Pangos Sweet 16: Class of 2023 standouts
The Pangos Sweet 16 is in the books and a number of teams filled the gyms at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas for the first NCAA Live Period of the spring. These five class of 2023 prospects really stood out.
The class of 2023 big man from Southern Utah was one of the more interesting post players in the field at the Sweet 16. He is big, strong, bouncy and tough - all the things you would like your block-to-block big man to have. Once he got his vice grip hands on the rock, he wasn’t letting go of the rebound or loose ball. Felder showed some bounce and played above the rim when the moment called for it. He catches passes like a tight end and is active with his footwork in all categories. This was the first time seeing him and the impression was very good.
We said it last month at the HoopSeen West Tip-Off and will continue to say it throughout the springtime. He’s charting in the right direction as a good mid-level prospect in the West. Gittens has a nice mixture of pop and power as a rim-attacker and interior rebounder. But he also has the wherewithal to become a match-up problem as a wing who can guard switches, be a creative pick and pop option on offense and rotation player for the right level. Gittens had arguably the most exciting play of the entire weekend in Vegas. He took a transition play through the rim and put a defender on a poster. It was certainly a wow moment. Gittens, in perfect fashion, did what he usually does - he got back on defense and moved on to the next play. Hard to not like that from him.
From start to finish, this was a very good weekend for Golesis. He mixed up the production with good scoring, good passing and good play-making. Golesis found ways to put his Kongo team in a position for wins and competitive situations. Not bad for a roster that is still trying to get a feel for each other. He’s a slippery guard through the defense and moved through the floor like a knife in hot butter. Teams had a hard time finding the right mixture of defense to match him. In the end, he found the bottom of the bucket like an experienced scorer that knew exactly what to do and how to do it time and time again.
We saw a very good weekend from Madry at the Pangos Sweet 16. The 6-foot-5 guard was one of the best attackers we saw throughout the event. He shot very well from deep, firing up shots with the utmost confidence. He scored off the bounce and moved well around high ball screens for quick punches to the rim and scores. Madry plays with a physicality that teams had a hard time contending with. He looks bigger and stronger from when we saw him last fall at the HoopSeen West Preview camp in Salt Lake City. Madry could be trending his way into a bigger - and warranted - spotlight with collegiate recruiters.
If you’re into toughness, Thorson is your guy. He played with a broken finger at the point guard position and still commanded his team with authority and poise. He took 10 charges throughout the action and never shied away from a match-up that challenged him. Thorson, who is off to a post-grad year, always made a play that put his team in a position for a play. Whether it was him taking a shot, driving to the rim and kicking out to the wing or making a decisive decision, he wanted to be the lead role in the show. Hard to not respect his approach in those moments. We’ve seen him thrive in our events over the last 12 months and this was no different. Thorson could be a sneaky prospect to watch once the aggressive post-grad schedule tips offs in the fall and winter. That is, of course, assuming that he will still be available.
