It is always a challenge to pick THE player for this category.  Every spring and summer, we come across players that either we had not seen play before or their performance was under-whelming when viewed in action with their respective high school team, but then “ball out” in a different setting.  These guys definitely fit the bill.

17U: Donovan Swain, Team Gold Coast – The 6’4 wing out of Coral Glades in Coral Springs excelled on the On The Radar circuit all spring and summer, so much so that he was named the circuits MVP in the 17U age group.  Unheralded by many at the start of the spring, Swain went out and showed he is a three-level scorer on offense and no slouch on the defensive end.  He has excellent range on his shot, is very adept at creating space off the dribble to get his shot off on either side of the arc and has developed reliable scoring tools in the mid-range.  Swain has the strength and bounce to overpower defenders when attacking the basket and finishing through contact in traffic.  He handles and passes the ball well, making good pass vs shot decisions when on the move.  Swain is an active rebounder at both ends of the floor and is quick to infiltrate the passing lanes to cause chaos on the defensive end.

16U: James Jenkins III, MBJ Elite – A 6’4 guard out of DME Academy in Daytona Beach, Jenkins recently reclassed down to the class of 2029.  However, he played and excelled all summer on the 16U level and that is why he lands here.  Playing on the Adidas 3SSB Elite circuit, Jenkins averaged just shy of twenty points a game (19.8), shooting roughly 46% overall from the field and 77.6% from the foul line.  His 32.3% rate from behind the arc will improve with experience.  He also averaged nearly six rebounds a contest from his backcourt spot.  Our appraisal Jenkins from the Miami Summer Hoops Festival was this:

“Jenkins has a strong frame and good positional size.  He is a three-level scorer as he is adept at using his strength and body to create space for shots.  Jenkins is an acceptable ball-handler and passer who also is active on the glass at both ends of the floor.  His strength comes in handy on the defensive end as he uses it to keep smaller players out of the lane and bigger players from getting position inside.”

He is ranked #58 in the initial 2029 Class Rankings recently released by Rivals

15U: Alexy Figueroa, MBJ Elite: The 6’4 combo guard now at The Academy of Central Florida in Orlando impressed us greatly at the Miami Summer Hoops Festival.  A deeper dive into the stats from the Adidas 3SSB circuit reveals Figueroa had put up numbers all spring and summer long.  He averaged thisclose to sixteen points a game on shooting splits of 47.7% from the field overall, 45.1% from behind the arc and 75.4% from the foul line.  Figueroa averaged more assists than turnovers and came up with 1.6 steals a contest.  As mentioned, we were enamored with his high basketball IQ, ability to play both guard spots, and vast array of smooth scoring skills at the Miami Summer Hoops Festival.