6’6 2020 Reggie Raynor: New Life Christian (21 Points)
Raynor was the best prospect on the floor the other night and it wasn’t all that close, he’s a high flying, smooth wing that attacks at will and leads his New Life squad with his strong leadership qualities and intangibles. He holds offers from Tennessee State and Coppin State at the moment, expect that list to grow as coaches throughout the region begin to realize exactly what Raynor has to offer. He does a little bit of everything for this New Life Christian team, and is often the guy initiating offense, getting his guys in the right spots to run their offense. Defensively, he’s remarkable, strong, and athletic with good instincts, sometimes you want him to take less chances on that end, but he makes so many game changing plays that you have to live with it at this level. The only question in his game is the perimeter shot, which is being answered as Raynor has put serious time in the lab regarding that aspect of his game. The progress is noticeable since my last viewing of Raynor, (Thanksgiving Weekend 2018) but he still has a lot of room to grow. I have no doubt that the jumper continues to develop into something more consistent, furthering his status as a bonafide Mid-Major guy for coaches to watch closely over the next 15 months.
6’8 2020 Jeremyah McWilliams: New Life Christian (12 Points)
McWilliams did a great job asserting himself on the glass in this one, while also showing his ability to finish around the basket with both hands at an efficient rate. He is still filling out his frame, but he plays with a ton of effort, and is extremely mobile for a big man of his age. Capable of playing defense in the pick and roll, and switching out on the perimeter to guard smaller guys in spots. As he continues to hit the weight room McWilliams will only become a better rebounder than he already is, cementing his status as a bonafide scholarship guy that mid-high level D2s should be keeping track of.
6’2 2019 Grant Andrews: Elevation Prep (20 Points)
Andrews doesn’t exactly look the part, but there were portions of the game where he took the game over shooting the ball from the perimeter. A stocky 6’2, Andrews was smooth off the catch and one dribble, hitting from deep and the mid-range in this one to keep Elevation Prep within striking distance for the majority of the game. He’s one that NAIA and D3’s should be watching the rest of the year.
6’3 2019 Jaron Riley: Elevation Prep (22 Points)
Riley had it rolling the other night, especially in the first quarter where he got Elevation off to a great start when he hit three 3 pointers to get things going. He can really shoot it from distance and create for himself off the bounce, sometimes he gets a little bit of tunnel vision, but this team needs him to score if they want to succeed, so it can be understandable why he shoots some of the shots he takes. Another guy for D3s and D2s to really track moving forward.
Other Notable Performers
6’1 2019 Eric Welch (3 Points)
Welch didn’t have his best game scoring the ball, but he showed me that he should still be considered a scholarship level prospect after a great summer with PSB (Wade). He’s a strong, athletic guard, that can make tough shots, run the team, and excels at pushing the break. He’s averaging around 12 PPG so this performance was a little underwhelming, but I can still take some positives from it.
5’11 2020 Dahaun Jones: New Life Christian (15 Points)
Jones was shooting the ball with a ton of confidence the other night, ringing in 3/6 from deep, showing his natural ability as a spot up shooter and showcasing his ability to be a secondary ball handler when need be. One to watch as we get into playoff time and Summer-Ball.
6’10 2019 Jalen Love: New Life Christian (9 Points)
Love is an imposing physical force with his strong frame, long arms, and general demeanor. He sets really good screens, rebounds the ball well, and plays with a high level of effort every time he steps on the court. D2’s and D3’s in need of a late addition should watch this one.
6’3 2019 Latrell Jones: New Life Christian (7 Points)
Jones is an intriguing piece for this New Life Christian team, at 6’3 he possesses an incredibly strong frame that he knows how to use. He understands that he’s at his best when getting downhill, finishing through contact or finding a shooter off the drive and kick. He made some uncharacteristic mistakes in this one, but should still be considered a bonafide next level prospect.
6’0 2020 Reggie Walton: New Life Christian (5 Points)
Walton admittedly didn’t have his best outing, but he still showed a lot of the traits that make him so recruitable as a PG. The intangibles are always going to be there, he’s a natural born leader that does a good job of running his team. Like Jones, he made some uncharacteristic mistakes in this one, but he’s a can’t miss PG at the D2 level.
6’0 2020 Phil Martin: New Life Christian (9 Points)
Martin is another shooter on this squad, capable of really heating up from the perimeter and taking a game over. He’s another next level player on this team that should have some D2 buzz headed his way if he has a good summer, and builds on it for his senior year.
