The basketball season is here. Thank goodness. There is so much to talk about and so much to watch. How can you not love what's on tap. Let all the games begin. I'd like to run through 10 things I think I like every week. Between being in the gym and keep a close watch on what's happening in the hoops universe, this space will be saved for the things that stand out to me from the week.

1. The best 2023 prospect I saw at The Scrimmage was Matas Buzelis of Sunrise Christian. The G-League bound forward was the most versatile player that I saw at this loaded one-day event and liked what he did against elite competition. He’s a play-anywhere kind of player.

His ball-handling, creativity, passing, and ability to slash and pass and create mismatches is his value. We’ll see more of him as a shooter, an area that I’d like to get a better grasp of, down the road. We have him No. 9 overall in our class of 2023 rankings. That’s too low. I think he’s worthy of top 5 inclusion in this class. That ranking will be adjusted soon enough.

Once again, Sunrise looks like a team that will be the national contender for the No. 1 overall spot. He’ll be a good reason why.

Put this one on your must-watch list: Sunrise will be a headliner at the upcoming Five for the Fight National HoopFest in Utah next week. The team will play American Fork on Tuesday, Nov. 22 and against AZ Compass Prep on Wednesday, Nov. 23 on ESPN+.

2. The best 2024 prospect I saw at The Scrimmage was Tre Johnson. That shouldn’t come as a big surprise given he’s on top of several national rankings as the No. 1 guy overall in the class of 2024.

But…Since I watched Johnson play, I have asked myself time and time again - who does he remind me of? I don’t know yet. I’ve tossed around a number of names. So, let’s dive into it. Is he in the category of Jamal Murray, Devin Booker, Jrue Holiday and Eric Gordon at the same age?

I’m really interested in this player comp. If you have a good one, let me know.

3. The best 2025 prospect I saw at The Scrimmage was Jaden Toombs of Dynamic Prep (TX). The 6-foot-9 big man was an eye-catcher the minute you walked into the gym and did a quick scan of the court. He is present and active and all kinds of interesting. Playing for former NBAer Jermaine O’Neal, Toombs will have a good voice in his development. I like his hands, his mobility and where he can take his game.

4. The best 2026 prospect I saw at The Scrimmage was Trae Nunn. The fast-rising guard from Waxahachie (TX) was an eye-catcher on a team rich with prospects. A big guard with upperclassmen strength, Nunn sure looks like a guy we will be hearing about quite a bit in the years to come.

In his first varsity game, Nunn squared up against Birdville featuring Michigan State-bound Gehrig Normand. He scored 18 points, had five assists and grabbed five rebounds in the win. Take note, y’all.

5. We’ve been saying it for a while… buy all the stock of Kuol Atak of Haltom (TX). The 6-foot-8 forward from the class of 2024

I wrote this back in August: “Atak is one of the best high-ceiling guys there is in the class of 2024 that we've seen and think he could be one of the best risers during the next 12 months."

I believe that still to this day. We have him No. 58 overall in the class of 2024 nationally and I believe that he warrants inclusion inside the top 45 in the class. Why? Well, big wing with big size with a big ceiling. What I said in August and what our HoopSeen team has said for the last  18 months after watching him thrive with 3D Empire, Atak is worthy of a continued jump up in the rankings.

6. A HoopSeen college catch-up: This is a big junior season ahead for Kelton Talford at Winthrop. The 6-foot-7 forward had a stellar HoopSeen career for Carolina Pressure. Now, three games into his junior year is averaging 18.3 points and 8 rebounds a game. He posted 18 points and seven rebounds against Penn State.

7. A couple weeks old but this Eric Gaines rim-bender still gets me.

LSU transfer Eric Gaines making an early statement in Birmingham!pic.twitter.com/MK77A6Tx5Y

— Mid-Major Madness (@mid_madness) November 2, 2022

8. If you haven’t already, do me a favor and go subscribe to our HoopSeenTV YouTube page.

9. They played a college basketball game again on a Naval ship again. I don’t care who you are, but that’s cool. Having college games played at places that are unique is great for the game. So, let’s throw a couple ideas out there…

I’d love to see a college game played at amazing high school arenas. How about The Wildcat Den in Chinle, Arizona? The 6,000-seat facility serves as the home court to Chinle HS, a school that services the Navajo Nation in Northern Arizona. It is the 15th largest basketball gym in the United State.

10. A stable reminder that I’ll be at the aforementioned Five for the Fight National HoopFest in Pleasant Grove, Utah. Here is the schedule (all times are Mountain Standard Time).

Tuesday, November 22nd at Pleasant Grove High School - TICKETS

12:45 PM  – Corner Canyon HS vs Bingham HS
3:00 PM – Wasatch Academy (UT) vs. Bishop Walsh(MD) NIBC
5:00 PM  – Montverde Academy (FL) vs. AZ Compass NIBC
6:30 PM – American Fork vs. Sunrise Christian (KS)
8:00 PM – Pleasant Grove HS vs Cyprus HS

Wednesday, November 23rd at Pleasant Grove High School - TICKETS

11:30 AM – Bingham vs. Real Salt Lake
1:00 PM – Corner Canyon vs. Bishop Walsh (MD)
3:00 PM – Wasatch Academy (UT) vs. American Fork
5:00 PM  – Sunrise Christian (KS) vs. AZ Compass NIBC
7:00 PM – Pleasant Grove vs. Montverde Academy (FL)