the kind of kid every roster has use for.
5’9 2022 Brock Matheny: NC Ice 16U
Matheny is a lights out catch and shoot guy, especially from the corners and that should allow him to either earn a spot on the varsity squad or be one of the feature guys on JV next year.' As he continues to physically develop and round out his skillset, Matheny should be a contributor for this varsity squad in the years to come, possibly developing into a next level prospect.