by: Ethan Reece
2025 Amare Adams (Shotcallers Elite)Amare doesn’t have much explosiveness, but there’s still just so much power in his game. He’s a legit bruiser inside that habitually crashes the boards and bullies his defender. Very capable operator with his ability to clear space and take his time, because it’s hard for any defender to get in front so the post feed is there every time. He dislodged several defenders on the block with a thunderous move and played rim protector with his big hands and reach.
2025 Trent Steinhour (Carolina Riptide)Trent has already been making a name for himself, and there’s a lot to be excited about as he seems to get better with every viewing. He shows general comfort in all facets of the game, primarily putting moves to work down low but more than capable of stepping out on the perimeter to swing the ball and hit shots. Big guys have the tendency to stall and stop moving but he shows a good understanding of moving around his operating areas as well as having good mobility.
2026 Dylan Bradley (Team Loaded)When young guys are bigger and athletic it becomes very easy for them to rely on it too much. But Dylan showed no sign of this, displaying true patience and basketball IQ with how he worked on the court. He’s a pure shooter with height so he can get up lots of shots over the smaller guards at his age, and attacked the defense with purpose knowing exactly what he was doing and where others would be.
2024 Julian Mack (Elite 1)Julian was a hot name being talked about late this season at Hopewell. He’s made a name for himself as a top-tier playmaker in what was the toughest conference in NC. While his game is so explosive, he doesn’t rely on just isolation work. He has the ability to make quick reads especially out in transition, quality finisher and really just an all-around bucket getter. He’s one of those guys that’s gonna get his, you can’t stop him you can only slow him down.