Cassidy Awards: Will Barton Elite Camp

BALTIMORE – The 2023 Will Barton Elite camp unfolded in Maryland over the weekend and it didn’t lack in star power or impressive performances. Rivals.com national analyst Rob Cassidy was on hand for the event and dished out his own awards based on what he saw.

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Related: Cassidy's takeaways from the Will Barton Elite Camp

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What he did: The event didn’t distribute an MVP award, but Rooths would have been the favorite to win it if one existed. The 6-foot-7 forward is an aesthetic shot-maker that continues to add muscle and refine his ball-handling ability. He’s not polished as a long-range shooter just yet, but the four-star prospect was a menace in transition and off-dribble in Baltimore. Defenders have a hard time staying in front of the explosive Rooths, who has become a reliable finisher and mid-range threat. Rooths has nice bounce and routinely plays above the rim. He also impacts games as a switchable defender when he’s engaged on that end of the floor.

Recruitment: Rooths has set visits to Virginia Tech (Sept. 2), Michigan (Sept. 8) Maryland (Sept. 15), Florida State (Sept. 22) and Miami (Sept. 28). It sounds like Virginia Tech and Maryland are among the teams to beat as things stand, but the pecking order could evolve as he takes the aforementioned trips.

What he did: Jackson is constantly forcing action when he’s on the floor and dictates pace as well as any guard in the class. He’s still improving when it comes to decision-making, but he's already a true three-level scorer that has developed a pretty reliable floater to go along with his shooting ability and knack for finishing at the rim. He’s undoubtedly one of the top guards in the 2025 class and looked the part for most of the event on Saturday. He’s still limited a bit defensive because he lacks truly ideal size, but he’ll be able to give a team a little more on that end as he adds muscle down the road.

Recruitment: Jackson is yet to set any junior year visits but expressed interest in touring both Kansas and LSU. Syracuse, Indiana and Seton Hall are also worth monitoring the visit front. Kentucky recently reached out but is yet to offer Jackson a scholarship.

What he did: Ament’s eye-opening summer continued on Saturday, as the 6-foot-7 wing showed off a sweet shooting stroke from 3-point range. His combination of jumper and size make him a matchup problem and will provide whichever school he chooses with a versatile tool capable of impacting games from nearly every spot on the floor. His ceiling is as high as almost any other prospect in the 2025 class, as 6-foot-7 shooters with above average ability to grow on trees.

Recruitment: Ament is set to visit Duke, Iowa and Virginia and in the coming months. He also says that Indiana and LSU are in frequent contact.

What he did: Mallory has a well-earned reputation as a dynamic scorer and facilitator, but his size has been the biggest question mark surrounding his ceiling. While the talented point guard still stands 5-foot-9, he's added significant muscle in the past six months or so. His beefed-up frame allows him to bully his way to spots against thinner defenders Mallory showed the ability to rebound better than you’d expect based on his limited length, but his calling cards will always be his ability to fill it up from outside and make wise choices with the ball in his hands, both of which he did on Saturday.

Recruitment: Mallory says he hopes to fall visits to Clemson, Virginia Tech and Virginia but has not finalized dates at this moment.

What he did: There were very few prospects at the camp that can match Mingo’s long-term upside. The class of 2026 point guard is all of 6-foot-5 and creates space off the dribble with regularity. On Saturday, he showed himself to be a reliable pull-up shooter in a matchup with five-star Tyler Jackson. Mingo needs to become more engaged as a defender and more assertive with the ball in his hands, but that stuff will come with time. For now, there simply aren’t many 2026 prospects with his combination of size, skill and ball-handling ability. There’s serious pro potential here if things break correctly.

Recruitment: Mingo already holds a handful of major offers, including ones from Virginia Tech, St. John’s and Washington.

What he did: When discussing sophomores that shined at the event, you have to discuss Pendergrass, a recent reclassification from 2025 that made a mark on a field filled with Div. I prospects. Pendergrass moved his 6-foot-8 frame around the court with the agility of a small player and shot it well for portions of camp. His length, athleticism and instinct allow him to be a tenacious rebounder that creates extra possessions as well.

Recruitment: George Mason, St. Bonaventure and Bryant have all offered Pendergrass, but programs such as Penn State and Notre Dame are also involved.

What he did: At 6-foot-7 Jackson is a well above average athlete with impressive elevation on his jumper and the ability to regularly score at the rack and in the mid-range. His shot-blocking and rebounding are his calling cards, but he’s showing signs of an expanding offensive game. Jackson could be in for a big junior season at Baltimore’s Edmondson-Westside High.

Recruitment: Both Illinois and Georgetown have offered Jackson, whose offer list will likely continue to expand in the next year.

What he did: A class of 2026 guard, Wilson is just getting started as a major prospect but already shows top-50-type potential. Saturday saw the young, 6-foot-2 guard show off some bounce but also flash his catch-and-shoot game and ability to get by defenders and make the right pass. Wilson also made some high-effort defensive plays in a relaxed camp setting where that kind of thing was exceedingly rare.

Recruitment: Wilson is yet to land his first major offer, but is likely to turn heads playing for Maryland’s Our Lady Of Mount Carmel High School this season.