With much activity going on in the high school basketball preseason right now, I'd say it's been a previous strong near-eight weeks of exposure for players even after the 2019 travel season had concluded. As I've said before, the sport has become year-round in today's era and there's opportunities to participate in events nearly every weekend. That trend continued this past Saturday when Donovan Bridgeforth and Quinton Marteniez of 'DreamChasers VA' held their annual 'The Dream Continues Showcase' for prospects around the state of Virginia. Over 45 players, stemming from the 2020, 2021, and 2022 classes, arrived for the competitive 3.5-hour session. Running into my Phenom Hoops co-worker, Frank Bennett (aka Coach Frank), I had the chance to land a first look at the majority of Saturday's group; Coach Frank covers and knows all about hoops in the Tidewater region of Virginia, where most of the showcase's attendees reside. Scouting different players for the first time more often than not ends up becoming interesting and I definitely have some names whom coaches at the next level should keep track of as we soon enter this 2019-20 winter.

 

Colleges in Attendance: Virginia State University, Virginia Union, West Virginia Wesleyan, Christopher Newport, Virginia Wesleyan, and The Apprentice School

 

 

Saturday's Standouts

Kaheem Zarif '21 ' Phoebus HS (Hampton, VA): I liked the pace of Zarif's game'he had a way of making quick moves look smooth and effortless. The 6'2' shooting guard created much of his offense off of the bounce and went on a few personal scoring runs to give his team momentum during Saturday afternoon. Using the pull-up jumper worked best for him, along with stretching out to the rim for crafty layups. In the open floor, Zarif spotted open teammates quickly for nice dimes, while also knowing how to take advantage of his own opportunities. If he keeps working to become a threat off of the ball to an equal extent, there's big potential for him to do damage as a respectable scorer in the Hampton area. He already has solid height and talent at that guard position.

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Sean Hudson '20 ' Heritage HS (Newport News, VA): The 6'7' forward maintained an interior toughness from the beginning of the session to the final buzzer, giving off the impression of a valuable workhorse. I appreciated Hudson's fight on the glass for offensive rebounds; he more than often powered his way through box-outs to give his team second-chance attempts. His motor and good frame near the paint makes him a handful for other post defenders to prevent from making a play, whether he's set up for an inside move or crashing the boards. When he received the ball, Hudson did the best of any player I saw at using shot fakes to get others up in the air. I'm sometimes worried of that particular skill becoming a lost art so I felt satisfaction in watching how well the senior used it to advantage, to say the least. He has the chance to develop further in his game by adding in more footwork and a jump shot to stretch the floor.

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Marcus Banks, Jr. '21 ' Bethel HS (Hampton, VA): I've watched Banks, Jr. grow for over three years now and can absolutely say he's made notable progress in expanding his game to produce in various levels. Other basketball peers and followers more than likely will always acknowledge his three-point shooting first but the 6'3' guard has worked into a better two-point threat now in this upperclassmen stage. Banks, Jr.'s build keeps getting stronger by the day, along with improvements in his athleticism, which helps him finish much better through opposing guards. He completed several AND-1s during the showcase, attacked the rim from the baseline, and made a couple of good defensive plays. While not fully there yet, establishing his mark as a shot-creator still keeps making strides for the Bethel Bruin; he's at his best when moving around the perimeter to catch and let it fly.

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Lamont Jones '21 ' Warhill HS (Williamsburg, VA): One of the best bucket-getters I had the pleasure of watching on Saturday, the 6'0' Jones showed he can rack up points at a fast rate when he has the defense at his mercy. Playing at both guard spots, he has a speedy tempo to his offensive game but never appeared out of control. Hesitation moves and crossovers for space got defenders to bite quite often, where Jones frequently knocked down shots or used a quick first step to get in the lane. He typically displayed court vision the most once getting closer to the basket; finding teammates with wrap-around passes. There's good efficiency and confidence in his approach to scoring the rock. Similar to Zarif, the next step for Jones mainly involves ensuring he can produce well off of the ball too.

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Tavion Meekins '20 ' Peninsula Catholic HS (Newport News, VA): Another one of the day's best scorers present, my pick goes to Meekins as the showcase's best spot-up shooter. He just kept pouring in points from outside of the perimeter as the hours passed by, saving his best for last. After his final performance, Coach Frank walked over to the scoring table and noticed Meekins had just dropped a game-high 21 points. The 6'5' wing uses a pretty form and quick release to launch off attempts from many different areas. I liked how quickly he got to his spots and set his feet to get his eyes on the rim; never wasting time by lazily floating around the half-court. His size proves beneficial both in getting a good look over defenses while shooting and also putting it on the ground for short rim drives. I'm still trying to deem how well Meekins handles the ball, as complete comfort in that skill will make him an even bigger problem to deal with.

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Nasir Parker '21 ' Maury HS (Norfolk, VA): The moment Game 1 had tipped off, Parker let it be known immediately that ball-handlers were in for a long day with him on the defensive side. He played top-notch on-ball defense to heavily make others uncomfortable and stripped away several steals to initiate the fast break. Once securing the steal, he often either pitched the ball out ahead in transition quickly or kept it himself to advance it down the court for the right decision. I liked everything about the hard-nosed 5'9' guard's aggressive mentality'he has that necessary edge one sees in plenty of other great defenders. If a coach ever needs a player to make an impact by creating turnovers at will, Parker's the guy. He'll just need to keep working to perfect his offensive skills to complement his defensive prowess.

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Mik Zurabashvili '20 ' Holy Cross Regional Catholic School (Lynchburg, VA): Another one of the few names I had seen a couple of times prior to Saturday's showcase, Zurabashvili continues to show a strong feel for getting shots off pretty much whenever he feels like it. At 6'6,' he has some good perimeter skills, plays at his own speed, rebounds, and doesn't rely on much athleticism to fill up the scoring column. The senior looked exceptional in certain stretches with his shot-making, hitting attempts from all three levels. At other points, however, Zurabashvili has me feeling he's still relatively high-volume at the minute. Efficiency in his game still isn't quite where it needs to be; something I saw the first two times while watching him. He'll become more effective when improving upon this notion and I don't think that'll be a major issue when considering his focused mindset while playing the game.

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Jamaal Madison '20 ' Norview HS (Norfolk, VA): Madison combined energy, swagger, and skill all together nicely for a couple of dynamic performances. He does things very similar to Jones as a shot creator; able to shoot it, pass, and size up defenders for different moves. I'd say he held some of the best physical tools of all guards in the gym as well. Madison isn't the tallest guy (only 5'10') but has strength, quickness, and sneaky bounce to act as a high-motor force. Coach Frank described him best as an 'elusive playmaker.' He really shot the ball well from three-point range later in the day; cashing in at least five triples during the All-Star game. Any coach would love to have his personality on the floor, as he knows how to get teammates involved and fed off of his own energy. Madison and classmate John Hines '20, another prospect in attendance, could make up for a deadly senior back court at Phoebus this winter.

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James Prescott '21 ' Woodrow Wilson HS (Portsmouth, VA): This being my second time scouting the 6'1' guard, I can clearly see promise in Prescott's game to potentially break out these next two seasons. He has some tricks in his bag with shot creation; using slick moves to make his way past defenses. Whether he's shooting or attacking, the 757 native can undoubtedly put up points but does best finishing through contact. He embraces it with hang time and finesse to complete plays strongly and was arguably the best AND-1 finisher on Saturday. In addition, he spotted his big guys well for open layups/dunks, usually throwing no-look passes. Prescott's game is primarily built off of confidence in never hesitating to make a play, where he gets the job done consistently. He's still coming along in shot consistency, similar to most of his peers, but my opinion remains firm that there's no denying his talent. He makes some things look a lot easier than they actually are.

 

 

 

Again, thank you to the 'DreamChasers' crew for the hospitality on Saturday. Not too often that I'm around the Tidewater area but it's always a cool time'especially when I run into Coach Frank and other familiar college coaches!