This past weekend, Phenom Hoops traveled up to Virginia Beach Sportscenter for our annual 757 Showcase. The event has featured a ton of noteworthy players over the last five years, including the likes of Nate Ament, Khyri Tomlinson, Micah Ojo, Rob Dockery, Juke Harris, and countless others. Although there was a variety of intriguing prospects and programs throughout the weekend, Team Loaded 757 was arguably the most dominant squad on display. They have a roster full of pieces worthy of attention from college coaches. Let’s take a closer look…
Guard play is always extremely important in travel ball, and this group has several backcourt pieces that complement one another. 5’11 Tyson Harper stood out as a consistent producer through his playmaking, perimeter shooting, and fiery defensive presence. He’s a smart, confident, wiry lead guard who reliably dictated the action as a primary ball-handler. Harper does a great job of reading the floor and setting up others, but can also space the floor at a high percentage from beyond the arc. When his shot wasn’t falling, he prioritized getting others involved and making his presence felt as a scrappy on-ball defender. Alongside him, 6’0 Chase Johnson also stood out as a real problem for opponents. He was easily among the best defenders in the building, utilizing his incredible blend of quickness, toughness, physicality, and nonstop energy to wreak havoc. Johnson legitimately mirrors opposing guards while sacrificing his body and anticipating extremely well to force turnovers. Offensively, he found success through his ability to initiate the offense and hit midrange pull-ups or space the floor from beyond the arc. Johnson was as consistently impactful as anyone on this team.
Guys like 5’8 Corrin Buckingham, 6’0 Tabren Hawkins, and 6’3 Gavin Mallette each bring something different to the table. Buckingham is a small, scrappy lead guard with an unselfish mentality and scrappy approach. He does a quality job of setting up the offense and putting others in scoring positions. Buckingham defends with energy and scores as needed. Meanwhile, Hawkins is a glue-guy who can do a little bit of everything. He can play with or without the ball, score in various ways, and operate as a secondary creator. Hawkins is a solid defender and rebounder who understands how to fill in the gaps on both ends of the floor. Rounding out this trio, Mallette is a long, physically imposing athlete with a strong frame and quality athleticism. He’s a capable shooter who can finish through contact or above the rim. Mallette is a useful cutter without the ball. He can rebound and defend multiple positions when necessary.
It didn’t take long to recognize all the ways 6’4 Nasir Jenkins and 6’4 Isaiah Savage overwhelmed opponents. Jenkins is a walking mismatch with his blend of size, strength, and versatility. He’s built like a tank, yet possesses an intriguing inside-out skillset and the ability to operate in various different positions. Jenkins possesses useful ball skills and is difficult for opponents to stop when getting a head of stream and barreling towards the basket. He finishes well through contact, but also has a nice jumper that he can convert off the catch or bounce. Jenkins secures rebounds at a consistent rate and pushes the break well in transition. He’s also capable of defending multiple positions. On the other hand, Savage is a highly explosive athlete with a long, wiry frame and well-rounded skillset. He showed the ability to make plays with the ball in his hands, both as a creator and scorer, but also found success as a cutter and utility piece. Savage made several highlight-reel plays at the rim while showing the ability to fly around for rebounds and make plays defensively. He excels in transition, but knows how to make his presence felt in the half court.
Given their blend of guards and mismatch wings, pieces like 6’6 Sam Naidyhorski, 6’6 Jonah Henderson, and 6’3 Jonathan Lee offer a lot of value as interior pieces. Naidyhorski highlighted a lot of enticing flashes as a strong, skilled, physically overwhelming big man. He possesses soft touch, nice footwork, and the ability to operate on the block or space the floor along the perimeter. Naidyhorski is able to carve out space very well around the basket, where he’s able to finish or make quality passes out of the post. He rebounds his position very well and plays with a sense of toughness on both ends of the floor. Naidyhorski also displays an understanding of how to block/alter shots defensively. His frontcourt mate, Henderson, is a long, wiry, high-motor piece who offers a low-maintenance presence on either side of the ball. He’s a capable finisher and rebounder who plays hard, runs the floor in transition, and looks to be disruptive on defense. Henderson is a capable finisher but doesn’t necessarily require the ball to make an impact. Additionally, Lee does a great job of filling in the gaps and finding opportunities within the flow of the action. He’s an adaptable piece with the size, strength, and skill to operate in various roles.