The Berkeley Prep National Hoopfest kicked off on Friday evening and while the winter storm created for a disrupted schedule, it still brought in some of the best teams from in and out of the state of Florida. A few college commits hit the hardwood in Tampa but it was a sophomore guard that took the heightened platform by storm as Elijah Weaver showed off all of the physical tangibles that will make him a highly coveted recruit within the 2018 class.

ELIJAH WEAVER, PG, OLDSMAR CHRISTIAN, 2018: A 6-foot-5 point guard who is just a sophomore in high school? That is exactly what you’re getting with Elijah Weaver. His innate feel for the game is top of the line and his physical mold looks that of a college sophomore, not one in the high school ranks. The pace of which he plays at is something else and so is his ability to switch gears on the blow-by move before scoring on soft baby runners off his left hand. Now, the southpaw does have to further his right hand around the basket and also consistently convert off the mid-range pull-up, but the upside from the impressive prospect is elite. He can practically defend all three spots out on the perimeter, values the basketball in the backcourt, and has ideal size for his position and on Friday, had the looks of a top-10 recruit within his class nationally.

TROY BAXTER, F, OLDSMAR CHRISTIAN, 2016: A South Florida signee, Troy Baxter is the definition of entertaining. The long and slippery forward is nearly unstoppable out in the open floor and his finishing skills off of his left foot don’t get much better. However, the highlight reel dunker is more than just an athlete as he converted on four 3-point jumpers off of spot-ups near the baseline region on the floor. He is great at protecting his basket as a secondary line defender and with the way that the game is evolving, should make for being an ideal, small-ball 4-man. If Baxter can continually make jump shots and also develop a set of handles, the Oldsmar star might not last all four years at USF. While the Bulls aren’t having the greatest of campaigns this year, expect for the 6-foot-8 jumping jack to be the breath of fresh needed air in Tampa for head coach Orlando Antigua and company.

THOMAS DZIAGWA, SG, TAMPA CATHOLIC, 2016: Facing an early 20-point deficit on Friday evening, it was Thomas Dziagwa that brought his squad back into its game against Victory Rock Prep. A known specialist from downtown, it is the Tampa Catholic senior’s progressions with his ball skills in creating of the bounce for himself and his teammates that really impressed. He doesn’t mind added physicality on the floor and sure isn’t afraid to let it fly from 22-feet and in. Due to his quick release and high confidence levels, defenders must always know where he is. Heading to Oklahoma State in the fall, the 6-foot-4 guard is going to have a field day playing alongside current freshman star Jawun Evans. He already gets into good spots off the ball and finishing with 36 points and eight 3-pointers, expect for Dziagwa to continue to throw up numbers the rest of the way in finishing out his senior year and become a quality long-distance threat early on in the Big 12 next year.

LOREN JACKSON JR, PG, VICTORY ROCK PREP, 2016: While he definitely is on the smaller side of things, there is no denying the toughness out of Jackson. Super quick and nearly impossible to contain from off the bounce, what Jackson gives up with his lacking size, he more than makes up for with his on-ball defense, finishing skills near the basket, and dribble-drive abilities within the half-court setting. A signed senior recruit headed to Long Beach State, Jackson will be someone that can be relied upon for his energy levels and focus on both ends of the court. He can knock down the open jumper, find the open teammate on the drive to the basket, and sure isn’t afraid to compete, thus making him a sneaky little guard for the Big West program over the next four years.

TYSON WARD, SG/SF, TAMPA PREP, 2016: Missing its star forward in UConn signee Juwan Durham, Tampa Prep still escaped with the hard fought win on Friday evening. With a well-run offense, it was Tyson Ward who remained the catalyst for his bunch throughout. While he has yet to develop his frame, the upside is evidently clear. Possibly growing to 6-foot-7, the 6-foot-4 wing has gotten much tougher and thus, much more productive within traffic down low. The southpaw is very skilled and has a great feel and pace to his game. He can pass the ball, rebound it, and score it efficiently and is no slouch on the defensive end. With a limited recruitment at hand but already eligible for college play in the fall, Ward showed what everyone is missing out on as he came up one assist shy of a triple-double.

MAYAN KIIR, PF, VICTORY ROCK PREP, 2017: Buy some stock now in Mayan Kiir! Wow, did the Australian import put on a show on Friday evening in his team’s win over Tampa Catholic. From the get-go, Kiir displayed impeccable footwork around the basket as he scored on counters move over both shoulders. A very mobile and light-footed forward, Kiir exchanges ends with the best of them and rim-runs like that of current Kansas freshman big man Cheick Diallo. While he failed to display much of a face-up game, the motor, shot changing skills on the defensive, and finishing capabilities are top notch. There is little known about the Victory Rock Prep junior at this time, yet expect for him to explode onto the national scene this spring as he plans to run with the Florida Sons crew.

KEVIN KNOX, F, TAMPA CATHOLIC, 2017: One of the major stock boosters this past summer and now into his junior campaign on the high school circuit, the work Knox has done in rounding out his skillset is impressive. The super bouncy and long-bodied forward flourishes in the open floor and if he wasn’t fast before, he seems even springier and quicker. Against a very long and shot altering squad in the Victory Rock Prep bunch, Knox attempted to show off new dimensions within his game. He continually looked to convert on fluid elbow pull-ups and hit a number of them. He did settle a bit too much and it would have been nice to see the junior forward get to the basket more often in drawing the foul call. Regardless, the high upside, top-10 star has yet to scratch the ceiling of what he can be is and in an okay outing, still finished with 23 points and 16 rebounds on the stat sheet.

RECRUITING NOTES

Kevin Knox, a five-star forward within the 2017 class, will take visits to UNC and Duke from February 10-14. UNC head coach Roy Williams was in to see him on Thursday while Florida State dispatched associate head coach Stan Jones to see him on Friday evening.

Sophomore guard Elijah Weaver spoke on offers from Louisville, FIU, USF, Florida, and Miami, with further interest coming from Missouri and Georgia; Boston College is now expressing interest after seeing him on Thursday.

Tyson Ward mentioned offers from Florida A&M and Coastal Carolina with interest being heard out of Georgia State and Coastal Carolina.

Still in the beginning stages of his recruitment, Mayan Kiir could only remember the offers that he had from Louisville and Long Beach State; he visited the ACC program last summer.