Starting Five: Who Stood Out at The Breakdown Showcase
TAMPA, Fla. – The Breakdown Showcase, hosted by Bay Area Hoops LLC and Big County Preps, provided a great setting for Tampa Bay area prospects to get skills instruction and to compete against each other. FlaVarsity.com was in the gym at Tampa Prep for the showcase and here are five prospects who stood out to us on Saturday:
Marcus Hopkins
His Day: This was our second look at Hopkins after first seeing him at the USF Elite Camp. A long and athletic 6-foot-9 power forward, Hopkins played with good energy, showed good hands and displayed his rim protection talent and his ability to finish above the rim. We like Hopkins’ size and his frame. He was not as vocal on defense as we had hoped he would be but Hopkins is big, mobile, agile and has good bounce. He transferred from Castro Valley (CA) High School to Oldsmar Christian during the summer. Essentially changing from one Bay Area to another Bay Area. The class of 2018 big man could be a spring signee.
Recruitment: Hopkins holds offers from Alabama A&M and San Jose State. Interest is coming from IPFW, Tennessee Tech, New Mexico, New Mexico State, Western Carolina and Boston University.
Braxton Bartlett
His Day: The 6-foot-5, class of 2019 shooting guard caught our attention with his efficiency and his play making abilities. His court awareness, decision making, and his feel for handling and passing the ball is good enough for him to project as a potential combo guard. Bartlett was active but not very vocal on defense. Bartlett is now at Oldsmar Christian after playing his freshman and sophomore seasons at Palm Harbor High School.
Recruitment: Stetson, Richmond, UMass, Longwood and Western Carolina are all showing interest.
Jakob Hester
His Day: Hester caught our attention during the morning drills session. The 6-foot-6, class of 2020 forward might not be the fastest or most explosive player in the gym but he has enough game to overcome that. Hester scored inside in a variety of ways and showed that he’ll knock down perimeter jump shots if given space. He has good size at about 190 pounds, is a productive area rebounder and will block your shot. In one sequence the Anclote High School forward blocked a shot at the basket, started the fast break, and threw a nice bounce pass from the top of the key for a layup. His teammate missed the layup but the hustling Hester was at the rim for the rebound and put back.
Recruitment: No offers at this time.
His Day: When you see him Reynolds definitely looks the part with his 6-foot-9, 220 pound body and 7-foot wingspan, but the class of 2020 center/power forward has a ways to go. Reynolds was a good area rebounder on Saturday and used his size fairly well to cave out space inside. He is a mobile big with good hands and even showed that he can put it on the deck for a couple of dribble and knock down a 15-footer. His feel for the game is improving but he is too quick to leave his feet when protecting the rim and seems to tire quickly. This was our third look at Reynolds since June and we see that he is making incremental improvements in his game.
Recruitment: No offers at this time.
Cortez McKenzie
His Day: McKenzie is a 5-foot-11 energy stick. The Lakewood freshman’s motor was on high all day. He is quick in and out of his dribble, was able to get by most defenders, passed and took care of the basketball well and hit some deep jump shots, despite unconventional shot mechanics. Overall McKenzie just played with more confidence than any other freshman we saw. He has good speed, and is vocal on defense. Over time McKenzie will need to improve his shot mechanics to become a more consistent mid-range and perimeter shooter but he has a ‘hard work’ attitude so we expect that he’ll get it done.
Recruitment: No offers at this time.