While I was unable to attend this weekend's Southwest Showcase High Academic Showcase at Phoenix College and organized by Ron Coleman, two local 2015 prospects impressed tournament organizers enough to garner Co-Most Valuable Player honors after the event.
Brophy Prep High School's talented 6-foot-3 junior guard Max Kufel and Chaparral High School's strong 6-foot-5 junior post Ryan Bayster would take home the honors after both turned in very strong performances in the event.
While we recently just featured a story on Arizona Preps about the rapid development of Ryan Bayster, the tough, hardnosed post prospect would continue this strong play in last weekend's event - scoring around the basket and displaying a variety of strong low-post moves in the process. Bayster, who played this spring and summer for Arizona Power 16U Black, has spent a lot of time in the weight room as of late, and it continues to show in his strong, muscular body that he now possesses. His developed perimeter shot has served him well, as he now has an inside, outside game that makes him much more difficult to defend for opposing post players.
Brophy Prep athletic and tough 6-foot-3 junior guard Max Kufel shared the honors with Bayster, and put on a clinic in the event - scoring at a high rate and showcasing his superior physical strength over the competition. Kufel, a former top-rated football prospect, has decided to focus primarily on basketball now. Kufel is a physical talent that is able to score either off the dribble, from the catch-and-shoot position on the floor or from mid-range, where he is also able to overpower players his size.
Kufel is a fundamentally sound prospect with an excellent feel for the game, after playing in Brophy Prep head coach Tony Fuller's system last season, and seeing strong minutes as a sophomore. Kufel will look to have a big junior season for the Broncos this year, as he is among the better overall prospects in Arizona's 2015 class - a class that has still yet to be defined.
Kufel played this past summer with the Arizona Magic Pump N Run-2015's, and has received serious recruiting attention already from numerous IVY League programs, such as Columbia, Yale and Princeton.
Kufel is an excellent student and carries a 4.4 CUM GPA with honors.
