Cassidy's Takeaways: Emptying the notebook from Dallas

CARROLLTON, Texas – Season 3 of the 2023 EYBL season played out in the DFW Metroplex this weekend and Rivals’ Rob Cassidy provided coverage from the event’s first two days. With the event now in the books, Cassidy empties his notebook on players and storylines that presented themselves in the Lone Star State last weekend.

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Austin Swartz has been improving his stock for weeks and continued to do so this weekend with a handful of standout performances for his Boo Williams team, including a 26-point effort that saw him go 6-for-7 from deep. At this point, it seems possible that late-arriving heavy hitters could impact the 6-foot-4 guard’s recruitment, but programs such as Georgia and Virginia Tech have already built solid relationships with the three-level scorer.

On Friday, he named the Bulldogs and the Hokies as the programs with which he feels most comfortable at this juncture due to the fact that they started recruiting him prior to his big spring and rush of new offers.

“They really like me a lot, so I talk with Georgia and Virginia Tech probably the most,” Swartz said. “Indiana is up there, too, but there’s a lot of schools talking to me now.”

There’s obviously work left to do. Swartz is yet to take a single college visit and doesn't plan to until “June or July,” and has recently welcomed offers from schools such as Florida State, Georgetown, Seton Hall, Maryland and St. John’s among others.

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Tre Jonson has enjoyed a lengthy reign at the top of the 2024 Rivals150 rankings, but one of the prospects nipping at his heels made a serious statement in the DFW metroplex over the weekend.

Current No. 3 prospect Dylan Harper, a 6-foot-4 guard out of New Jersey, looked capable of dethroning Johnson for much of the weekend. Harper is as complete of a guard as there is in this class and is proving it against true top flight competition. His pace and decision-making have come a long way in the past few months and have him looking like a true combo guard capable of playing either backcourt spot if need be, even if his ability to create for himself and score from all over the court remains his calling card.

Airious 'Ace' Bailey, who plays for independent grassroots squad Athletes of Tomorrow, is also a serious threat to dethrone Johnson from the No. 1 ranking. And while Bailey wasn’t in action outside of Dallas this weekend, he simply can’t be left out of any conversation about the top spot due to his rare skill set and NBA Lottery-like upside.

What once felt a bit like Duke-vs-Rutgers now feels more like Duke-vs-Rutgers-vs-Indiana. According to sources, Rutgers might hold a bit of an edge if the NIL money ends up being equal, but the Hoosiers have definitely proven that they have the resources to stand toe-to-toe with heavy hitters on that front, evidenced by the fact that it recently landed five-star forward Mackenzie Mgbako, for which the Hoosiers beat out Kansas.

“I knew it,” Harper said upon learning Mgbako picked Indiana on Friday evening. “I mean, he didn't tell me or anything. I just assumed it was Indiana because Mike Woodson is going to put him in the best position to succeed and to get to the next level.”

Indiana shouldn’t be considered the new front-runner at this juncture, but Woodson’s program should definitely be taken a little more seriously than it has been previously in the race to land Harper’s commitment.

There’s still plenty of time for Joshua Lewis to see his offer list grow, but the 2025 forward brings some serious length, versatility and athleticism to the table and should have plenty of high-major opportunities by this time next year. For now, Iowa and Houston seem to be the main players in his recruitment. But the Florida Rebels guard should have plenty more offers thrown his way in the near future, as he’s averaging 10.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest through the first three sessions running with Florida Rebels 16U.

“For right now, I’m probably talking to the Iowa (staff) the most,” Lewis said on Saturday. “They really like me and think I can be a great scorer for them up there.”

Lewis is one of the more explosive athletes in the region and is all of 6-foot-6. He’s a willing 3-point shooter whose stroke from deep seems to be improving steadily, as does his ability to create for himself off the dribble. Lewis has a top-25-type ceiling if it all comes together in the next year. According to Lewis, Michigan State is his dream school but the Spartans are yet to make contact.