Braggin Rights Recap: Middle School Standouts Part 1

Bruce Williams May 23, 2022 @ 02:09 PM

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Bragging Rights is Here! The event, hosted by the Las Vegas Knicks features teams from the border states in Nevada including, Utah, California, and Arizona. The event runs from Friday, May 20th, and concludes Sunday, May 22nd. The Showcase event featured over 60 teams. Saturday saw games played throughout the day. Despite the majority of the field consisting of H.S programs, several middle school players took the opportunity to shine. In this article, we take a look at some of the Middle School Standouts from the event.

Jonny Collins 6’0 SG Vegas Elite 2026 (featured image) – Collins is a good R&J guy, that can absolutely ruin the opposing team’s game plan. I loved what he did on the defensive side of the ball, using his athleticism and length, to cause havoc at the top of Vegas Elite’s press. He continues to show improvement in his shooting, and I watched him bury a couple of NBA range threes with ease during the weekend. His physical tools, combined with an improving skill set make him a candidate for the top spot when the 2026 rankings come out.

Ilian Nikolov SG Vegas Elite 2027 – It was good laying Eyes on Nikolov this weekend. He’s always been a good shooter, and it looks like he’s improved even more. What I was impressed with was his ball skills, he showed a surprisingly quick first step, getting by hard closing defenders. The 7th grader displayed the lost art of the mid-range jumper, threatening defenses with his mid-range shooting ability.

Jax Richardson 6’0 SG Vegas Elite 2026 – Richardson played with a terrific motor this weekend. He’s always been a good R&J athlete and he used this ability to compete for rebounds and contest shots. I thought the best thing he did was get extra possessions and easy follow-up baskets for his team, simply by hustling on both ends of the floor. Richardson won a bunch of 50/50 rebounding opportunities and found buckets by getting out and running the floor in transition.

Jo – Jo Stroughter 5’11 PG Vegas Elite 2026 – Stroughter has put his name squarely in the middle of the top PGs in the Nevada class of 2026 conversation. A pure Floor General, Stroughter showed that he can orchestrate an offense, protect the basketball and create scoring opportunities for teammates. He has good wiggle, allowing him to blow by defenders and get consistent paint touches.

Tyler Bright 6’6 C West Coast Select 2026 – It was a change of pace for Bright, this weekend. He’s normally the biggest player on the floor, but this weekend he had to battle with bigger and stronger opponents throughout the weekend. I think he did a good job of holding his own while battling for both defensive and offensive position. Bright was active in the game I watched, grabbing rebounds and finishing around the rim off offensive boards. He got a good taste of what Varsity competition is like. and will have to increase his upper body strength and overall footspeed in order to make an immediate impact at that level.

Julian Lebel 6’2 SG Team Keanan Allen 2026 – Lebel is a good-looking prospect. He has good size and a solid frame. Really liked his IQ, instincts, and fundamentals, as the 6’2 shooting guard was one of the better shooters off the move. Lebel used down screens and flex cuts to free himself from defenders. He was accurate in shooting the three ball from both corners and showed some toughness putting the ball down to get to the basket.

Rankings

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