The National Prep Show went full steam ahead on Saturday as some of the top prep programs on the east coast went head to head in competitive affairs. There were quality performances across the board with tons of college coaches in attendance which should bring further attention to some of the better unsigned senior recruits. No one had a better day than Villanova signee Omari Spellman, while other unheralded recruits like Aleem Ford and Rodney Culver stood out from the rest of the fray.

OMARI SPELLMAN, PF/C, ST. THOMAS MORE, 2016: Spellman got the event going on Saturday morning and the scoring prowess that big man shows is unique for a guy his size. A very strong and powerful forward with great face-up capabilities, the Buckeye State native can score the ball out to beyond the arc and has great touch in doing so. However, he looks a lot more comfortable in controlling the block and converting on baby hooks over his left shoulder and turn and face jumpers from 10-feet and in. Headed to Villanova next year, Spellman finished with 23 points and nine rebounds and should be a guy that Jay Wright uses in various situations in the frontcourt immediately out of the gates.

AJ BRODEUR, PF, NORTHFIELD MOUNT HERMON, 2016: Brodeur is a producer, there just isn’t any other ways around it. A commit to the University of Penn, it would seem that the Ivy League program has a ballplayer on its hands. Standing over 6-foot-8 and with a body that he has continued to touch on as he has added some muscle and knocked off any of the excess weight that may have hindered his play in the past, Brodeur now seems a lot more mobile and athletic in the lane. He has great turn and rip moves from the short corner and seems to always be around the basketball. The NMH senior finishes every play regardless of who is around him and after going down in defeat, the future Ivy star was still productive in finishing with 22 points and nine rebounds while shooting 11-of-17 from the field.

BRAXTON BEVERLY, PG, HARGRAVE MILITARY ACADEMY, 2016: Headed to Miami University next fall, Beverly is one of the biggest steals of the early signing period. While he might not look the part of a major college star, the Kentucky native gets the job done and seems to step his game up against higher levels of competition. He can shoot it from deep with a hand in his face, attack the basket and score with soft floaters in the lane, and has the wherewithal in making the appropriate dump off pass when drawing the second defender. In the giant win over Northfield Mount Hermon, Beverly finished with 20 points, five rebounds, and four assists, and should be an immediate producer within the MAC program next fall.

TAUREAN THOMPSON, C, BREWSTER ACADEMY, 2016: One of the best unsigned senior big men in America, it took a while to get going on Saturday evening, yet the big man was able to display just what makes him such a valuable commodity. After sitting out most of the summer with a hip injury, Thompson looks to have hit the weight room pretty hard and is now a lot more cut and stronger within the trenches. His post moves with his back to the basket have followed a similar upward trajectory as he converted on a few upfake and step-through moves and the use of his pivot foot is exquisite. Still wide open with the recruiting process, the former St. Anthon’s star finished his outing with 19 points and six rebounds while hitting eight of his 13 shots from the field.

ALEEM FORD, F, IMG ACADEMY, 2016: A relative unknown entering the event, Aleem Ford finished off his two game weekend in Connecticut by impressing those in attendance with his long-term upside and versatility on the playing floor. The 6-foot-7 prospect is more of a tweener forward at this time but he is very active in the lane and is capable of stepping out and stretching the defense with the catch and shoot perimeter jumper. The Peach State native is a fairly fluid athlete with quality athleticism and after an 18 point and five rebound affair on Saturday morning, it wouldn’t be all that surprising to see his lackluster recruitment heat up this winter.

RODNEY CULVER, SG, ELEV8 ACADEMY, 2016: Along with Ford, Rodney Culver is still an unsigned senior recruit and one that hasn’t gotten his dues on the recruiting front. Still though, the native of Ohio plays hard from whistle to whistle and has the body already in line in order to produce at the next level. He can score the ball from deep but is most comfortable in putting the ball on the floor and scoring at the basket. Defense is another strong suit of the Florida implant where the 6-foot-4 senior can move his feet very well and should have his future coach’s blessing in guarding the opposing team’s best perimeter offensive weapon. Finishing with 22 points and six rebounds, along with getting to the foul line 11 times, Culver looks to be primed and ready to contribute straight out of the gates next college basketball season.

RECRUITING ROUND-UP

Rodney Culver, a 2016 guard at Elev8, spoke on a college commitment within the next three weeks where it seems that Cleveland State and Ohio are the heavy favorites.

A top-100 big man, Taurean Thompson could commit at the turn of the calendar year and spoke highly on Seton Hall and Syracuse as a future destination spot for him.

A quality sleeper on the east coast, Aleem Ford, a 2016 forward from IMG, has programs from Richmond, Ohio, Hofstra, and USC Upstate involved with his recruitment at the moment.

WHO’S IN THE CROWD?

There was a pretty busy day of college hoops yesterday but still, coaches from Old Dominion, VCU, Delaware, Stephen F. Austin, Maryland, Jacksonville, Holy Cross, Duquesne, Florida Gulf Coast, South Dakota, and Colorado were all spotted throughout the day, along with Kentucky head coach John Calipari and UConn head man Kevin Ollie, both of whom were in for the nightcap game that showcased 2017 Putnam Science wing Hamidou Diallo.