Following our Phenom Hoops’ hosted ‘Virginia Phenom 150’ Saturday camp in Richmond, VA, I knew I wouldn’t have much time before turning my attention to another in-state event less than 18 hours later: the 2019 ‘Corey Stitzel High School Development Showcase, hosted by Stitzel himself and Independence High School (Ashburn, VA), where he currently serves as the head boys’ varsity basketball coach. For a four-hour afternoon period, the high-IQ coach gathered over 50 players in the gym for a fast-paced layout of skill development, competition, and, most importantly, teaching points of how to play the game in the right way. Being a former college coach at both the NCAA Division I and III levels, along with now having his own training company (Dynamic Hoops Training) and AAU organization (Virginia Premier), highlights Stitzel’s impressive resume and I had a feeling his campers would be in for a beneficial day of learning under the entire staff of camp counselors. With Virginia players composing the majority of the group, along with a few North Carolina and Pennsylvania guys, I saw a good mix of older and younger prospects that competed in front of multiple college programs; about 16 sat along the far sideline for evaluation. Just another special opportunity for exposure as this 2019-20 preseason goes along.
Colleges in Attendance: West Chester University, East Stroudsburg, Wilmington, Fairmont State, Jefferson, West Liberty, Elizabethtown, Clarion, Georgian Court, University of Sciences, Hood College, Salisbury, Mount Aloysius, Bridgewater, Moravian College, Hampden-Sydney.
My Seven Standouts of Sunday
Jason Reid ’20 – Cardinal Gibbons HS (Raleigh, NC): From the moment that competition drills/games started to take over, I liked everything about Reid’s smooth operation on the scoring side. He’s very skilled with the ball and uses a steady pace to dictate which type of shots he wants to get off over defenses. A large portion of the 6’2” guard’s points came from two-point areas, as he got defenders on his hip and could finish in different ways. It’s not highly common to find guys like him who consistently make it look easy by slowing the game down and getting to their spots at all times. That controlled type of feel stood out in Reid’s arsenal the most, in my eyes. Play-making wise, I felt like the senior definitely has an aim of showing he can play as a combo guard but must keep working to make quicker decisions when setting up others. Sometimes, he over-dribbled a bit.
CJ Weber ’20 – James River HS (Midlothian, VA): Once I saw Weber enter the gym, I knew the audience would be in for some prolific shooting. The 6’0” two-guard has established a reputation as a standout in that particular area within Virginia High School League (VHSL) Region 6B competition. As expected, he definitely poured in many baskets but also continues to show abilities outside of his three-point prowess. I’ve always seen Weber as having a pretty strong frame at his position, which helps him finish through opponents in transition. His defense also made a good impression and he constantly collected steals to complete them as made baskets on the other end. The 804 product’s energy, however, helped him attract attention more than anything. It remained consistent from start to finish, just as well as any other camper. Ultimately, the day resulted as one of the best showings I’ve ever seen from Weber. The next step, similar to Reid, is to see better facilitating skills. It’ll make him a greater threat.
Parker Huffman ’20 – Cave Spring HS (Roanoke, VA): The 6’8” Huffman had a good day by displaying many things a next-level coach would want from a forward. For starters, he can stretch the floor with a solid shooting stroke. I saw some good range on his shot and felt he sought out the necessary times when to launch it off if others played him short. On the rebounding end, Huffman clearly had one of the best days. He snags defensive rebounds at a constant rate; protecting the ball tightly and taking his time to find his guards. As a screener, I think there’s a few different scenarios one could use the Roanoke native for. Ball-handlers can either find him on slips/rolls to the basket, separation for jump shots, or simply throw it up in the air to watch him catch and finish high. He’s fairly versatile on both ends, making it no surprise to see why D2 programs have offered, while the mid-major D1s hold much interest at the moment.
Amiri Stewart ’20 – Archbishop Carroll HS (Radnor, PA): One of the day’s best athletes, Stewart has all of the looks of one who can smoothly maneuver to the basket. At 6’3” with long arms and agility, he was the most effective prospect I saw at attacking the rim. NOBODY could prevent his paint touches from different areas of the perimeter and/or in transition. He finished layups with finesse and excellent body control, along with leaking out into the open floor for a couple of powerful dunks. Stewart’s athleticism also showed on the defensive side, as he can easily stay in front of the ball at all times. That height at the wing position and style of play definitely showed a resemblance to the ‘Dwyane Wade-approach.’ His natural feel for putting up points serves as a big trait of his successful game but I think improved shooting will help out his scoring package better.
Reid Pendleton ’21 – Cave Spring HS (Roanoke, VA): Efficiency best describes Pendleton’s performances on Sunday; he made many more shots than he missed from the first possession to the last. One can typically find him off of the ball at 6’2,” as he does an excellent job of moving all over the half-court to get open. Once teammates defer, Pendleton releases his shot pretty quickly and can also put it on the floor for one-dribble pull-ups. His speed in scoring the rock may appear fast but nonetheless didn’t ever seemed rushed. The junior knows where he wants to score and how to use timing for proper results. On his rim drives, I noticed Pendleton mainly looked to penetrate toward the baseline. He’s another piece in that group of Cave Spring players who play the game with intelligence and enough skill to make things happen under their control.
Clark Castleberry ’21 – South Lakes HS (Reston, VA): I’d say the Northern Virginia big fella competed as one of the few TRUE post players on Sunday. Castleberry has great size and a 6’7” height to completely hold down the interior; making himself a target that’s hard to miss. Cleaning up misses on the offensive glass worked the most for him during time on the floor. I loved how well he held the ball high for stick-backs after grabbing an offensive board. Frankly, I and others come across many big men with bad habits of bringing the ball down to the quick hands of defenders whenever they haul in a rebound. Castleberry has good discipline and everlasting effort in his approach to do what he does best, which proved as a simple yet valuable camp showing. As well as he seals his man and finishes, the center can become a bigger presence on the block if he develops a wider range of inside moves. Having a go-to (or more) brings good things with it.
Aviwe Mahlong ’20 – Eastern Mennonite School (Harrisonburg, VA): The other guy (along with Weber) on this list who I’ve seen perform multiple times, Mahlong keeps providing reasons for me to remain convinced that college coaches need to start ringing his phone if they haven’t already. In an early talk with his Eastern Mennonite head varsity coach, Chad Seibert, before the camp’s opening remarks, I didn’t know if it’d be fair to expect 100% from him due to the 6’3” wing having just come off of a bad sickness. Honestly though, once the clock started ticking, I doubt anyone in the gym would’ve suspected a thing. Mahlong looked like a stud out there in each drill and game that took place. He’s incredibly good at scoring without being ball dominant, finishes under the rim, rebounds, defends, and makes the right decisions. The senior just knows how to play, point-blank-period. It likely stems from how well he takes in everything that’s taught on the hardwood. Personally, I feel he has one of the highest ceilings in all of Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association (VISAA) Division III; having landed a first team all-state selection in 2018-19. Don’t wait on him before it’s too late, trust me.
Thank you again to Coach Stitzel for the excellent hospitality yesterday. Excited to see what October holds!