The New Year’s Slam took place in Phoenix, AZ from Friday, January 28th through Sunday, January 30th. The event, hosted by Team Cezers consisted of teams from 4th grade through 8th, with games taking place at the Apex Pyramid and…

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Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log inThe New Year’s Slam took place in Phoenix, AZ from Friday, January 28th through Sunday, January 30th. The event, hosted by Team Cezers consisted of teams from 4th grade through 8th, with games taking place at the Apex Pyramid and the Phhacility. The event featured several prospects from the class of 2028, 2027, and 2026. It also featured several quality big men and wing players. In this article, we take a look at the top bigs from the event.
Joe Miller PF Hoop Code 2026 – Miller is a big-bodied banger type forward. Offensively he scores around the rim off either catch and finishes or off putbacks. Miller is a good rebounder who displayed strong hands when snagging the pumpkin off the backboard.
Dylan Coday 6’4 C AZ Storm 2026 – I liked Coday because he understands his strengths, and stuck with them this weekend. He rarely left the paint, instead preferring to protect the rim and rebound. He was one of the top in traffic rebounders I witnessed, using his size to snag boards over and in between defenders.
Ty Brown 5’9 SF Skyriders 2028 – Brown instantly jumps out at you. He’s a long athlete, with fluid running ability. He flashed some ball skills when playing in transition, and was willing to mix it up in the paint grabbing his share of rebounds. At only 11 years of age, his size and length make him an intriguing future prospect.
Elijah Williams 6’6 SF Monstarz 2026 (featured image) – Williams is a problem. I evaluated him a year ago, and he was a good player, but he didn’t look like this. His size is obvious, but what impressed me the most about him this weekend was his motor. Williams sacrificed his body several times, hitting the floor for his team to win 50/50 balls. When he was upright, he spent his time doing damage to the rim throwing down several high-flying dunks in transition and in halfcourt sets. He’s an above-average slasher, especially when driving with his strong hand, and has the IQ and unselfishness to make on-time and on-target passes to teammates when defenders rotate to him.
John Mattingly 5’10 SG Monstarz 2026 – Mattingly is one of my favorite young players to watch. He makes the game look easy, seemingly making the correct read every time down. If he’s open, he shoots, if they close to him, he drives if they double, he passes. Mattingly is one of the more efficient young guards, in the Western Region, and probably could best be described as a winner.
Joshua Dillard 6’3 SF PBC 2026 – Dillard played hard this week. The wing was one of the top grab-and-go guys I saw, routinely grabbing defensive boards before starting the break. He’s very raw, and probably fits into the sleeper category, but he flashed enough athleticism and ball skills to be effective. He scored the majority of his buckets when attacking downhill, keeping maximum pressure on the defense.