Recently, Arizona Preps made the long trip to Miami, Florida, to cover the Pangos Fantastic 40 Team Event organized by national basketball scout and club coach (Belmont Shore) Dinos Trigonis. Trigonis is regarded as the best in the business for what he does all over the country, and for the length of time he has done it. With the spring club season now upon us in many states, the Fantastic 40 event kicked off the spring club season in fine fashion, and in a nice part of the country. The opportunity to spend some quality time in Miami, Florida, and get to see some elite basketball action taking place at the same time, made it well worth the trip.
Here are the top overall individual performers (in no particular order) that I observed throughout the week and weekend in this exciting event, which included prep schools and club programs - making for some exciting action. This event was an excellent event for top-rated sleeper prospects. Please review these players closely, as there were numerous underrated prospects in this event, from all over the country, that have the ability to help a college program immediately - at the right level. This is a list of the top unsigned/uncommitted upperclassmen prospects from the event . . .
Top 2021 Prospects
Gavin Gilstrap 6-10 SR C Central Valley High School (WA) - 2021 Class
Gilstrap is a very nice find, as he has excellent physical size and strength. Weighing 265-pounds, this young man has a college-ready body and excellent size for the post position. He runs the floor very well and is a strong finisher around the basket. Good low-post scorer with good footwork and a soft touch around the basket. A strong rebounder. A capable shotblocker. Very under the radar - excellent sleeper prospect.
James Henderson 6-8 SR PF Westminster Christian High School (FL) - 2021 Class
A very strong and well-built post prospect with a college-ready body right now. Liked him in the Full-Court Press All-West Camp last fall. A very tough and strong low-post player that plays big and runs the floor hard. A strong finisher around the basket. Plays like a power forward. Strong and active rebounder and shotblocker. A solid low-post scorer that is still raw offensively. Has upside. An instant contributor at the college level, as a result of his size and strength. A big-time sleeper prospect for the spring. Currently has one offer from Hampton University.
Rupee Kolawole 7-3 SR C 1st State Prep 27 (DE) - 2021 Class
A very tall and long post prospect with a lot of upside. A left-hander with a soft touch around the basket. Able to step outside to 15-feet and make shots, but needs to be more consistent. Still raw offensively. Good finisher. Runs the floor very well for his size. Active rebounder and shotblocker. Has excellent potential over time and with hard work. Sleeper post prospect.
Jackson Harty 6-9 SR SF/PF University High School (WA) - 2021 Class
A taller wing prospect that can play inside and out with excellent versatility. Runs the floor very well and has a good overall skill level. Fundamentally sound. A good shooter with some range, but at his best from mid-range. A good finisher around the basket and in transition. Active rebounder. A capable ball handler. Good passer. Has upside. Another excellent sleeper prospect.
Malachi Wright 6-6 SR SF 1st State Prep 27 (DE) - 2021 Class
A very athletic wing prospect that has a good overall skill level. Very effective as a result of his length and athleticism. Excellent defender that plays passing lanes. A capable lock-down defender. A good slasher and finisher. Thrives in the open floor or when slashing to the basket. A solid shooter with range, but needs to add more consistency to maximize his potential as a player. A very good sleeper prospect with upside, as a result of his extreme athleticism.
Jaden Harris 6-3 SR SG Norcross High School (GA) - 2021 Class
An electric scorer of the basketball that has a true knack for scoring the basketball. Has a strong, compact physical frame and a college-ready body. A very good shooter with range and a quick release, but is much more of a scorer than a shooter. An excellent athlete. A strong slasher and finisher in the lane and in the open floor. A god ball handler. A solid passer. A good defender that plays passing lanes. Has offers from USC, Georgia Tech, Ole Miss and Cleveland State.
Jacob Gates 6-4 SR PG/SG Timpview High School (UT) - 2021 Class
A bigger combo-guard prospect that has a good overall feel for the game and a good basketball IQ. A very good shooter with range. A good finisher in traffic and in the open floor. A strong ball handler and passer that sees the floor. A good defender. Good rebounder from the guard position.
Preston Squires 6-11 SR PF/C Layton High School (UT) - 2021 Class
A bigger 4/5 prospect with good size but is very mobile. Runs the floor very well. A good finisher around the basket with either hand. A solid shooter from the perimeter. Has good low-post footwork. An active rebounder. Capable shotblocker. Good sleeper prospect late.
Top 2022 Prospects
Amen Thompson 6-6 JR PG/SG Pinecrest High School (FL) - 2022 Class
A terrific guard prospect with NBA athleticism and a live body that allows him to play well above the rim. Thrives in the open floor and in transition. An excellent defender with excellent length and anticipation. An improved shooter with excellent range on his shot. Has superior versatility. Excellent creator for himself and others on the floor. An elite-level dunker. An elite-level finisher. Strong ball handler and passer. Plays very uptempo. Among the top (3) overall prospects in the event. Has a tremendous future ahead of him. Has superior upside. Already has a long list of offers from such programs as Kansas, Arizona, LSU, Florida State, Florida, Oklahoma State and Alabama. Future pro.
Ausar Thompson 6-6 JR SG/SF Pinecrest High School (FL) - 2022 Class
Twin brother of Amen Thompson. Also a terrific guard prospect with NBA athleticism and a live body that allows him to play well above the rim. Thrives in the open floor and in transition. An excellent defender with excellent length and anticipation. An improved shooter with excellent range on his shot. Has superior versatility. Excellent creator for himself and others on the floor. An elite-level dunker. An elite-level finisher. Strong ball handler and passer. Plays very uptempo. Among the top (5) overall prospects in the event. Has a tremendous future ahead of him. Has superior upside as well. Also has a long list of offers from such programs as Kansas, Arizona, LSU, Florida State, Florida, Oklahoma State and Alabama. Future pro as well.
Mouhammadou Cisse 7-0 JR C Hillcrest Prep Academy (AZ) - 2022 Class
A big post prospect with excellent size and length. Still raw offensively, but has a good jump hook and is a capable shooter out to 15-feet. Has solid low-post moves but is still developing offensively. Runs the floor well. A strong finisher around the basket. A solid rebounder. A good shotblocker with good timing. Has upside. Good athlete, not overly vertical. Blowing up in his recruiting as of late - possessing offers from such programs as Arizona, Arizona State, Mississippi State, Georgia and DePaul.
Joseph Hunter 6-5 JR SG/SF San Joaquin High School (CA) - 2022 Class
A very athletic 2/3 prospect that has improved his decision-making and feel for the game. A slasher and open court player that is developing in his pace for the game. A good shooter with range on his shot, but at his best from mid-range and in the lane. A good ball handler with good overall versatility. A solid passer that can improve his overall feel to maximize his play over time. A very good defender. Active and strong rebounder. A very good looking 2022 prospect that should climb the national rankings over the next year. Has offers already from such programs as Arizona, USC, Illinois, Ole Miss and Nebraska.
Ben Middlebrooks 6-9 JR PF Westminster Academy (FL) - 2022 Class
A very good looking post prospect with good size and an athletic frame. Runs the floor very well and is a good finisher. Has good hands and feet. Not overly vertical but moves very well. Has strong shoulders. A solid low-post player with some post moves, but still raw offensively. An OK shooter away from the basket. Active rebounder. A good shotblocker. Very tough physically and has a mean streak in him. A very good looking post prospect that has a nice list of offers for himself already, and should only continue to garner much more recruiting interest. Such programs as Auburn, LSU, Maryland, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and Florida have already extended offers to him.
Duke Brennan 6-10 JR PF Hillcrest Prep Academy (AZ) - 2022 Class
Brennan had his best showing to date in this event - proving that he is as tough and physical a post prospect as there is in the country. Uses his physical size and strength to bully post defenders, and to overpower smaller post players around the block. A very strong finisher around the basket that plays very big inside. A very strong rebounder that outlets the basketball and runs the floor hard. A capable shotblocker. A good low post scorer with good footwork and a jump hook. A very good shooter with excellent range and a soft touch from the perimeter. Stock is soaring as of late. Has offers already from such programs as Georgia, Mississippi State, UC-Irvine, Cal-State Fullerton, UMASS, GCU and Rice.
Christian Richardson 7-0 JR C Porter House High School (FL) - 2022 Class
A very long and tall post prospect with loads of upside for the future. Still growing into his long, thin frame. A strong finisher in the paint. Has good hands and feet. Has a good jump hook. Has good overall footwork. Solid athlete, runs the floor very well. A good rebounder. Excellent shotblocker. Needs to add size to his thin frame to maximize his potential. Has excellent upside. Big-time sleeper post prospect that is well under recruited.
Sam Kodi 6-3 JR PG Bradford Christian High School (RI) - 2022 Class
An excellent athlete with a superior motor on both ends of the floor. Competes at a very high level. An excellent scorer. Pushes the basketball hard. Plays with excellent intensity. A good shooter with range. Gets into the lane and finishes very well and strong. A very good ball handler. A good passer that sees the floor - floor general. An excellent on the ball defender. An excellent sleeper prospect.
Stephen Coleman 6-4 JR SF Hillcrest Prep Academy (AZ) - 2022 Class
A very strong and physical specimen that plays both ends of the floor hard. A tough prospect with a college-ready body and strength. A strong finisher. A good shooter with some range, but has a good mid-range game. A strong rebounder. A good overall defender. A capable ball handler. A solid passer. A de-commit from Sienna. A very good sleeper prospect.
Isaiah Earl 6-8 JR PF Hamden High School (RI) - 2022 Class
A tough, gritty stretch 4-man. A strong rebounder and finisher around the basket. Runs the floor hard. A good shooter from mid-range with a soft touch. An active shot-blocker. Competes hard and plays with good intensity. A good low-post defender. Sleeper prospect.
Jaden Henley 6-5 JR SG/SF Colony High School (CA) - 2022 Class
A skilled wing prospect with a long, rangy frame. A good shooter with range. Can create his own shot and is a good finisher in the lane and in transition. A scorer and slasher. A very good ball handler. A good passer. Can create very well off the dribble. Good in the open floor. An active rebounder. Good overall defender that competes. Has upside.
