Next up for the 17U coverage from the NY2LA Swish N’ Dish tournament is Ones to Watch. All of these players had some stellar games during the weekend and are names for college coaches to know.

Arthur Abbey – 2027 – PG – Y&R

Abbey is an extremely quick, playmaking point guard on both sides of the ball. He was consistently making a variety of plays throughout the weekend for this deep and talented Y&R team. He plays with great burst of quickness accelerating right by defenders and is a crafty finisher all around the basket and paint plus finishing through contact. Abbey can also shoot the three hitting a few during the tournament. He also uses his great quickness on the defensive side pressuring the ball with his defensive intensity and active hands.

Tyson Busch – 2027 – PG – Racine Truth

Busch shined in a tight win on Saturday where he scored 18 points. Busch can really shoot the ball from the outside with a good-looking jumper as he hit three threes in this game and has been a consistent shooter for both Racine Truth and Oak Creek High School. As well to being able to stretch the floor, he also has good point guard tools with his control running an offense and passing it well on the move. On the other end, Busch also plays with great energy defensively on the ball. Earlier this year he received an offer from Barry University.  

Octavius Hickman – 2026 – PF – MidPro Academy

With his strong build, Hickman proved to be a powerful interior scorer posting up. The 6’6” available senior finished the ball on a high percentage of his paint touches including a drop step move that was just burying defenders as well as using his physical tools to rebound in heavy traffic. As well to his interior play, Hickman also showed some perimeter skills. This included being able to hit threes and moving well with the ball attacking the basket. During the tournament he had games of 19 points and 16 points.

Alex Ortega – 2026 – PG – PAC Elite

Ortega greatly impressed in a tight game Saturday night where he led all with 20 points. The available senior scored it well both shooting the three as well to getting all the way to the basket. While he shot the ball at a high percentage hitting a pair of threes, Ortega was even better playing on the attack. He is an elusive point guard with good vision and moves with his lateral quickness finding gaps in the defense. In the game Ortega was effective finishing it all around the paint as well to drawing contact to get himself to the line often.

Thian Riak – 2027 – G/F – Yanders Law

Riak showed improved scoring ability, especially with his play on the attack. This came in a platinum bracket game against the Illinois Wolves where Riak scored 19 points as he was using his strength very effectively on straight line drives to the bucket as well as scoring in the mid-range. In this tight game, he was also making a variety of key plays down the stretch. He’s a highly impactful player at 6’4” with his great athleticism, energy, and defensive play. Riak has moved into the 2027 class and should be a popular name with college coaches.

Keyon’Dre Thornton – 2027 – PG – Wisconsin Dynasty

While he may lack in size, Thronton brings plenty of energy, skill, and toughness to the court. He excelled in a gold quarterfinals game on Sunday, especially in the first half where he scored 10 points leading a run right before the half. Thornton could not be stopped from getting into the paint with his shifty moves and quickness consistently beating his man off the dribble as well to quickly leading in transition and creating. He also made plenty of other plays as Thornton also showed a good passing ability on the move and can shoot the three.

Theo Toepel – 2027 – G/F – Pro Lane

Toepel is a skilled scorer who got it done efficiently in a variety of ways throughout the tournament. This included a big performance on Sunday helping Pro Lane capture the 17U gold championship. This included in the gold title game with 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists. In the game prior, Toepel scored 19 points along with 6 rebounds. The 6’4” wing plays with some strength being able to aggressively attack the basket but also shoots it well both getting to his spots in the mid-range as well as spotting up from three.