After holding Session 1 in Indianapolis 2 weeks ago, the Adidas 3SSB Circuit was back in action in South Carolina this past weekend. The 3SSB teams came down to the Upward Star Center and surrounding high schools in the Spartanburg area to compete in front of a big group of college coaches April 22nd through April 24th. In this piece we highlight some 2024 prospects who performed well and helped themselves during the weekend.
6’6” W Rakease Passmore (Garner Road)
While he might not be the biggest name on this 16U Garner Road group, Passmore is ascending pretty quickly and had another standout showing last weekend. He has some high-level athleticism and it’s evident on both ends of the floor. He always seems to be on his toes and can really move his feet; he has shown that he can defend 1-3 on the ball, create problems in the passing lanes, and erase shots. On offense, he gets up in the blink of an eye for explosive dunks with regularity and can convert on these even when other bodies are present. Passmore also seems to be making consistent progress as a shooter & slasher in the halfcourt and you have to respect what he can do skill-wise. There’s a level of engagement and activity that I really like about Passmore and it allows him to make full use of his athletic tools. He had coaches raving about his performance on Friday and will continue to open eyes the next 2 years.
6’10” C Flory Bidunga (Indiana Elite)
After bursting onto the scene during the Indianapolis session, there was no slowing down for Bidunga in Spartanburg. At his size & length, Bidunga has tremendous athletic ability with quick hops and easy, fluid mobility. He tries to dunk & block everything in sight and tends to have a lot of success. His motor isn’t to be questioned as you won’t see him taking plays off in the paint or not running the floor. Bidunga has a large catch radius as a target in lob, drop-off, and ballscreen situations, and is impressive in covering ground both laterally and when sprinting in transition. With reliable hands & finishing ability, Bidunga’s teammates are not hesitant to find him and he makes sure those opportunities are available to him with his consistent effort. Head coaches from Purdue, Penn State, and Ole Miss were at his final game of the weekend and his recruitment is picking up a ton of steam. His development should be fun to track.
6’2” G Elijah Moore (Wiz Kids 17U)
There aren’t many 2024 guys who are capable of putting together the type of performance that Moore did on Sunday morning while playing up against 2023’s. He stripped the nets to the tune of 33 points and 9 made 3’s, the highest scoring output I’ve watched so far this spring. From the start of the game, Moore was dialed in and didn’t waste any time in getting hot from the outside. His range extends well behind the 3-point line, he has a quick release and can get his feet set quickly, and is capable of knocking down shots off the bounce. Even after he hit 5 3’s in the 1st half and the opposing defense focused on him, Moore was still able to find openings and light it up. He is very active moving off the ball and using screens to free himself, he can also attack closeouts in limited dribbles. His scorching offense probably helped this, but I thought he brought a lot of energy and competitive fire that made a difference as well. Syracuse became his 1st high major offer shortly before the weekend but others should be joining the party soon.
6’1” G DJ Shine (Upward Stars)
I was able to watch Upward’s 16U team twice during the weekend and Shine had impressive showings in both of them. Going up against two teams that featured prospects who are already being heavily recruited, Shine came with a determined, fearless approach. He has a strong frame and pairs that with speed & quickness off the dribble, a combination that makes him hard to contain when he decides to attack downhill. Shine is able to make things happen in traffic, displaying good body control when finishing with either hand and also having some good moments drawing help defenders & dishing to open teammates. All of those aforementioned qualities make him particularly good in transition. His strength is an asset on defense as well; he uses his body defending on the ball and has pretty active hands. Shine plays with a noticeable chip on his shoulder and it helps him. You’ll start hearing more about him as the summer approaches.
6’2” SG Anthony Alston (Team Huncho)
Huncho picked up a quality team win to end the night on Saturday and Alston stood out the most. You can’t give him much space as he is always ready to shoot, can get his shot off quickly, and will hit some contested shots. Alston showed his versatile shooting ability with 3’s and mid-range pull-ups, but also proved to be more than that. He had people talking about how well he rebounded from the guard spot earlier in the day, and that continued into the night. Alston showed a willingness to fly in for traffic boards that isn’t very common for guards his size. He’s pretty athletic off of 2 feet and doesn’t mind contact. There’s a tenacity to the 16U Team Huncho squad that gives them an advantage and Alston contributes significantly to that aspect. His approach aside from his shooting/scoring will allow him to make an impact in games where he’s not putting up a ton of points.
6’1” G Reid Belcher (K-Low Elite)
Players who come with energy in 8AM games always put themselves in a good position to have success and Belcher did just that on Sunday against AE5. Belcher got himself and his team going with perimeter shooting in the 1st half and also showed some physicality & toughness mixing it up inside. Even with some of the expected sloppy moments in an early morning game, I thought his confidence remained high and his attacking mentality did not waver. His teammates followed his lead with those qualities and it gave them a boost in the 2nd half of their comeback win. While Belcher’s shooting was most impressive in this game as he utilized the corners heavily to finish with 6 made 3’s, he was opportunistic in finding openings for layups as well. He competes on defense and makes the simple play with the ball. K-Low’s groups has a good balance of perimeter pieces that complement each other well and any of them can step up in a given game.