2023 6’6 Ty Pence – MidPro Academy 17U
Ty Pence may have had his best weekend of the grassroots season putting together some impressive performances in Atlanta. Pence is a big time athlete, was all over the rims catching lobs, and even put down a 360 dunk in-game. He shoots it well from three with good mechanics and does a good job of loading early to speed up his release. Pence is a big time player and I’m surprised more power 5 schools haven’t jumped into his recruitment, although that may change in the next 2 weeks.
2023 6’4 Jaxon Olvera – Team Temple 17U
Jaxon Olvera was one of the best shooters I watched at Best of the South and also has a deep bag of scoring moves off the dribble. Olvera is efficient in his movements and doesn’t waste any dribbles – gets to his spots, rises up and makes shots. He also has plus athleticism and had a few big dunks over the week for Team Temple. Olvera is a polished 2-guard with good size, is knock-down in catch and shoot and is a prospect who should see his recruitment expand this month.
2023 5’11 Brayden Fagbemi – Illinois Attack 17U
Brayden Fagbemi was one of the top stock boosters in the entire event at Best of the South, helping lead Illinois Attack to a Final 4 run including some big wins over Team Haliburton and Wisconsin Swing. Fagbemi is a small guard but has plus quickness and a tight handle, and did a great job of controlling the tempo and running his team. He does a great job of running his team in the half court and was unfazed by ball pressure, showing patience to get his squad a good shot each time down. Fagbemi also has a nice jumper and knocked down 4 threes in one half on Friday night.
2023 6’11 David Meriwether – George Hill All Indy 17U
David Meriwether continues to trend up for George Hill All Indy. At 6’11 240, Meriwether has elite size and frame for the D1 level, and his motor was running off the charts in Atlanta. Meriwether runs the floor, blocks shots and seemed to be out to prove he could be the hardest working player on the floor with his energy level. He has nice touch around the basket and has begun to stretch his range on his jumper, making some catch and shoot threes over the week. Meriwether has picked up some mid major offers in the last month but I wouldn’t be surprised to see his recruitment expand to the Power 5 level by the end of July.
2023 6’7 Marcus Hall – Wisconsin Swing 17U
Marcus Hall is a prospect who has looked the part of a D1 level talent for most of the spring, and that came to fruition in Atlanta as he picked up an offer from UW-Green Bay. At 6’7, Hall has great footwork and can stretch the floor with his jumper. He has a high release to shoot over the defense with good mechanics and a soft touch. Hall is at his best playing under control, getting to his spots, can rise up in the midrange and has shown a nice spin move into a fall-away jumper to get his shot off.
2023 6’5 Mason Funk – Illinois Predators 17U
Mason Funk exploded for some big scoring games in Atlanta for Predators Elite – scoring 25 points on Friday and following that up with a 27 point performance on Saturday. Funk has good size on the wing at 6’5, has a strong frame, and is a big time shooter. When he catches a rhythm he can fill it up in a hurry as was the case at Best of the South. One of the more undervalued 2023 prospects in Illinois, Funk is a kid college coaches should be watching closely the rest of July.
2023 6’0 Fazion Farr – Wisconsin Dynasty 17U
Fazion Farr was another prospect who really helped himself in Atlanta. He is a quick and shifty lead guard who can run a team, create space off the dribble, and get into the paint. Farr really stands out on the defensive end of the floor, where he uses his quickness to bother ball handlers and has good hands and instincts getting steals and deflections. Farr’s energy and competitive spirit or contagious and he makes a lot of winning plays.