By: Noah Hooper
5’7 2025 Darnerian Gibson (Carolina Rockets 14U)
When you talk about having a floor general on your team, Gibson fits that description perfectly as he was simply a leader out on the court this morning. The way he was able to get downhill and finish at the rim was great as he used his smart instincts to attack open driving lanes and closeouts. He also did a great job of using the pick and roll and attacking off of it this morning as a lot of point guards, especially at younger ages, really don’t know when to attack off of screens, but Gibson possesses this quality and uses his quickness to his advantage when doing it. Elaborating more on his floor general presence, he was a great passer this morning threading the needle in the half-court as he was able to use driving lanes to find his teammates for layups. I loved Gibson this morning and I can’t wait to see him develop over the next few years.
6’2 2026 Antonio Mccoy (Carolina Rockets 14U)
Playing up an age group this weekend, the wiry, lefty guard really showed how much long-term upside he has as a player as he did more than just hold his own. The way he was able to get downhill this morning was great as he looked very comfortable in transition situations. He also showed me that he can finish through contact against stronger guys, which sets him apart from many in his class at such a young age. Moreover, he has the ability to make plays above the rim, which also sets him apart as he has not really grown into his body yet, which makes his ceiling for athleticism through the roof. This is another kid on this Rockets team that I really wanna see develop at the high school level as his upside is really obvious.
6’4 2026 Cole Cloer (Carolina Rockets 13U)
I really liked watching Cloer this morning as he really showed me the ability to be a lead guard with great IQ at a young age. Not only did he possess great IQ in transition and the half-court, he showed that he had the ability to knock down the three-ball as he caught my eye with a really deep shot this morning. As he gets older, I see him developing into a better ball-handler which is gonna make him dangerous as he has not really grown into his body yet. Similar to Mccoy in this Rockets organization, this is a player with a high ceiling and a lot of upside in the future.
6’5 2024 Iverson King (Hoop Wall Street 15U)
While King still has a lot of time left in high school, he checks a lot of boxes as a player early on as he is very versatile for his age and size. From what I saw this morning, King has vision in transition situations, solid ball-handling ability for his size, and nice length that allows him to disrupt passing lanes along with shots around the rim. This kid will fit well into many college programs as his versatility and the ability to move his feet makes him interchangeable defensively given his ability to guard multiple positions. On the offensive side of the ball, he showed me the ability to knock down the open jumper, which makes him a dangerous threat as it looks like he will continue to get taller. This kid has a bright future and will go very far if he continues to put in the work.
6’6 2024 Isaiah Evans (CLT Nation)
Moving onto another player with a really high ceiling is 6’6 Isaiah Evans. When I watched Evans, the first thing I noticed was that he has not grown into his body yet, which makes him a really intriguing prospect given his length. This afternoon he showed the ability to shoot the three-ball, finish strong in transition, and use his length defensively to get in passing lanes along with disrupting the opposing team’s shots. He also showed that he has the ability to guard multiple positions which will make him a commodity at the next level. This is another kid that has a bright future if he continues to stay on the right track.