We were able to sneak in a few games in the 15U Division at the Spring Tip-Off.  Below we highlight some of the players that caught our attention in the 2027 Class.

James Rivera, Austin Rivers Southeast Elite Gold: A 6’9 freshman at the Academy of Central Florida in Orlando, Rivera displayed an impressive skill set for a player his size and age.  He has very good agility and coordination, runs the floor, and isn’t afraid to bang bodies inside.  The lefty has a good stroke from the perimeter and the ability to score after one or two dribbles.  One of the better moves of the weekend was Rivera’s crossover past a guard a foot smaller in transition before throwing one down above the rim.

Johnny Lackoff, Austin Rivers Southeast Elite Gold: A 6’1 freshman at Sarasota High, Lackoff caught our attention a few weeks ago at an event and was just as impressive with SE Gold this past weekend.  He is fundamentally sound beyond his years, sees the game a play ahead, and just has a natural feel for the game.  Lackoff is an excellent perimeter shooter but also more than capable of driving the ball into the lane and finishing through contact in a crowd.  He has good court vision and is quick to move the ball to open teammates.  Defensively he is alert, has active hands and feet, and plays physically without fouling.

Kwame Poke Jr, Showtime Ballers: A 6’1 freshman at Orlando Edgewater, Poke is a long combo guard that looks like he will grow some more.  We liked how he handled the basketball, showing very quick change of direction and change of pace moves with the dribble.  His perimeter shoot will gain consistency as time moves on, but for now it has good form and mechanics and must be respected.  Poke does a good job of finishing off drives and shots in transition at the basket over taller defenders.  Defensively, his length and footwork make him difficult to drive by or pass over.

Garang Deng, Austin Rivers Southeast Elite Gold: A 7’0 freshman at the DME Academy in Daytona Beach, Deng is one of many young African bigs that are coming to the state to play basketball that we have seen early this spring.  As one might expect, he has some skill work to do and needs to gain strength to be a more effective scoring option.  Deng is a long athlete that runs the floor well, finishes lobs and putbacks around the basket and is active on defense in terms of challenging shots in the paint and pursuing rebounds out of his area.

Noah Deng, FOTL Gold: A 7’0 freshman at Bradenton Victory Rock Prep and native of South Sudan, Deng is a bit further along skill-wise than the unrelated Deng mentioned above.  He showed a decent scoring touch around the basket, good instincts for offensive rebounds, and ran the floor swiftly in transition.  He too is an ardent pursuer of rebounds and shot block attempts that many would think they could not get to.  Deng’s frame may not allow him to add much muscle or girth but the more games he gets under his belt the better he will get, at least at the offensive end.

Tatino Miami, Showtime Ballers: A 6’6 freshman at Kissimmee Central Point Christian, Miami impressed us a few weeks back at the Travel Team Jamboree.  This weekend, he pulled double duty in playing for both the 15U and 16U Showtime programs.  He held his own against taller players as he countered with his strength, quickness and athleticism.  We had Miami for 19 rebounds in the game we took in on Saturday morning.  He simply gets to balls coming off the rim quicker than opponents, secures it with strong hands, and, if on offense, gets the ball quickly back up to the hoop.  Miami doesn’t have plays run for him so most of his points come through effort and determination.

Chase Weismiller, Austin Rivers Southeast Elite Gold: A 6’3 freshman at Tampa Sickles, Weismiller plays with a great deal of confidence and is very productive.  He shot the ball well from the perimeter, moved well without it, and made good reads when coming off ball-screens.  Weismiller didn’t shy away from challenging defenders to stop him from attacking the basket and while he took a couple of hard knocks, he always bounced up quickly and got into the action.  Weismiller is a tough kid that plays hard at both ends and simply finds ways to make winning plays.

Ty Duncan, Austin Rivers Southeast Elite Gold: A 6’3 freshman from Tocoi Creek near St. Augustine, Duncan put on a shooting clinic Sunday morning.  He drilled 6 of 11 shots behind the arc, all of them coming off the catch.  Some were in transition, some were from passes from driving teammates, some were from a pass out from a post double-team and some were just from defenders not believing Duncan could make another one.  It is too early to forecast his ability to perform at the next level, but on this day Duncan was on fire.