By; Brady Malston
2025 Simms Disbrow (Next Level Elite)
Simms consistently displays maturity on the court beyond his age. He is constantly picking teammates up, communicating on the court and always moving on to the next play. The mental approach to basketball is a skill that is hard to master and often overlooked in today’s game, especially on travel circuits. With Simms, you can tell he is conscious about how actions, thoughts and communication impact winning basketball and he strives to exemplify these winning behaviors. While he is certainly a top-notch leader, he is also a highly skilled basketball player with great heads-up IQ. Hitting 3’s at an extremely high rate, getting into the paint and finishing strong and consistent off-ball movement are staples of his offensive game. On the defensive end, he’s a gritty player with decent speed who does not shy away from contact. As colleges look for guards with great mentality to boost their entire team on the court, don’t be surprised if Simms starts coming into the conversation as he continues to refine his game.
2026 Lincoln Raper (Charlotte Nets)
Lincoln is someone you frequently see as a scoring leader for his team in the after-game reports. Constantly scoring 20+ points in a game, when you actually sit down and watch him play it is easy to see why. He has phenomenal fundamental and repeatable shooting form, allowing him to get shots off quickly. Lincoln is clearly comfortable shooting well beyond the high school three-point line. He also has a creative mid-range game, able to hit pull-ups off the dribble or take effective floaters. Lincoln rebounds well for his size on both sides of the ball and goes up strong to turn these boards into a quick two points on the offensive glass. No slouch on the defensive side of the ball, he’s constantly putting himself and his teammates in the right spots to succeed whether they are in man or zone, displaying a very high basketball IQ. Playing up in 16U, this guard could become something very special as he continues to develop.
2026 Mikey Williams (Future Kings)
Williams is an explosive guard, comfortable scoring at all three levels. Rarely did I catch one defender that was able to stop him from getting into the paint, normally demanding at least two (often three) defenders to stop his momentum and make him pick up his dribble or back out. He had great decision-making in the paint, often finding gaps in the collapsed defense. He used his athleticism and creativity to score at the rim despite the traffic. Mikey was also more than willing to find the open shooter on the perimeter if the opportunity presented itself. It was not uncommon to see him come down with a defensive rebound and immediately push all the way down the court in transition and lay the ball in. His snot-nosed defense was something to behold, capable of completely shutting down strong ballhandlers on the perimeter. Frequently he came up with pickpocket steals for layups on the other end, and almost never got beat off the dribble. His leadership was impressive, showing poise in tight games and keeping his team centered and focused on the right things. I would keep an eye on this guard as he continues to grow and hone his game, he could be something quite special.
2025 Coby Retana (NLBP Best 2025)
Retana blew me away this weekend with his ability to finish in traffic. He has an uncanny ability to change his shot and contort his body in the air, making for some unbelievable finishes that for almost anyone else you would think it was luck, but Coby makes them look easy. His great first step on offense made it hard to keep him out of the paint, and once he was in the paint it seemed as if the defense was helpless to respond due to all of the tools in his bag to finish. Never shying away from physicality, Retana showed the ability to finish through contact but just as well showed a great finesse game with solid footwork to find open looks where possible. A high effort and quick defender, he was no slouch on the defensive end either and showed great hustle for loose balls, and wasn’t afraid to get on the floor and fight for a 50/50 ball. A clear athletic outlier, as the details of his game get refined he is only going to provide more and more value as a player.
2024 Braden Hershberger (Team KST)
Braden caught my eye last weekend at the PhenomG3 as a phenomenal scorer, finishing at the rim in so many different ways and getting into the paint with a quick and efficient first step. This weekend at the Memorial Day Classic I had the opportunity to watch him a little closer, and I was extremely impressed with what I saw. He continued to show an elite level of finishing ability and ball penetration as well as a clean stroke from the three-point line, yet he also showed several other crucial skills. He sets his drives up by moving off-ball essentially nonstop, preventing his defenders from being able to establish effective guarding position. He would always capitalize on this by immediately looking to attack the paint off the catch. High effort and quick, pesky defense generated several steals for his team that often led to easy layups. Also a phenomenal leader, his team trailed roughly ten points with about five minutes left this Saturday in bracket play. He called his team together while the other team shot free throws and gave them a motivational talk, appealing to them to close the game out with the will to win as you could see some of his teammates felt as if it was over. His team responded to him, pulling out a great come from behind win. This leadership in such a skilled player is undoubtedly going to be extremely valued by whichever college ends up signing this young man.