Five more names to know from the Grassroots Showcase
LOUISVILLE—The beauty of the Grassroots Showcase is getting teams from all over the country to convene in one location. This gives us a chance to see players out of our general geographical footprint, which is always a blast. Whether it be adding new names to our notes or checking in on guys we haven't seen in months, we love the opportunity to see players from all corners of the country.
Here are some of those guys who stood out to our staff:
The 6-foot-4 guard from NW Indiana was one of my favorite guards from the event. He’s a missile when it comes to attacking, challenging defenders on his way to the rim. Once he has them on their heels, he knows how to step back and knock down the jumper from behind the arc. He stacked up good games against good teams and played with a sense of relentlessness that was attractive to those sitting on the baseline. - Justin Young
Defense will draw the highlights. Believe that. His footwork and tenacity could be the reason why he plays right away when he gets to college. He has reactive hands and knows how to spark a defensive play to offense. Dual has an incredible first step and explodes to the basket with hard drives and athletic finishes. He’s one of the best stockrisers in the Midwest this spring. - Justin Young
The 6-foot-9 big man played up to his size in the paint over the weekend. A naturally big and strong presence in the middle, Jenkins made opponents work against him. He was tough on the glass and smart when he had the ball thrown into him down on the low block. For those coaches on hand, several were digging into the book looking for more information about the class of 2023. Understandably so. He has a good base to work with and a frame that should transition well to the college level. For me, he was a nice addition to the prospect depth chart. - Justin Young
From start to finish, he had one of the best weekends of any guard in the event. Whitlock showed off a terrific touch from three, a knack for powering into the paint with precise dribbles and his decision-making was on point. Whitlock is really tough off the bounce as a shooter. He lulls in his defender with the dribble and knows how and when to rise up for a shot. Whitlock has an “I’ve-been-here-before” calmness to him but pairs it with a killer’s mentality. Don’t be surprised if he busts a bracket in a couple of years. - Justin Young
Jay Rose has some serious bounce to his game. I mean, this guy can absolutely fly. We’ve seen his hops on our platform many a time, but he’s not limited to that. Rose has a well-rounded game that keeps getting better. He impacts the game in a variety of ways. He’s a consistent scorer that averaged double figures throughout the weekend, which was highlighted by a 7-3pointer, 30-point game. Rose is an intriguing 6-foot-4 guard who should continue to see his stock rise with more weekends like this one. - Josh Tec
