The Las Vegas March Madness Spring Kickoff took place Friday, March 11th through Sunday, March 13th. The event which took place at the Las Vegas Basketball Center featured middle school programs from 5th through 8th grade. Because of the showcase…
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Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log inThe Las Vegas March Madness Spring Kickoff took place Friday, March 11th through Sunday, March 13th. The event which took place at the Las Vegas Basketball Center featured middle school programs from 5th through 8th grade. Because of the showcase style of the event, I decided to spend time identifying prospects vs following winning teams. Luckily for me, there were several talented prospects on hand for me to make detailed evaluations. In this article, a follow-up to prospect evals Vol 1, we take a look at player evals from the event.
Refugio Caro 6’0 SG Las Vegas Punishers 2027 – Caro is another player that attended my middle camp back in the fall. I was impressed with him then, he looked like even more of a problem today. The big guard was a nightmare in transition and was most effective when slashing downhill. Caro was not one to play with his food, as he was one of the best 1 move and go guys that I saw during the week.
Deon Parker 6’3 C CME Bulls 2026 
– Obviously when a young player has size like Paker you’re going to take notice. He showed decent movement, changing ends of the floor effortlessly. He also displayed a decent understanding of offensive basketball, delivering a few timely passes from the high post. Perhaps his best skill was his ability to go get the pumpkin. The forward snagged several in traffic rebounds, showing that he can clean the glass at a high level.
Kenton Washington 6’1 PF PFB 2027 – Washington’s game is so similar to the former LSU star that there’s no surprise he’s nicknamed “Big baby”. For a player with his frame, you wouldn’t imagine, him having such nimble feet, but he does. Washington put them on display this weekend. He used both his frame and his feet to bruise and finesse his way to buckets. He was one of the best low post scorers I saw during the weekend.
Sawyer Hutton 4’5 PG Desert Freeze 2028 – At first glance at Hutton, you may question if he should even be out there. Then the guard starts knocking down shots and you realize he does. He was good behind the line, but also showed some wiggle and a decent in-between game. The diminutive PG knocked down his share of floaters and runners during the weekend.
Eric Hopkins 6’1 PF Desert Freeze 2027 – Hopkins has long arms and an aerodynamic frame. He used both of them effectively this weekend. He caught my eye after going toe to toe with Mckinney in the title game. His long arms provided him with a wide catch and rebounding radius and he used both effectively. When Hopkins did coral an offensive board, he showed a knack for finishing, with his strong hand around the rim.
Tyler Merto 5’8 SF Desert Freeze 2028 – Merto just kept making plays. He seemed to always be around the basketball, whether snagging a rebound or picking up a loose ball. This was a terrific trait to have because it fits well with his overall skill set. The guard showed some shooting ability along with a few ball skills. Merto was able to capitalize off of his aggression by scoring on putbacks and dribble drives to the basket.
