Texas Hoops on the Road: Dallas Metroplex

Editor's Note: The Dallas Metroplex played host to several out of town teams from Houston, Central Texas, and programs as far as Lubbock and Amarillo. Below are the players that caught the attention of the TexasHoops.com/Great American Shoot-Out staff.

The Texas Hoops Scouting Service has begun its 29th year, and the Great American Shoot-Out will enter its 28th year starting in the spring.

Cedar Hill Lions Club Tournament

• One of the biggest finds of the Cedar Hill Tournament was Rockwall Heath's Kelden Pruitt. The 6-foot-5 junior was active on both ends of the court and showed off a skill level that had college coaches in the stands talking. Pruitt has a long frame and is a slender forward, but he competes. He had a great looking stroke from the perimeter whether he was coming off the dribble or setting his feet for a three. Once he hit the court, Pruitt was showing flashes of a college-ready game passing the ball up the court, getting his teammates involved and getting to the rim and finishing. It was a good first impression, and TexasHoops.com will continue to track the future next level player.

• Southlake had a great run knocking off El Paso Andress and the state ranked Converse Judson Rockets. It was a total team effort for the Dragons, but Joey McCormick was a big reason Southlake was a hard out in the tournament. McCormick can take his game inside getting the ball on the wing and dribbling by his opponent, but what set the table for McCormick was his ability to hit the perimeter shot. He scored from behind the arc and made good decisions with the ball when he didn't have an open look. He played with a nice feel to the game and dove inside to grab a rebound. At 6-foot-6, McCormick was skilled and played a complete all around game.

• A year ago Jeremiah Gambrell was a 5-foot-7, but now is pushing nearly 6-foot. The Houston Madison scoring point guard is slippery and sneaky, and he can put up points quickly. It doesn't matter if he has to pull the trigger from behind the arc or take his opponent to the hole; Gambrell will finish his shot. He is thin and needs some strength, but the sophomore has a good touch on his outside shot and isn't fearful of taking contact.

• Byron Nelson gave spectators a look into their future as three sophomores entered a lopsided game that unfortunately they were on the losing side versus Rockwall-Heath. However, TexasHoops.com was treated to shooter Bryant Young, big-man David Nzekwesi and wing Jason Anigwe. The future looks to be safe as these three start to get some playing time, no matter the circumstance of the game. Understand, it was the right time of the game for the three to enter and they each had their role.

Young is a strongly built shooting guard that knocked in two three's, and the ball looked good coming out of his hands. He hit double figures (10 points) as he hung around the rim and scored. Nzekwesi is the younger brother of Oral Roberts big-man Emmanuel, and the sophomore planted himself on the block and had soft hands and nice footwork. He scored in the paint as he fought for position and shot the ball over his shoulder with a nice touch, and he banged down low and took contact. Slasher Anigwe gave a taste of what to expect on the varsity court as he was able to make a move to the basket and finish. He wasn't given a lot of opportunities but having seen Anigwe on the Great American Shoot-Out circuit, he will get better with the varsity experience.

• Leon Sneed has been impressive this year as he has taken on a role of a leader for Cedar Hill and he backs up his presence with quality play. Sneed is more than a ball-handler, he is a slashing offensive player with and without the ball. He needs the smallest of cracks to get by defenders using speed to float the ball over his bigger opponents. He is super quick and dashes up the court looking to pass the ball up the court, but he will get ahead of the pack in transition and lay the ball in. Sneed has also added muscle to his frame and plays strong, and is fun to watch.

• Grace Prep's Jordan Phillips is used as an all-purpose guard as he is one of the main ball handlers and a key rebounder. Phillips is starting to mature, and his body is lean. He is a skilled player that looks to more of a wing, but Phillips is doing what is asked of him from his coaching staff. Phillips is a physical and can get separation for mid-range jumpers and absorbs contact in the lane. This wasn't one of his more productive game's when watching one of the state's top sophomores, but the body and the feel for the game are there.

Phillips teammate and a fellow sophomore is big-man RJay Cammack. Standing a slender 6-foot-7, Cammack sticks his body in the paint and scores with either hand. He still needs strength, but he rebounds and runs the floor. Cammack was quick off his feet showing his athleticism.

• There is always a limited number of big-men out in the crowd of each class, but Lavaris Duncan of Converse Judson is doing his best as an audition when college coaches are around. The 6-foot-7 Duncan has soft hands and the footwork needed to go up against any opponent. Duncan is still maturing, and he is still trimming up, but he has proven that he can battle against opponents his size, and that have more athleticism. Duncan isn't above the rim guy, but he scores over both shoulders and can step out for the occasional 12-15 footer.

More Cedar Hill Notes

TexasHoops.com Jukes and Jumpers

• West Mesquite relied on two unsigned senior guards to lead the team, and they both did in a different fashion. Coye Campbell and Andre Watts both were fast and quick guards causing their opponents difficulties on both sides of the ball. Campbell had a quick first step to the hole and finished in the lane. He is a lefty that is thin but skilled. Watts showed that he could take his man off the dribble, but he could also drain the three. Both players did a great job of scoring in transition when they sped ahead of the pack.

• Peyton Chun was steady and is a solid ball-handler for the Coppell Cowboys. Chun can handle pressure and get the ball up the court through traffic. He has a nice touch from the perimeter and will drop the three-pointer on his defender.

• Another interior player for Judson is Dominique Bradley who is starting to show a lively body and instincts around the rim. He is long at 6-foot-7 and will alter/block shots and rebound.

• After watching Byron Nelson a few times, Alphonso Hawkins has shown that he can handle the duties that a point guard needs to do. He is good in the half-court setting getting the ball to the right players to score and has a good feel for the game and has long arms.

• Christian Plummer is a consistent overall player for Coppell as he is a scorer and defender. Plummer races to the basket and scores in transition and within the offense. He is always moving and finds himself around the basket, but leave him open from behind the arc and Plummer will capitalize on his open looks.

• Cedar Hill has a pocketful of seniors, and this go around Lesley Varner was given the chance to display his style as the Longhorns rode his hot hand. Varner is sneaky around the paint area, as the skinny 6-foot-7 forward finishes with a good touch from the short corners and will take his body inside and competes for positioning and rebounds. He is an athlete that flies up the court and transition and does a nice job of recovering on the defensive side of the ball.

• Rounding out the Rockwall-Heath roster are seniors Bailey West and Tyler Zivney. West is a move in from Alaska and fits perfectly into Heath's system. He may not look the part of a guard, but at 6-foot-5 West will surprise his opponents and get a step ahead of them beating them to the rim. He will also step out and nail the three. Speaking of stroking the three, Zivney benefits from the penetrate and dish abilities of the guards.

More Area Coverage

• Friday morning, TexasHoops.com skipped over to Greenville about an hour down the road to catch Lubbock Coronado, and TexasHoops.com's No.42 ranked player in the state, Jarrett Culver. The wiry Culver slashed his way to 13 points against Texas City, who couldn't keep up with Coronado. Culver does a lot of his damage in the open court, and against Texas High, he didn't have to exert too much energy.

• Saturday, Wilkerson Grienes (Fort Worth) played host to the DFW Challenge one-day showcase, and there was plenty to see in just the first two games alone. First up was the class of 2017 forward/guard, Pedro Castro of Brewer High. A thin 6-foot-6, Castro finds ways to get open and square up to the basket. Castro knocks down the three and will come off the dribble to sink the pull-up jumper. Not an "interior" player, Castro did find himself a few times with the ball around the rim, but still, he is a perimeter shooter and that will he excels. Castro finished with 25 points which included three three-pointers.

• He might be the "little man" on campus, but this 5-foot-5 point guard will run his opponents out of the gym. Nolan Catholic's Jayden Williams is a freshman point guard that is hard to get the ball away from with his low to floor play and good ball skill. He penetrates and kicks or will take to the rim. If he is left open, he will shoot the three. Williams hit 14 against Fort Worth Country Day, including three three-pointers.

• During the Saturday session at the DFW Challenge, sophomore Chris Smith took the court for Fort Worth Country Day, as they met up with Nolan Catholic. Smith is noticeably rangy and has a high-level skill set. He strokes the three with a long finish and will take the ball to the basket with ease. However, Smith was playing more of an interior forward and not always on the wing. Still, the 6-foot-7 Smith was able to take the physical play underneath the basket when he had to and was able to finish at the free-throw line making all nine attempts. Smith also added two three-pointers.

Keller ISD Championship Game

The dynamic duo of Quinn Taylor and Darreus Brown led undefeated Amarillo Tascosa (13-0) to the Keller ISD Tournament Championship. The pair combined for all but 10 of Tascosa's points in the 86-79 win over McKinney High.

• Taylor (6-3, 2016) led all scorers with 40 points as the rugged wing just makes big play after big play. He attacks the rim with the intent to finish through the defense, hits the mid-range jumper and can create off the dribble. He is a do-it-all physical wing who will take a charge, grab a big rebound and gets his hands on loose balls.

• Brown (6-2, 2017) chipped in 36 points as the sidekick. Brown scores with quick lefty slashes to the rim as he elevates and finishes high at the rim. He has a smooth jumper with 3-point range and will hit the open man on the break. He is a good ball-handler who can takeover games as a creator/scorer.

The McKinney Lions backcourt duo of Alex Vilarino and E.J. Clark combined for an impressive 38 points (19 each) in the final game.

• Vilarino (6-0, 2016) finished on an assortment of runners and floaters in the paint. He is very quick with an electric first step as he gets into the paint and breaks down the defense. He plays with good body control as he gets into traffic and avoids negative plays.

• Clark (5-10, 2017) showed a smooth jumper with 3 point range as well as an ability to finish at the rim. The slight built guard has a second gear in the open court and can get into the heart of the defense in a flash.

Tuesday Night Rewind

Red Oak - It took all 32 minutes to decide Tuesday night's Red Oak, Irving MacArthur match up as Red Oak's last three-point attempt was off the mark. The MacArthur Cardinals received a game-high 34 points from McDonald's All-American candidate Andrew Jones as he scored 16 fourth quarter points after going scoreless in the third.

In the second half, there were three ties and seven lead changes, and the Cardinals took the lead for good at the 3:32 mark of the fourth behind six straight points by Jones. Red Oak stayed within one to two points of MacArthur down the stretch and had the last shot of the game to tie, but a missed a three-pointer and a lost scramble for the ball gave MacArthur the win.

In the first half, the Red Oak Hawks gave Mac a heavy dose of 6-foot-9 Adrean Johnson, an unsigned senior big, muscled his way to nine free-throw attempts (6-for-9) and nine first half points. The Cardinals had no answer for Johnson, but the pace of the game in the second half went to a more guard-oriented style, and more perimeter shots were being taken. Johnson finished the night with 11 points, and five block shots, and added a sackful of rebounds.

Contributing to this article was 20 year veteran of TexasHoops, Sam Lowe.