My first stop in the May Live Period (May 16-18) was Wichita Falls for the Puma Pro16 circuit. The talent pool increased from last year and there were plenty of good games to evaluate. Let’s recap.
Joe Sterling Had Himself a Day
CPSA went 1-1 on Friday and 2026 CG Joe Sterling orchestrated two strong performances. He capped it off with a 29-point outing in a win vs SIPP United that evening. He’s a high IQ guard with good positional size and deep shooting range. He manipulated the defense, utilizing his eyes to look at one teammate with intention to nail the cross court pass to the shooter in the wing or corner. Highly effective decision maker-scorer on ball-screens as his combo of plus feel, passing ability, poise and shooting touch was on display.
His 2026 teammate J’Rob Croy, the son of Cal Baptist Head Coach Rick Croy, put on a scoring exhibition in the evening matchup as well. Accumulated 31 points and at one point rattled off a 8-0 run of his own to extend the lead for CPSA. Confident shooter at 6’6 that uses finesse and craft on finishes at the rim.
YGC Go 2-0 on Friday
YGC had two impressive wins with a morning victory vs BTI and an afternoon one against Select Basketball. Headlining was Seven Spurlock, who recently received an offer from Michigan State due to his play in Wichita. A 2026 playmaking wing with a college ready frame, Spurlock is a physical downhill threat that’s an effective live dribble passer if lanes are available for him to attack. Downside was he did get two techs in the second game and it felt he was on pace to score 30 points. The edge he plays with is part of what makes Spurlock a really good player but the next step for Seven is to control his temper in heated moments during games.
Kamden McGilveary bounced back from a so-so first game and the afternoon contests, he just played with more poise. Got to his spots, didn’t get too deep into the defense and shot a soft touch on spin-arounds and floaters. Defensively, he showed he can be a point-of-attack defender utilizing combo of length, lateral mobility and instincts.
Caden Deffenbaugh is a wing with big-time vertical pop. He helped himself today by displaying his athleticism & motor. He gets off the ground quick, made above the rim plays, pursued offensive rebounds and showed he’s capable of making the open three ball. Deffenbaugh will help himself even more the rest of the weekend knocking down open shots with consistency.
More 4 and 5-Star Friday Evals
Five-star Toni Bryant oozes with talent. 6-foot-9 ish with long arms and a soft touch on his three ball. Knocking down multiple triples from pick and pop scenarios and spotting up from the wing. He’s a good athlete, an adequate help-side shot blocker that showed more engagement as a team defender since I saw him in December. When his motor is running high, he impacts the game on both ends.
I was impressed with Kaden House’s passing on Friday. Not just the willingness but the execution. Known for his scoring prowess, House was dotting his teammates with passes coming off the live dribble. He threw lobs, dump-offs, no-looks and cross court passes coming off a ball screen. Definitely someone that can contend for 5 star status when it’s all said and done.
I know Aidan Chronister can let it fly from deep and shoot it with efficiency, but he was exceptional as an off-ball mover. Relocating to spots to create scoring opportunities for himself and teammates, Chronister also cuts when his defender is ball-watching which results in layups. His combination of positional size, shooting skills and feel allows him to be highly effective on offense.
Alex Constanza plays at his own pace and defenders can’t speed him up. He exploited size advantages with his off the dribble game and connected threes in transition. Constanza knows when to let the game come to him and when to impose his will. He’s one of the best wings in the country.
Quincy Wadley’s pull-up three ball was automatic. Looked fluid, good elevation and wasn’t deterred with a hand in his face. I do feel he settled for it on a couple possessions, but Wadley made high level shots and has added to his pull-up shooting bag.
2026’s That Helped Themselves On Friday
Mason Williams, 6’2 PG – Sipp United
Son of former NBA’er and Jackson State Head Coach Mo Williams. Mason is a power guard that has a good burst off the dribble. He’s tough, shifty and a comfortable passer off the live dribble. Will see more high majors on him by end of weekend.
Donovan Criss, 6’5 SG/PG – SA Future
Played on the ball most of the time and even though PG isn’t his primary position, Criss handled pressure well and balanced shooting and passing. To see his ball-handling noticeably improve, along with his strength/frame and decision making, Criss’ recruitment may reach another tier.
Slim Rogers, 6’2 PG – BTI
I like confident guards and Rogers is one of them. Added muscle to his frame, got downhill and offered counters to defenders trying to cut him off. His jumper wasn’t falling with the normal regularity, but he had short memory and still was creating separation in isolation.
Herly Brutus, 6’5 SF – Tre Mann Elite
Wing prospect with very long arms, Brutus utilizes his length on the defensive end with closeouts, contests at the rim, intercepting passing lanes and rebounding. When he rebounds, Brutus was igniting fast breaks. Offensively he was most effective as a slasher and off ball cutter but also initiated running plays.
Caden Symons, 6’4 SG – Select Basketball
Seemed like he couldn’t miss on Friday. Triple after triple after triple was falling. A duel sport athlete that has a good feel for the game and deep range on his jumper. Connected on spot up threes and when coming off actions.
2027 Notebook
Didn’t see a lot of 16u games but I did catch several of the top guys.
My morning started with watching Tre Mann Elite 16’s and Jomar Bernard came to play. A big wing at 6’7 with feel and skill. His pull-up game was on point and is a quality decision maker when operating in the middle of the zone.
Four-star Dawson Battie, who told us recently he recovered from the flu a week ago, still strung together a double-double. He didn’t finish at the rim with the efficacy he normally does, but Battie gathered his misses and had a relentless pursuit to see the ball go through the basket. Dawson skill has noticeably improved, especially the jump shooting but on Friday, he knew his bread and butter was going to be his play in the paint.
I caught half of the 9 pm game of 444 Athletics and Cooz Elite 16’s. 5-star Lincoln Cosby was solid. Slim lefty with promising perimeter skills at 6’8. Intrigued by his passing talent too. Uses height as an advantage to see the floor and dot his teammates vs. the zone. He didn’t make any threes that half but I’ve seen him plenty before and the ones he attempted go in.
For Cooz, top 60 prospect, Reese Alston was good. Creative on ways to get to his spots and does a great job changing speeds and direction. Ability to accelerate instantly and stop on a dime allows him to create separation. Guard Isaak Hayes joined Cooz Elite and he was solid as well. Made accurate full court passes, started getting it going offensively and a backcourt of him and Reese produces one of the most exciting guard tandems. Just got to keep playing together.
We will evaluate a handful of this higher end talents at the Pangos All American Camp, June 1-3.
