Thursday was a very long day for our Arizona Preps' staff as we covered games in Las Vegas at all three events - Big Foot Hoops Las Vegas Classic, The Fab 48 and the Adidas Uprising Summer Championships. While driving back and forth between each of these three events, it made for a very long day of basketball and coverage.
Here are the top individual performers that I observed from the day's action at the Adidas Uprising Summer Championships . . .
Kyree Walker 6-4 SOPH PG/SG Hillcrest Prep - 2020 Class
Walker is playing this weekend for the Adidas sponsored Dream Vision program. He looked excellent on Thursday evening, as he led his team to a big 62-61 victory over the Atlanta Celtics (GA), and finished with 15 points in the win. Walker looked very explosive off the dribble and handled the point guard position effectively under serious defensive pressure. He also finished very strong at the rim and made plays for himself and his teammates off the dribble. An elite national college prospect that continues to develop.
Jaelen House 6-0 JR PG Shadow Mountain HS - 2019 Class
House played his normal, exceptional self while under duress on Thursday evening, as his Team Harden team would fall by close to 20 points. House would do all he could to keep his team in the game and would continue to show excellent confidence and an ability to make plays off the dribble for himself at the rim, where he drew physical contact and finished plays. While he is small in stature, House is able to finish and take physical contact.
Malik Porter 6-4 SR SF Cesar Chavez HS - 2017 Class
Porter is one of the best unsigned senior prospects in the West. He is super long and has NBA athleticism. Porter blocked numerous shots and finished plays strong around the basket. He was the best defender on the floor in the game I saw, and has a serious defensive presence inside the paint and in transition. A big time future prospect after a stint in the junior college ranks or in a post-grad year. Still undecided as to which direction he will head.
Andre Harris 6-7 JR PF Red Mountain HS - 2019 Class
Harris was very strong in his team's narrow loss yesterday to a team from Minnesota. He scored effectively inside the paint and also made shots from the perimeter - showing a serious overall skill level. Harris was the best player on the floor in the game we saw, and made the game look easy for himself offensively. He is a strong rebounder and has an ability to make plays almost at will. After speaking with his coach, I was advised that he could receive as many as five different division-I offers this week from such schools as IUPUI, Detroit, Montana, Montana State and Loyola-Chicago.
Josh Baker 6-1 JR PG/SG McClintock HS - 2019 Class
Baker is a silky-smooth guard prospect with an excellent feel for the game and a pure shooting stroke. While he still needs to get stronger physically, he is able to make plays with the basketball in his hands. He has an excellent shooting stroke with range and can score off the dribble almost at will when he has any space to make drives to the basket. Has a bright future ahead of him. Needs to get more explosive but he is very fundamentally sound.
