MEQUON, Wisc.- After spending three days on the Georgia/South Carolina border, Rivals.com moved on to the Dairy State for Under Armour's Summer Jam on the campus of Homestead High School in Mequon, Wisc. Class of 2014 big man
Ben Bentil and
Iowa State commitment
Matt Thomas were among the standouts.
Things got interesting at the end as KC Run GMC made a late run to take the lead before We-R-1 scored on an offensive rebound with 2.2 seconds left to win the game. But for the most part, this game was about the play of We-R-1's rising junior big man
Ben Bentil.
Ranked as the No. 36 prospect in the class of 2014, the 6-foot-8 native of Ghana was a dominant force on the interior. He consistently beat big men down the floor, played with a high level of activity around the rim and made scoring plays. An impressive physical specimen who plays with competitive fire, Bentil has quickly endeared himself to college coaches.
Among those already in the mix for Bentil are
Temple, St. Joseph,
Rutgers,
Seton Hall,
Cincinnati,
Villanova,
Georgetown,
Notre Dame,
Syracuse,
Penn State and many more.
One of the most entertaining teams in all of summer basketball is the Utah Reign. The team is made up of the majority of Highland (Utah) Lone Peak's high school squad. They play fast, shoot a lot of threes, and they feature high-level players with grit who compete and execute. Primarily, it's been four-star guards
Nick Emery and
T.J. Haws who have gotten the bulk of the attention.
The
BYU-bound duo is awfully entertaining. From 2013, Emery is a dangerous southpaw shooter with unlimited range, while Haws (2014) is the straw that stirs the drink. He creates off the dribble, hits jumpers and leads his team.
On Saturday, the third of the Reign's BYU commitments, 6-foot-9 big man
Eric Mika, proved that he is a force to be reckoned with as well. With a non-stop motor, strength and good athleticism, Mika is an impact rebounder who plays grown-man ball around the rim. He takes the action right through the chest of his opponents and doesn't back down from anybody. Currently a three-star prospect who sits outside the 2013 Rivals150, Mika will be in the next batch of rankings and could even make his way into four-star territory.
Iowa State has landed one heck of a player in 6-foot-4 shooting guard
Matt Thomas.
Currently ranked No. 104 in the country, the four-star prospect put on one of the more ridiculous shooting displays on the grassroots circuit in sometime. Contested, off the dribble, off the catch, wide open, it doesn't really matter; because if Thomas gets any kind of clean look at the rim, he's launching. And odds are he's going to hit from beyond the arc.
Everything about Thomas' jumper is sound. However, he's a very good all-around player as well. He can create for himself or others off the dribble, and while he's not going to be confused with LeBron James as an athlete, Thomas does move his feet pretty well and is an alert and willing defender.
The Bottom line here is that
Fred Hoiberg and the Cyclones landed a good one who will be climbing the rankings.