There were plenty of players from the 16U level of NY2LA Summer Jam that college coaches will want to be familiar with. Here are the players who stood out the most throughout the entire tournament.

Joseph Arnold – 2028 – PG – D Rice Elite

It was another standout tournament for the incredibly consistent Arnold who was a big piece of this Association Championship team. His scoring ability has continued to improve which included a 17-point game in addition to multiple other double figure scoring games. Arnold consistently shot the three at a high percentage as well to being able to get to the basket and finish so well there versus size. As well, Arnold continues to excel with his great ability to create for others on the attack with his quickness flying by defenders and passing on the attack.

Silas Cohen – 2028 – PG – All Wisconsin

Cohen has continued to have a breakthrough few months on the hardwood and continued into this tournament in helping All Wisconsin win the consolation platinum championship. There is so much to like from his play not just with his ability to create for himself as well as others but also his great length and athleticism. Cohen is incredibly elusive with his great moves being able to break down defenders and get wherever he wants on the floor as well to creating his own shot from the outside. He showed a great passing ability on the move seeing the whole floor as well to finishing so effectively around the rim with his length and athleticism.

Kale Graff – 2028 – PG – Wisconsin Legends

While Graff has been one of the top guards on the NY2LA Association all season, he was playing at an even higher level all this tournament. This helped the Legends get all the way to the championship game while defeating Team Herro twice. Whatever was needed of the 6’2” Graff to win games, he accomplished. This included running the point and creating for teammates as a gifted passer, scoring the ball at a high rate including 15 points in a single half with his knockdown shooting, and defending and rebounding versus plenty of size. He also came up in the big moments including hitting a deep three in the final seconds of regulation to get a game into overtime. Graff was looking like one of the top guards in Wisconsin’s 2028 class throughout the tournament.

Deante Burton – 2028 – PG – Courts Vision Elite

Burton was a big reason his team won the Association consolation championship and went 5-1 during the tournament. Over multiple games, he proved that he is a skilled scorer but also plays smart with the ball looking to distribute it out too. With his quickness and handle, Burton was beating defenders with ease of then getting into the defense and making plenty of plays. He finishes the ball extremely well but can also shoot it well off the dribble. He also came up in incredibly clutch hitting a buzzer beater from beyond half court to win Courts Vision their championship.

Matthew Lojeski Jr. – 2028 – G – Midwest Mayhem

Lojeski was one of the most skilled players at the 16U level helping his team to undefeated in pool play and to the semifinals of the platinum bracket. As well to his advanced offensive game, he also has good positional size in the backcourt standing at 6’3”. This led him to have one of the top scoring performances of the tournament with 31 points in a win. Lojeski proved to be a knockdown shooter in this game hitting six threes. Much more than just an outside shooter he also showed three level scoring ability over multiple games. The guard also moves very well with the ball being able to create separation and beat defenders to both create his shot in the mid-range as well as score around the paint.

Kyle Nazos – 2028 – PG – Mercury Elite

Nazos was one of the top shooters of the entire tournament. This started with him scoring 21 points in a game. On the next day he went for 33 points in a win, including 25 just in the first half. Nazos has such a pure jumper spotting up but can also shoot it off the dribble to hit four threes in just the first four minutes of this game. As well to his outside shooting, Nazos is also a smart player who runs the point well playing strong with the ball and can create for others as a skilled passer.

Brayden Smith – 2028 – SG – Mammoth Basketball

Smith was one of the most skilled offensive players of the tournament with multiple high scoring games to get Mammoth into the Association bracket semifinals. During his five games in the tournament, he averaged 19 points which included going for 30 points in one of them. Much of his scoring came with his high-level shot making as Smith knocked down seven threes in a single game. The guard also played well on the attack playing the angles and using his body to get to his spots. He also showed good vision on his drives passing it out well.