Rising Star Invitational Notebook: Part I

Rising Star Invitational Notebook: Part I

By Darnell “Tae” Johnson

HOUSTON, TX – Basketball development seems to have started with the a younger generation over the last few years. The skillset of the younger kids seems to be getting better and better.

This has become evident with the players attending John Lucas’ Rising Star Invitational. 

Below are a few of the kids that stood out to me at the camp:

2027 Isaiah Santos 5’11 (Seven Lakes Jr High) Katy, TX: He has good footwork and is physical for his age. I really like how hard he plays on defense.

2028 Jayden Spriggs 5’11 (Brule Elementary) Navasota, TX: He’s long, aggressive and plays way more physical than most 5th graders. I really liked how focus he was.

2027 Emerson Mulvhill 5’9 (Campbell Hall) Los Angeles, CA: The young man’s real skilled for his age. He has handles and can score with the best of them. I like to see him be more aggressive and tougher on defense.

2027 Karl Johnson 5’6 (Ruth Doyle) Conway, AR: He’s a bouncy active guard that can shoot it from deep and get to the cup. He seemed to make play after play.

2027 Jamarrion Hordeman 5’4 (Whittier MS) Norman, OK: He was stroking from deep from the start of camp in stations and didn’t stop until the camp was over. If he was left open, more then likely it was money.

2027 Ja’Rye Brown 5’8 (Valiant Christian) Louisville, KY: He’s a big lead guard with a good feel and high IQ. He has good court vision and was very unselfish. He needs to stay aggressive at all times.

2027 Jeffrey Rolleson 5’1 (Mayfield MS) Oklahoma, OK: He’s lightening quick with excellent handles. He did a lot of his damage in the paint, but can knock down the 3 ball.

2027 Keaton Turner 6’2 (Bethel MS) Shawnee, OK: This young big fella had very good footwork for his age. He showed good moves off the pivot, he played within himself and was a very patient player.

2028 Draydne McDaniel 5’7 (Wilton Manors) Ft Lauderdale, FL: The young fella is so talented. He can shoot the lights out of it. He’s quick and gets to the basket whenever he gets the ball. He put a lot of pressure on the defense. He can get loose with ball at times and stay discipline.

2027 Stevie Hall 5’8 (FLICS) Detroit, MI: The young man was crafty and very effective. He had a versatile game and guard multiple positions. I like how long he is at his age.

2027 Jeffrey ‘AJ’ Williams 5’10 (New Hampstead MS) Pooler, GA: Has great size for his age. He’s very physical and aggressive on both boards. He’s effective offensively around the basket. His games is still very raw.

2027 Elijah Reed 5’8 (Hot Springs JR Academy) Hot Springs, AR: He also was long and very aggressive. He was wearing down players with his physical play. His offensive game needs a lot of work, but he still scored because he outworked his opponent in the paint.

2027 Jet Naegele 5’4 (Friendship Heritage MS) Lubbock, TX: He’s a real good shooter and he knows it. He can also put the ball on the floor. He needs to get tougher when going to the basket.

2027 Dakari Talbert 5’6 (Carter G Woodson Academy) Lexington, KY: The young fella’s a goon, he has the mentality of a football player but is a very skilled basketball player. He can get wherever he wants on the court. He can stroke from deep. He’s also a terror on the defensive end. His biggest strength of all is probably his enthusiasm for the game.

2027 Hunter Caplan 5’6 (The Valley School) Studio City, CA: Another young gun in the camp that shot lights out. I like to see him put it on the floor a little more and get stronger. He needs to get tougher on the defensive end too.

2027 Jadarian Holloway (Calvary Christian) Opelika, AL: This young fella set the tone from day one. He guarded 94 feet and stayed aggressively going to the basket on the offensive end. He never seem to take one play off.

2027 Christopher Williams JR 5’3 (Meyerland MS) Houston, TX: He’s biggest strength was his effectiveness on the defensive end. He guarded multiple position. On the offensive end he did most his damage finishing at the basket.

2027 Ethan Polite 5’2 (Maumelle Charter) Maumelle, AR: The young fella competed and didn’t back down to no one. He showed he could shoot it from deep and did it with consistency.

2029 Reginald Evans 5’2 (Pride) Tampa, FL: He’s very skilled and active. He’s young but played up and held his own like he belong. He plays with a lot of energy so he can get ahead of himself at times. He can be inpatient at times, but that’s what you would expect from a kid his age. He has a tremendous upside.

2027 Dooney Johnson 5’9 (MacDowell Montessori) GA: This young man came in to make a statement and did it from the door. He’s  a beast on both ends. He physically dominated on both ends but also showed and unselfishness and finesse on offense. Only issue I had is he could let his intensity get the best of him.

2028 Raiden Burke 5’4 (Bailey MS) Tampa, FL: The young fella is skilled and knows how to play. He has a good IQ and feel for the game. He struggled the first day because of conditioning. It’s never to early to take getting in shape serious.

2028 Xavier Wright 5′ (Bohls MS) Pflugerville, TX: This young fella may have had more energy then anybody in the camp. I loved his enthusiasm for the game and the effort he put out. He can handle the ball but needs to learn how to play with pace.

2027 Noah Musngi 5’5 (Strack Int) Spring, TX: My first time watching the young fella play and he impressed me. He knocked down some timely shots and stayed aggressive on both ends.

2028 Owen Boyle 5’2 (Pine View) Sarasota, FL: The young fella was a dribble machine. He’s quick and can shoot it. He just sometimes plays with the ball too much.