VIRGINIA BEACH—It feels weird to say that the last HoopSeen event of the travel ball season has tipped. In a matter of days, we’ll put a bow on the 2022 spring and summer and transition our focus to camp season. However, we’re not there yet. We still have a weekend in Virginia Beach ahead of us, and here’s how it began. 

 

Coaches, coaches, coaches….

 

The first thing I noticed after settling into the Virginia Beach Sports Center was the breadth of coaches in the building. 

 

With us being in Virginia, it’s a good meeting point for the entire east coast, and that’s who’s shown up so far. From Maine to Florida, there are coaches from all levels here. 

 

What I love about it is that it gives teams chances to play in front of teams outside of their geographic regions. I saw coaches from New England watching teams from the south and vice versa. 

 

My favorite of the day

 

Global Squad’s Isaiah Mbeng was my favorite player of the day. I loved the tenacity he played with on defense and the poise he played with on offense. 

 

He’s a guard that impacts the game without having to score a ton of points. Via his tough, in-your-face defense, he sets the tone for his team on that end of the floor. Things aren’t going to come easy with him on the point of attack. 

 

Mbeng a great offensive player too because the ball doesn’t stick with him. He gets the offense in rhythm with his distribution and ability to break down a defense. Mbeng keeps teams in check with his ability to score from multiple levels too. 

 

I checked the temperature on his recruitment, and he’s been hearing from some schools like JMU and Cornell. I’ll tell you this, if Mbeng doesn’t leave the weekend with some new offers and interests to his resume, I’ll be shocked. This guy can flat-out go. He’s got my stamp of approval. 

 

Otyaluk’s upside

 

I didn’t see a player on Wednesday with a higher ceiling than No Guts No Glory’s Isaiah Otyaluk. He’s a long, 6-foot-6 wing who looks like he still has plenty of growing to do. He has time too considering he’s a class of 2024 player playing up a division. 

 

Otyaluk announced his presence in a prominent way at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions in May. I heard his name a lot that weekend, and I bet I’ll be hearing it even more this weekend after his performance on Wednesday night. 

 

He showed up in a big way on the defensive side of the ball where he used his length to swat shots left and right. Without keeping official stats, I’d say he finished in the neighborhood of seven blocks with a similar number of rebounds. 

 

Offensively, he’s versatile with the ability to knock down shots from the perimeter. I don’t think he’s even scratched the surface of how good of a player he can be on that end of the floor though. As he adds more size and strength, Otyaluk could emerge as one of the south’s biggest mismatch issues.  

 

Team Takeover and Florida Pro draw eyes

 

Perhaps the busiest game I saw of the night went to Team Takeover and Florida Pro. Coaches from all over the place were all over the place. I mean, it was as full of a baseline as I’ve seen this year. 

 

Takeover won a good one behind an 18-point performance from 6-foot-4 guard Tyler Perkins. The multi-dimensional lefty scored it in various ways and showed off why he’s been racking up offers from schools in the northeast, including several Ivy League schools. Look for him to be drawing eyeballs throughout the weekend. 

 

Koree Cotton and CJ Beaumont packed a punch for Florida Pro in the close loss. 

 

The pair combined for 31 points against Team Takeover. Beaumont played in his first live period event at Best of the South earlier in the month and stood out as a prospect with plenty of promise. He’s continued that into the second live period and should see the fruits of his labor materialize in the form of next-level interest. 

 

Cotton is very much cut from a similar mold as Beaumont. At around 6-foot-5 or so, Cotton is a big, versatile guard that gets things done on both ends of the floor. On Wednesday evening, Cotton led the way for Florida Pro with 15 points. 

 

PSB Atlanta wins a tight one with a newer face

 

Stalwarts like Amir Boyce, Zyere Edwards and Blake Wilson did their thing and reminded us of why they should be drawing eyeballs from the coaches in attendance. We haven’t seen PSB in a little while though, and a name newer to us played well. 

 

Camerion Johnson had some terrific moments throughout the game. From down in Brunswick, Georgia, Johnson’s a strong, shifty 6-foot-3 guard who showed a knack for getting to the rim and finishing. 

 

Quick Hitters

 

Trevor Barrett has been a constant on the HoopSeen stage this season. Steady and poised, the Grassroots NC point guard is going to be a steal for a coach at the next level. He’s shown what he can do time and time again this spring. Barrett consistently gets by his man and to the rim where he’s automatic. His midrange game is sharp as well. Where he may not get enough credit is on defense where he’s an aware defender with great instincts and timing. Barrett can rack up deflections on that end with savvy play. 

 

PK Flash can flat-out shoot the hell out of the ball, and Andrew Maddalon poured in seven 3-pointers. He has a lightning-quick release. Within the blink of an eye, he’s caught the ball and it’s through the net. This PK Flash team could make a bit of noise throughout the weekend with the way they shoot the ball. I know they drew a good bit of attention from coaches. 

 

Finally, a coach had his team’s roster accessible via QR code. The future is here folks. I love the innovation.