The Shot Clock with Josh Tec: CP3 Rising Stars Quick Hitters
It’s Monday, baby! We’re staring down the barrel of another week, and this week’s edition of The Shot Clock is here to ease that pain. I’m redefining what it means to have a case of the Mondays.
This weekend I got to go to the CP3 Rising Stars camp in North Carolina. That’s what the focus of this Shot Clock will be focused on.
I’ve been tucked away in my office for too long. It felt great to get back out on the road and kick off the camp season on a high note.
Perennially, this is one of the best events for scouting underclassmen. Some of the best from the 2025 and 2026 classes were in Greensboro showing the media and evaluators that there’s plenty of talent to look forward to for the coming years.
Let’s take a look at some of the weekend’s news and notables.
Dybansta steals the show
From the first slate of games on Saturday to the weekend-closing dunk contest and All-Star games on Sunday, AJ Dybansta was one of the centers of attention in Greensboro.
The 6-foot-7 wing checked pretty much every box I can think of over the weekend. He already has the frame of an elite wing with good length and athleticism. Dybansta is a playmaker with the ball in his hands and can create his own and for others. A more-than-willing passer, he routinely got into the lane and peppered the ball out to open shooters, and made impressive skip passes with ease. At this point, I can just keep listing parts of his game that he showed off, but the point has been made by now. He can do a lot well in the early stages of his career.
I’m too unfamiliar with the bulk of the class to make any claims in regard to how he stacks up against the rest of the 2026 class, but I have a hard time imagining that there are many better players than Dybansta.
One of the moments of the weekend was Dybansta paying homage to fellow Bostonian Terrence Clarke during the dunk contest by donning his Kentucky jersey.
👀👀👀#CP3RS #CP3Family #LLTC5 pic.twitter.com/rhhM5AJeBh
— 🚀10TH ANNUAL CP3 RISING STARS NATIONAL CAMP🚀 (@CP3RisingStars) August 21, 2022
As time progresses, one could assume that Dybansta’s recruitment will be one of the more followed in the 2026 class. He’ll have no shortage of options.
A look at some 2025s
To kick off my week’s worth of camp coverage, I want to start by taking a quick look at some of the 2025 players that left an impression on me.
As the week progresses, expect to see more standouts from 2025 and 2026.
Greer is an early no-brainer as one of the better 2025 players in the country. The 6-foot-6 wing already has a lot of tangible and intangible tools that lead to success at the next level. Greer’s a tremendous shooter, and he’s relentlessly competitive on both ends of the floor. He’s a natural leader with plenty of toughness. The Texan has already garnered plenty of attention from high majors in the area. He’ll amass plenty more suitors in due time too.
Easter had a great weekend in Greensboro and proved to be one of the more interesting guards in his class. He has good positional size at 6-foot-5 and looks like one of the best scoring guards in the class so far. Easter is a high-level finisher and can maneuver his way to the rim with ease. Easter is at his best when slashing to the basket and he showed plenty of promise as a shooter too.
Kai Rogers is a grown man. Plain and simple. He was the best player in the weekend-closing 2025 top-20 All-Star game. A force around the rim, Rogers dominated on the glass and finished with aggression around the basket. Just ask the rims. They were hurting after Rogers was through with them.
Collins may have been the smoothest scorer at camp. With his athleticism and ability to knock down shots, generating offense looks effortless for the North Carolina guard. Collins put on a show in making it to the finals of the dunk contest, and he was tabbed as one of the 2025 top-20 All-Stars. It’s not difficult to see why he garnered those accolades. He was easily among the camp’s most impressive players.
Jaiden Arnold was one of my favorite point guards from the weekend. He was tremendous in his decision-making and passing. Arnold has great vision and makes high-level passes. He’s quick and shifty which allows him to get to his spots and navigate through traffic. Cincinnati was well-represented in Greensboro, and Arnold was certainly one of the city’s stars.
2026s to know
After recapping some memorable 2025s, it’s time to take a quick look at some of the 2026s that stood out from the weekend. Because my notes are as robust as ever, there will be more 2026 breakdowns later in the week.
It doesn’t seem like there’ll be any shortage of talent at Pace Academy at any point. MJ Madison is next up for the Knights. I remember seeing him for the first time in February and asking people around me about him. Shout out to Jameel Rideout for giving me the information I was looking for. Since then, Madison has been on my radar as a prospect to track. This past weekend in Greensboro, he proved my early interest correct by being one of the best, most intriguing players in his class. The 6-foot-5 guard/wing is a gifted scorer with plenty of length and versatility. Under Sharman White, Madison will have a chance to develop into one of the state’s best 2026 prospects. Fun fact: Madison is a two-sport athlete, but instead of traditional sports like baseball or football, Madison plays water polo. I love it.
I got to see some gifted 2026 point guards at the camp, and Kemp may have been the best of the bunch. He’s an electric guard who brings plenty of flash and swag to the court. He does so in a natural way though. That’s just how he plays. Kemp has plenty of wiggle and creates space well. He’s a multi-level scorer who can rattle off points in the blink of an eye. I was impressed with his poise and body control when scoring at the basket. He doesn’t shy away from contact at all either. There’s a bright future on the horizon for him.
We have the elder Mgbako as the No. 1 player in the 2023 class. While it’s too early to give the younger Mgbako the same distinction, he showed that he could be continuing to bring some national recognition to family name for years to come. Mgbako had a great outing in Greensboro and proved to be one of the more promising players in his class. He brings plenty of versatility to the floor and is comfortable operating on the perimeter and around the basket. Mgbako is a guy who’ll leave an impact on the game in one way or another. As he continues to grow and develop, he’ll likely be a name we’re writing about for quite some time in the future.
Swinson is a big guard who can use his frame to bully his way to his spots and finish through contact. He also has some finesse to his attack. Swinson can take guys off the bounce and get by his man. During camp he showed that he can consistently score from multiple levels and dish out some nifty passes as well. He’s certainly a guard to track in the 2026 class.
Family ties
An interesting theme of the weekend was discovering family members of known names in the community. Whether brothers or sons, there were a lot of players who look like guys that will carry on their familial basketball lineages for years to come.
Some of the names to note were Ethan Mgbako, Giulio Banchero, Jordan Askew, Elijah Williams, and Jordan Kohler. While the connections don’t hurt by any means, these guys stood out on their own.
I guarantee that there are plenty more that I haven’t connected the dots to yet or that I’ve forgotten about.
Rankings updates
With all of the new input from the weekend, I’ll be adding to HoopSeen’s 2025 rankings, and I’ll be creating a watchlist for the 2026 class. Both will be ready and published by the weekend, so keep an eye out.
These national updates will also spark changes and additions to the state-specific rankings across the board.
When the rankings and watchlists publish, tweet @hoopseen with any players that we may be missing from each class.
We haven’t gotten a chance to see everyone yet, so we would love suggestions!
Camp season
HoopSeen’s camp season is coming up, and these camps are great platforms to build or bolster your basketball resume.
During this travel season, I remember seeing many players I had only previously seen at our camps in the fall. An impression can be made at any time, and it can last quite some time. If you feel like you may be being undervalued, there’s no better way to prove it than coming out and playing well at a camp.
Evaluation never stops, so find a camp that suits you best, and I’ll see you in the fall. Check the link below for more information.
