It’s the live period ladies and gentlemen, offers flying in the sky like butterflies, oh my goodness we are back in business with the busiest three weeks of the year for tons and tons of people around the basketball industry and where else would I be… Spartanburg at the Upward Stars Center where all the action is this week. Here are some of the standout’s from night one!
6’8 2020 Dean Reiber: Team Loaded 2020
Reiber was the best prospect in the gym tonight and it showed with him getting a Rice offer after his game. His ability to score on all three levels at 6’8 provides a major mismatch on the court for many opposing bigs. He has excellent footwork on the block with great touch on jump hooks, and turnaround jumpers down low. He’s also a big time athlete with legit explosiveness that will make any defender look like a rag doll before anyone realizes what happened. Big S/O to Dean for getting his first D1 offer tonight, it surely won’t be his last… this week.
6’7 2019 Jason Thompson: HoopState Elite Rexrode
Thompson recently joined HoopState Elite after leaving Garner Road and he’s done a remarkable job at adjusting himself to his new teammates. He provides a ball handling option on the wing that wasn’t there before to go with a silky smooth perimeter game giving this talented group yet another offensive option on the wing. He brings a calming presence to this group, never getting uncomfortable when being pressed by a talented Team Loaded 2020 team, playing with total control and confidence throughout. Definitely keep your eye on him if you’re in need of a wing in the 2019 class.
6’4 2019 Ta’Lon Cooper: Upward Stars Upstate Silver 17U
Cooper has recently been offered by Radford, USC Upstate, and Presbyterian and it’s pretty clear why. At 6’4 he’s a true combo guard with the ability to guard wing players at a high level. He’s incredibly talented on the offensive end, a smooth jumper, crafty at the rack, and showcased his vision tonight which is not something I’d personally seen from him and I was thoroughly impressed with the way he carried himself throughout one of the more competitive games of the night. It’s very clear he’s a D1 talent, now it’s up to the coaches in attendance to see what level truly suits him.
6’8 2019 Johnny Brown: Q6 All-Stars
What stuck out to me about Brown was his defensive potential, at 6’8 with incredibly lateral mobility he fits that “2018” mold of big man that can switch out and defend on the perimeter when needed without losing any sort of size and continuing to rebound at a high level. He blocks shots, he hustles, he rebounds, and he’s more than competent offensively. Expect Brown to get some serious looks playing on a really talented Q6 All-Stars team. Definitely has the potential to be an impact defender.
