Texas Hoops Analyst Blue Zertuche breaks down some of the prospects that were seen over the weekend in Mansfield, Prosper, and Garland. The list of players are from the class of 2019 and 2020. Click here for the New Kids On the Block article to read about juniors and seniors.

Freshman R.J. Hampton plays like a veteran and it showed as he was the best prospect and most talented player on the court in Little Elm’s 30-point plus beating of Denton High. He moves to the rim effortlessly and finishes in traffic and with body control. Hampton’s jumper is smooth and shoots with a high release and has another level to his game. Watching him play, it was clear that he understands the game and wasn’t going to force too much when he had the ball. The ease in which he plays is worth the price of admission.

According to head coach Rusty Segler, the Little Elm elite guard already has offers from Texas A&M, Mississippi State, New Orleans, SMU, and TCU. He also says that Duke is highly interested.

When it comes to point guards it seems to be more and more of the “smaller” guards are making noise. Add South Grand Prairie’s Bryce Cook to the list as a 5-foot-8 distributor and scorer. Cook is a jet up the court and leaves his opponents behind as he makes his way to the basket or finding a cutting teammates to the rim. He is also smart, dropping the ball to other players in small spaces and keeping the ball out of reach of his defenders. For a guard at his size, he has a great looking shot from start to finish nailing three-pointers.

Denton Guyer freshman post JaKobe Coles. Listed at 6-foot-6, Cole has some developing to do body wise, but the post runs the floor and plants himself inside the paint to score and to rebound. Nothing he did was out of the ordinary, but he played within the game plan and didn’t force anything. As the ball was being moved around the perimeter, Cole stroked in an open three.

Prosper sophomore point guard Josh Davis. Steady with the ball in his hands and moves through pressure quickly. Gets open looks and will hit floaters and lay the ball in. Good defender.

Lake Highlands sophomore wing Kylin Grant. A Detroit native, Grant moved in at the start of the year. He has a physical presence on the court as he is a 6-foot-6 powerful looking prospect. He is still feeling his way in his new environment, but his size is eye-catching and he did show flashes. He did hit a three and got the ball to the rim.

Mansfield Lake Ridge sophomore guard Jordan Hayes. A long and thin guard who can stroke the three and penetrate to open areas on the court to score. Gets the ball ahead of the defense and finds open teammates.

Frisco Wakeland freshman post Austin Lewis. A lanky paint player who will develop more as he adds strength, but the 6-foot-8 Lewis likes to score above the rim. He is crafty and will score over either shoulder and will throw it down.

Killeen Shoemaker sophomore post Jwan Roberts. A lanky interior athlete, Roberts fights for the ball off the rim and has a couple of slippery moves off the block. Not an opposing figure, but Roberts does possess the length and the athleticism to compete. He was fluid moving up and down the court giving the Shoemaker guards an easy target in transition.

Mansfield Timberview sophomore point guard CJ Smith.It was clear that Smith was a huge piece to Timberview in the way he can facilitate and run the team. To say that he’s ONLY 5-foot-8 doesn’t matter much in today’s basketball. He is skillful with the ball and can score. He handles pressure and relieves teammates with “bigger” names of their scoring responsibilities.

Allen High sophomore point guard Isaiah Stevens. Has a great looking shot from behind the arc and will score in bunches. Handles the ball in transition and will set teammates up for easy scores. A 5-foot-10 point guard, Stevens has a quick trigger and looks for open space to shoot.