Las Vegas – This past weekend was the first of four NCAA Live Periods that will take place in April and July. I attended the Pangos Sweet 16 NCAA Certified tournament hosted by Pangos Director Dinos Trigonis held at Bishop Gorman High School, Sierra Vista High School, and Silverado High School in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event consisted of 5 divisions for age groups 15u through 17u, with the top division, 17u Invitational, being held at the main facility at Bishop Gorman High School. I attended games at Bishop Gorman on Friday night and all day Saturday, but was not present for championship Sunday. This is the final part of a three-part article that looks at the top performers from the event based on graduation class, with 10 players from the classes of 2024 and 2025 being the focus of this write-up. Given that I was only at Bishop Gorman, and a majority of 15u and 16u games were played at the other host sites, I did not see all of the underclass players live in action. Nevertheless, as most scouts and media in attendance would agree, the players in this article are worthy of being mentioned as top performers for these respective classes. The players are listed in alphabetical order and not based on a ranked order. The players selected and evaluated in this article are based on my own observations with some feedback from the other scouts and coaches present. I begin the 2024 class with the skilled 2-way prospect Seven Bahati.
2024 6’5 Seven Bahati (Donda Academy/CA) Belmont Shore 17u:
Bahati is a lengthy and athletic slasher that has improved his ability to score from beyond the arc and is an emerging high-level 2-way perimeter player. Bahati uses his wingspan and instincts to disrupt passing lanes, frustrating opponents with the ball, and generates steals that lead to numerous transition points. Bahati has improved his accuracy from the 3-point line, has a nice pull-up jumper with good lift, and has shifty handles and moves to create scoring opportunities at the basket. Bahati is an underrated rebounder and shot-blocker on the perimeter, which has added to him being a true 2-way threat on the court. He played a key role for Belmont Shore 17u squad and will look to garner more attention from colleges as the Spring and Summer play out. Oregon was among the schools watching him play in Vegas. Has early offers from UC-Santa Barbara and Loyola Marymount.
2024 6’6 Pearson Carmichael (Summit/OR) Players Play Elite 16u:
Carmichael is a high-level shooting guard that makes quality decisions with the ball in his hand, whether that be creating for himself or his teammates. Carmichael was the driving force behind Players Play winning the Select 16u Division, as he made his presence felt in various facets of the game. Carmichael has solid handles with the perimeter moves to create off the perimeter, where he is capable of scoring off the dribble from all 3 levels. Carmichael has great size and court vision to make nice reads and find teammates in tight windows when he is on the attack. Carmichael is a solid rebounder with handles to push the tempo and looks to get the ball up the court with accuracy on his passes. Carmichael grabbed the attention of the scouts and coaches in attendance and is one of the better 2024 prospects on the West Coast and already a D1 prospect.
2025 6’6 Blake Davidson (Mater Dei/CA) Players Play Elite 16u:
Davidson is a lengthy and rangy forward that may have been the most promising freshman prospect long-term at the Pangos Sweet 16 tournament. Davidson was one of three D1 prospects on the Players Player Elite 16u squad that led their team to the Select 16u Division championship. Davidson is efficient from the 3-point line, has good court vision and makes nice reads on passes from the high post, and has nice touch around the rim. Davidson was solid on the glass and the handle to push the ball up the court.
2024 6’8 Ryan Enos (Cathedral Catholic/CA) Players Play Elite 16u:
Enos has great size and length to impact the post, as well as a smooth shot from outside. Enos was a key piece for Players Play Elite 16u, as they won the Select 16u Division over a talented AZ Factory 16u team. Enos controls the boards, has a large wingspan to protect the rim, and has a nice touch for finishes around the rim. The most impressive part of his game is his efficiency from beyond the arc. Enos has a smooth stroke from fifteen feet and out, and can really fill it up from the 3 point line. He had 8 threes in their semifinal win and a game-high 26 points. Given Enos’ size and length, combined with his shooting ability, he is a nightmare match-up for opponents and a player to watch nationally as a D1 prospect.
2025 6’ Liam Gray (Los Alamitos/CA) Alley-Oop Hoops 15u:
Gray is a crafty lead guard that knows how to create scoring opportunities for himself or make plays for teammates. Gray showed off his ability to score the ball in various ways in a semifinal loss to Players Play Elite 16u in the Select 16u Division. Gray is crafty with the ball in hand, has the moves to create off the dribble, has good court vision to find open teammates when attacking the basket, the wiggle to carve up the defense, and is very creative on finishes around the basket. Gray is lights out from beyond the arc and has a smooth jumper from the mid-post area.
2024 6’4 Owen Mackey (Snow Canyon/UT) Ignited 17u:
Mackey is a good size guard that has the moves and mindset of a true scorer with the court vision to make plays. He has a smooth shot from deep, connects with consistency, has nice perimeter moves and shifty handles to create off the dribble, and gets into the paint where he has options to score or find open teammates. Mackey is assertive with the ball in hand and makes decisive moves, with good footwork and creative shot-making ability. I like him long-term as a lead guard running an offense. Had an impressive outing in the 17u Platinum consolation bracket semifinals.
2025 Julius Olanrewaju (Coalinga/CA) EBO 17u:
Olanrewaju is a big guard that is at his best when he is operating from the perimeter and is a threat from deep. Olanrewaju was the youngest player to compete in the 17u Invitational Division but made his presence felt as a key scoring contributor for EBO 17u. Olanrewaju has nice handles and impressive perimeter moves to create off the dribble, is able to score it effectively from all 3 levels, and uses his size and skill to get to his shot spots on the court. He is a good rebounder that looks to push the pace of play in the open court and can take it coast to coast. Despite being a younger player, he is confident in his game and does not shy away from contact or any challenge. Top scoring freshman in the state of California this past high school hoops season at 30+ points and 12 rebounds per game.
2024 6’3 Tommy Randolph (Phoenix Christian/AZ) AZ Factory 16u
Randolph is a physical guard that keeps relentless pressure on the defense by attacking the basket. Randolph provided timely buckets for Factory 16u this past weekend as they made a run to the Select 16u Division championship game. Randolph has active hands on defense and gets into his opponent’s dribbling space and creates turnovers that lead to transition opportunities. Offensively, Randolph has a tight handle, does not waste dribbles on the perimeter, and gets downhill in attack mode with the strength to bully through contact at the basket. Randolph does a nice job on the glass and does not hesitate to push the tempo and advance the ball up court.
2024 6’5 Noah Sowunmi (Paradise Valley/AZ) AZ Factory 16u:
Sowunmi is a combination guard that can create for himself or make plays for others. Sowunmi was key in helping his squad make it to the Select Division 16u Championship before falling to Players Play Elite 16u. Sowunmi is a physically gifted guard that has a strong handle, the shift in his moves needed to get defenders on his hip, and does an excellent job of getting downhill, where he is able to use his solid frame to finish through traffic at the basket. Sowunmi has good court vision and makes quality decisions when on the attack off the dribble, which allows him to be an effective playmaker and scorer.
2025 6’6 Lantz Stephenson (Coronado/NV) Prominent Elite 16u:
Stephenson, the son NBA player Lance Stephenson is a well built forward with nice scoring skills and plenty of promise. Active rebounder on the glass and a good hold your ground defender as well. One to track in the 2025 West Coast class.
