I capped off my July Live Period traveling to Las Vegas recently for the Sports Radar Showdown. A tournament put together that had the top programs from Adidas 3SSB and Under Armour compete against one another. Team Thrill of the UAA Circuit came out the last one standing after a narrow victory vs the 3SSB Summer Champions Utah Prospects. In this article I highlight my standouts.
SportsRadar Showdown Evaluations
Derik Queen, 6’9 2024 PF – Team Thrill: Domination is the word to describe Derik Queen’s performance at the Showdown. Back to the basket & face-up game was on point. He positioned himself to collect offensive rebounds and finish. Defensive rebounds, he pushed the ball and made accurate passes. One of the few times this summer I saw a prospect play in a stretch of games and nobody had an answer for.
Chance Mallory, 5’9 2025 PG: Team Thrill: May not have ideal size but he’s a very tough cover. Big-time shot maker from deep, got his paint touches and was actively moving without the ball to get in opportunities to shoot and create spacing for his teammates.
Isaiah Harwell, 6’5 2025 Guard – Utah Prospects: Was very productive this past weekend. Played within flow of offense but knew when to be more assertive offensively, an adequate passer that I feel he doesn’t get enough credit for his vision and accuracy off the live dribble. Harwell is growing as a decision maker and scorer.
Malick Diallo, 6’9 2024 C – Utah Prospects: Malick got a lot done in the paint for Utah Prospects. A quality finisher around the rim with a good sense on how to use the basket as a shield for bigs trying to block his shots. Quality rebounder and passer out the post.
VJ Edgecombe, 6’5 2024 SG – Southeast Elite: After seeing VJ play in the past month I can truly say he’s one of the best players in the country in 2024. Improved shooter, athletic, competitive & gets to the rim and finishes. Edgecombe is a 5 star level player.
Khani Rooths, 6’8 2024 PF/SF – New World: After recently seeing him have a strong performance at NBPA Top 100 Camp, Khani continued to show his versatility. Handling the ball and becoming a driver. Also made nice passes when he’s getting to the cup and he’s just a matchup problem due to size, athleticism, length and emerging skill set.
Micah Robinson, 6’6 2024 Wing – Southern Assault: Been one of the most consistent players on the Southern Assault team all spring and summer and he was productive in Vegas. Strong built wing that draws fouls when he attacks the basket and finishes through contact. Has improved as a shooter in the past year also. Connects on catch & shoot threes and looks comfortable attempting step back threes with his feet being balanced.
Mazi Mosely, 6’4 2025 SG – West Coast Elite: Has some wiggle off the bounce and creative off the dribble. Upside with his shot making and versatility especially once he gets stronger and really grows into his body. Saw him for the first time in September and saw growth in his game since then.
Dillon Battie, 6’6 2024 Tweener – Team Trae Young: A lot to like about Dillon Battie. He gets better year after year also. High riser as a finisher, guards multiple positions and has improved as a driver on the wing as he’s more controlled when entering traffic in the paint.
Modou Thiam, 6’5 2025 Guard – NBA Academy: Lefty with a lot of upside. Plus wingspan, promising shooting stroke and shot creating upside. Uses his length to deflect passes and finish in traffic.
Khaman Maluach, 7’1 2025 C – NBA Academy: High energy popped out immediately when Khaman stepped onto the court. Swats shots at the rim, runs the floors hard, fights for rebounds and communicates on defense which is impressive for a rising junior big-man.
Efeosa Oliogu, 6’6 2025 Wing – Canada Elite: Explosive wing prospect that brings it on the defensive end. Can switch and guard effectively. Offensively he gets to the rack and finishes above the rim. The shooting isn’t bad either as he can make jumpers when feet are set. Not what I would call a strength of his but it’s something to build on.
Sir Mohammed, 6’6 2024 Wing – Team Curry: Strong built wing that operates as a secondary/primary ball-handler for this Team Curry squad. A very willing passer that can thread the needle on passes. Uses strength to gain advantageous position when driving and can finish through contact.
Flory Bidunga, 6’9 2024 C – Indiana Elite: Flory is one of my favorite players to watch because he plays so hard and I’m impressed by how quick twitch of a leaper he is and just explodes out of nowhere and punches it. Great hands, motor and toughness which allows him to impact games without even scoring.
Cooper Koch, 6’7 2024 PF – Indiana Elite: The Iowa commit showed his reliable shooting stroke from deep. As a pick n pop candidate, as a trail guy or just when the ball rotated to him and he knocked it down. The shooting, motor & IQ brought a lot of value to his team.
