Best of the Preview Circuit: Top Sophomores
With our eight camp Preview series now in the books, our staff has been deep in the archives and drumming up our picks for "The Best of..." series that we will run this week on HoopSeen. We continue our dive deep and move onto the sophomores.
A big splash has been made in the peach state with newly acquired Norcross forward Kok Yat. No one, and I mean not a single prospect at any one of our camps had the skill set, size and athleticism that Yat walked through the door with. Things come naturally for the 6’8 sophomore that has a stroke as fluid as your starting point guards. Yat displayed several intriguing qualities but his shot making is what separates him at an early age. The game is now built around forwards with Yat’s qualities. An appearance on the national rankings is in Yat’s near future. -Tai Young
One of the best shooters we saw over the Fall Preview series. The Charlotte (NC) Providence Day guard is a scorer. He can create separation and make the tough shots. He does a really good job of moving without the ball and use screens. Zanoni first impressed our HoopSeen staff at the June NCAA evaluation period where he scored 38 points against one of the top teams in the state, Charlotte (NC) Carmel Christian. Playing at Providence Day, he will play one of the tougher schedules in the state and compete for a state title. The 6-foot-4 Zanoni has the size for the college basketball game and is already taking in some campus visits. He recently visited Utah and has been to Illinois for unofficial visits. - Justin Byerly
Gortman was effective in knocking down three-pointers every game. He attacks the rim and is an athletic finisher. Gortman defended and had one of the best motors at the camp. He is aggressive on both sides of the ball and never takes a play off. He finished with either hand on multiple drives to the basket and did a very good job of rebounding for his position. One under-valued aspect of his game is his passing ability and court-vision. He made some difficult passes look very easy. Gortman has earned his spot in our HoopSeen 2022 South Carolina rankings when they are released in a few months. - Justin Byerly
Dump all of the bigs I evaluated this fall into a pot and pound for pound, Deante Green would have an argument for the most impressive. It’s a PB&J type of fit when you combine the soft touch and faceup jumper of the talented forward. All flash aside, the production that Green provides, far outweighs his lack of highlight clips. The high majors have picked at him early in what looks to be a trend that won’t stop anytime soon. -Tai Young
Describing Antonio Kite as lightning in a bottle may not be sufficient given the speed that he plays with. Defenders seemed to be in quicksand when Kite came at them full speed in transition. A ridiculous first step and some quick twitch moves was all that was needed when dissecting his opponent. The most intriguing part of Kite may be everything you see when you peel back the layers. Supreme confidence and a swagger that oozes out of his pores gave off the vibe that he’s just getting started.-Tai Young
