Little attention is paid by national scouts to underclassmen that do not play (well) on the various shoe company circuits on the 17U level. However, due to some copious research as well as eye-ball testing, the following five made a significant impact.
Brandon Bass, Southeast Elite: A 6’4 wing out of Windermere Prep, Bass played up and played well on the Adidas 3SSB circuit. Considered a top fifty player nationally in the 2026 Class, he averaged 12 ppg during the spring sessions, earning All-Underclassmen honors for the circuit. In April, Bass took part in the USA Basketball Junior National Team Minicamp and was considered one of the top performers in attendance by media that covered the event. At the Adidas 3SSB Championships in July, Bass was accorded All-Breakout and All-Underclassmen honors for the event. National scouts came away impressed with his scoring prowess this spring and summer against older competition.
Alex Constanza, Nightrydas Elite 16U: The 6’8 wing out of Fort Lauderdale Westminster Academy also showed out at the USA Basketball Junior National Team Minicamp in April. He was a consistent double-figure scorer for Nightrydas for much of the spring season, averaging 14 points and 5 rebounds a game. Constanza received a lot of attention for his play at Nike’s Jayson Tatum Elite Wing Camp just after the July live periods. Scouts came away enamored with his outside shooting ability as well as his passing instincts.
Caleb Gaskins, Nightrydas Elite 16U: The 6’8 forward at Montverde Academy got out to a quick start in the EYBL 16U circuit, at one point leading that division in scoring. He had a 29 point/20 rebound game against Indy Heat during that time. For the spring EYBL season, Gaskins averaged 16 points and 7 rebounds a game. He was one of the youngest players at the USA Basketball U17 Junior National Team Camp. The National scouts were impressed by his improvement after spending this past season at Montverde Academy where he played limited minutes. Gaskins played up with the Nighrydas Elite 17U group at the Peach Jam and contributed meaningful minutes and numbers during the team’s championship run.
Jasen Lopez, SOH Elite: The 6’0 guard now at Hollywood Chaminade, was arguably the most impressive underclassmen playing up on the 17U level on the UAA circuit. Lopez averaged 18 points a game on the UAA Spring Circuit, earning Underclassmen MVP honors as well as Second Team All-Circuit honors. We were very impressed with his play at both the FABC Team Camp with Chaminade as well as with SOH during our Miami Summer Hoops Festival. Back on the UAA circuit in July, Lopez was again named Underclass MVP and All-Second Team as SOH went undefeated. Lopez’s strength, speed, and ability to score over size from the perimeter or at the basket are among the things that have college coaches and national scouts excited.
Collin Paul, SOH Elite: A 6’7 forward at Fort Lauderdale Calvary Christian, Paul started the spring strong with his play at the Travel Team Jamboree. He was particularly impressive at the Miami Summer Hoops Festival as his abilities to score inside the arc, grab rebounds and start the break, and competitive instincts stood out. He finally got some national publicity for his play at the UAA Summer Championships, earning scholarship offers from Georgetown and Virginia Teach. Scouts like his hard-nosed approach to the game and his ability to slash and score.