This past weekend, Phenom Hoops traveled up to the iconic Boo Williams Sportsplex in Hampton, Virginia, for our annual Virginia Tip Off. The event featured a lot of new, intriguing talent from the DMV area and Virginia as a whole. Since we are still in the early stages of the travel ball season, there was a nice mix of young players and unsigned seniors on display. Let’s take a closer look at a few personal favorites…
6’4 ’26 Amir Savage (The Ville)
Although he’ll be deciding on where to further his playing career over the next few weeks, Amir Savage was still clearly one of the top players in attendance. He’s an extremely tough, smart, do-it-all wing with the ability to dictate the action with relative ease. Savage operated as the primary creator, both for himself and others, and consistently stood out as the main force propelling this team forward. He reliably broke down opponents off the dribble, touched the paint, and showed the ability to set up others or finish with either hand. Savage plays well through contact and isn’t deterred by physical play on either end of the floor. However, he’s also a very capable shooting threat from midrange and beyond the arc. Savage rebounds his position well and looks to push the break in transition whenever possible. He defends multiple positions and utilizes his length, anticipation, and physicality to cause problems for his assignment. Savage is simply a useful all-around player whose malleable game allows him to produce alongside any collection of teammates.
6’5 ’26 Tristan Smith (Virginia Havoc 434 Carter)
After watching him lead his team to a perfect record at the Virginia Tip Off, it’s definitely perplexing why Tristan Smith doesn’t have more action within his recruitment. He’s a long, wiry wing/forward with great size and skill, which allows him to create matchup problems for opponents. Smith excels at getting downhill and attacking the basket, where he’s able to consistently slip by defenders and utilize his length and craftiness to finish. Whether scoring or getting fouled, the vast majority of his drives yielded positive results. Smith is a solid perimeter shooter who forces the defense to respect his ability to knock down jumpers. He’s a willing passer who sees the floor well when attacking and understands how to make the right play or extra pass. Smith gives quality effort on the glass, rebounding the ball well for his size/position, and pushes the break effectively in transition. Add in his scrappy, switchable defensive presence, and it’s easy to see all the ways he impacts a game. Smith should appeal to various types of college coaches.
6’1 ’28 Javontae Barrie (DFE)
There were several intriguing pieces on the DFE roster, and Javontae Barrie arguably stood out as much as anyone with his crafty, dynamic identity. Despite operating as their main creator, it felt like he didn’t touch the ball enough. Barrie is a quick, shifty guard with an impressive blend of IQ, vision, pace, and creation skills. He’s able to get basically wherever he wants off the dribble and make quality reads with the ball in his hands. Barrie utilizes his sharp first step to torch defenders and pick his spots as a scorer from all levels. He finished at the basket, hit threes, and converted midrange pull-ups at a strong rate. Barrie showed the ability to mix it up and apply constant pressure from all levels. However, he’s also a terrific passer who routinely generates scoring opportunities for others. Barrie is a pesky defender who anticipates well to intercept passing lanes and force turnovers. He also rebounds the ball well for his size/position. Add in his communication and calm leadership presence, and it’s difficult to say anything other than positives about the way Barrie set the tone for this team.
6’6 ’26 Blake Walker (Bricksquad Monopoly)
The exceptional balance of this group makes it challenging to single out just one individual, but Blake Walker showcased a ton of intrigue throughout the Virginia Tip Off. It’s actually quite surprising that more people, both scouts and college coaches, aren’t talking more about him. He’s extremely long, fluid, and athletic with a very useful blend of ball skills and two-way versatility. Offensively, Walker is able to create constant matchup problems for opponents. He creates well, especially for his size, and mixes it up nicely as a scorer from all levels. Walker is at his best when attacking off the bounce or hitting midrange jumpers, but also keeps defenses honest with his ability to knock down open threes. Although he’s a very useful offensive piece, so much of his value comes through his motor, defense, and rebounding. At 6-foot-6, Walker can defend up and down a lineup with relative ease. He possesses the mobility to sit down against smaller guards and the length to be disruptive against bigger opponents. Walker plays hard and provides terrific effort on the glass, showing the ability to battle for second-chance opportunities or push the break in transition. Given everything he showed, scholarship-level programs should be involved.
6’2 ’31 Gianni Ambriose (Team Richmond)
Despite being the youngest player in this grouping, there’s already so much to like about Gianni Ambriose’s overall foundation. While it doesn’t take long to recognize his natural physical gifts, his appeal becomes more obvious as you watch. Ambriose towers over most of his competition right now, which allows him to dominate the paint on both ends of the floor. He’s involved on basically every rebound and defensive possession, displaying the length, timing, and physicality to cause constant problems for opponents. Ambriose moves very well for his size, both in terms of recovery quickness and ability to run in the open floor (especially at this stage in his development). He’s a capable finisher with nice touch and flashes of impressive vision. Ambriose made several precise outlet passes and hit cutters well in the half court. Should he continue on his current trajectory, it’s easy to see Ambriose progressing into a high-level player.