By: Cooper Hart
6'6' '24 Jeff Clark (Team Trezz Williams/New Garden Friends)
Clark improved his stock as much as anyone this weekend due to his constant energy and eye-popping athleticism. He thrived in transition scenarios, using his athleticism and motor to get down the court and finish around and through defenses with regularity. Defensively, he can do everything from stop the point of attack, to protect the rim on weakside rotations. Clark has a great first step and was able to generate a lot of rim attempts in the half-court by attacking closeouts. The expansion of his outside game showed promising flashes and as his handle and jumper continue to progress, expect his ceiling to grow higher and higher.
6'4' '26 Kaleel Benjamin (CP3BA Select/Weddington)
Benjamin is a very intriguing upside swing from the forward spot, already possessing a natural shot-blocking instinct coupled with great physical traits. He's a dominant force from 5-10 feet and in but, unlike a majority of young bigs, doesn't rely solely on his physicality to do so. Benjamin has good touch around the rim, working really well as a roll man and put-back finisher. His athletic fluidity has slowly been coming along this spring and he's looking more and more comfortable as an athlete.
6'3' '25 Cameron Bynum (All Carolina/Wakefield)
This was my first look at Bynum, and I was impressed with his positional size, feel for the game and his creation upside. He's a 6'3' combo guard with long arms and a frame that's only going to fill out over time. He plays under control and with good change of pace, a mature skill to have for a high school guard, especially one that isn't undersized. Bynum has good court sense and makes simple reads out of drives. His shot-making is coming along and his ability to get to his spots and create separation with relative ease is very encouraging (this also usually bodes well for future shot-making success at higher volumes).
6'4' '25 Christian Ananaba (All Carolina/SE Raleigh)
Ananaba acted as an incredibly versatile piece on both ends for All Carolina. His defensive activity is what initially caught my eye as he can truly guard 1-4 (and can switch onto 5s if need be) while disrupting the point of attack, jumping every passing lane imaginable, and acting as a weakside rim protector that rotates early and gets off the ground quickly. His offensive game has seen some expansion his summer, specifically his shooting as he hit a handful of threes on the weekend. That coupled with his dominance in transition and his ability to attack closeouts and it looks like Ananaba is transitioning into the next phase of his development.
6' '26 Kyle Gruber (Carolina Riptide/Lake Norman)
Gruber stood out as the offensive engine for the Riptide's 15u squad. He has a good feel for the game and can manipulate defenses whenever he has the ball in his hands. He shows serious flashes as a future playmaker, evidenced by his ability to create separation for himself and to create advantages for his teammates, usually within the flow of offense and against neutral defenses. He's crafty in the paint, able to get good looks off against bigger, stronger, and faster defenders by utilizing an array of fakes and pivots. Gruber can play on or off the ball and as he continues to physically mature it will be interesting to see how his role evolves with his game.
