BERMUDA RUN, N.C.—The annual CP3 Rising Stars camp is underway in North Carolina. The event brings together some of the best underclassmen from across the country. 

For many of these players, it’s an opportunity to introduce themselves to a national audience. 

Here are five of the standouts from the first day of action.

 

 

The 2027 group kicked off the afternoon games, and point guard Tyler Sutton had one of the best freshman performances that I saw. 

First and foremost, his pesky defense made him stand out early on with multiple steals. As the game continued, his offensive aptitude shined. 

Shifty, with a good burst of speed, Sutton was able to get by his man with little

Issue. 

Sutton saw the floor well and made everyone around him better with his passing. 

Getting to the basket for athletic, acrobatic finishes was where he was best as a scorer, but he showed that he can create separation for jumpers on multiple occasions. 

 

 

2026 CG Junior County was one of many prospects from Utah in attendance, and he represented the west well. 

He impressed early and that continued throughout the rest of the day. County immediately popped off the page with athleticism in transition and by showcasing his outside shot. 

As the day progressed, his feel with the ball shined. He thrived in either guard spot with plus positional size. 

West coast schools have already started to offer County. He should be a national name as the 2026 class starts to become more of a major focus. 

 

 

I got to see Hammermeister back in April at HoopSeen’s Bama Jam. He flashed high-level potential that weekend, and he backed it up on Saturday at CP3. 

A 6-foot-7 wing, Hammermeister checks a lot of boxes early in his career. He’s athletic and plays above the rim, and he can knock down shots from deep. 

He had both of those parts of his game working all afternoon, and when I saw him in April. He showed that he can be a creator for himself and others as well. 

He’s talented for certain. It’s only a matter of time before he starts to pop on a bigger level. 

 

 

The New Heights Lightning has had some of the best guards in the country in the last couple of years, and they have another good one in their 2026 ranks. 

PG Jermel Thomas popped off the page on Saturday with his burst and speed. Thomas paired both with an adept handle to shake and blow by defenders. He was a walking paint touch on Saturday afternoon. 

While his ability to score and distribute impressed, his defense might have been the most eye-catching part of his game. 

He’s a competitor on that end of the floor, he sticks with ball handlers with his quickness, and he uses his positional length to disrupt. 

It was no surprise to find out that he was from New York. He plays with that flair, swag that we love from area guards.

 

 

At HoopSeen, we’ve seen a nice history of success building for 2026 F Charlie Gersmehl. 

Playing against some of the best competition in his age group, Gersmehl added another strong chapter in his basketball story on Saturday. 

He might not immediately jump off the page like some of his peers did, but at the end of the day, he doesn’t make many mistakes, and he’s always productive. 

A bit of a tweener between the three and four spots, Gersmehl can play inside and out. He’s smart enough and tough enough to defend bigger players in the post, and he’s agile enough to do the same away from the basket. 

He can score from multiple levels, and he rebounds with the best of them.

He’s fundamental, he’s sound across the board. Gersmehl has shown time and time again that he can do a little bit of everything well.