Elite 14: Bossi's scouting notes

WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- Each year the Elite 14 serves as an invaluable scouting tool in advance of the coming high school season. National Analyst Eric Bossi gives his scouting notes on the likes of Kansas committed sophomore Tre White from his annual trip to Hirschi High School. The top storylines of the event will be covered on Monday in the Starting Five.

Whenever I settle in to watch Lancaster (Texas) High, I know that their backcourt duo of 2020 four-star Mike Miles and 2021 Rivals150 scorer Wade Taylor are going to give me a show. They always play hard, they play fast and it's easy to see why they are being recruited at high levels.

A tough and physical point, Miles continues to evolve and he's getting more consistent. At a higher level -- TCU, Texas A&M and others are coming around -- his defense will help to earn him minutes early. At an upper end mid major, he could play near starter minutes from day one because of his size and style. His only official visit thus far has been to North Texas and he'll likely wait things out until the spring to sign.

Then there is Taylor whose listed 6-foot-1 may even be a little generous and he is probably as much a shooting guard as he is a point guard. His smallish size as a combo may be a knock from some, but I tell you what, Taylor hands out buckets and I believe he's a legit high major prospect because he can stretch the floor, gives you an additional ball handler and because he has a high basketball IQ. Baylor, Florida State, North Texas, Oklahoma State, SMU, TCU, Texas A&M and UTEP have all offered.

San Antonio (Texas) Cornerstone Christian actually has a trio of good looking freshman, but top 25 four man Jerrell Colbert had to sit out during the game I watched. That's fine, I've already seen much more of him than his teammates -- Kansas bound Tre White and Austin Nunez.

Ranked in the top 40 nationally, White is a power wing who has a big body and combines some bounce with power. What struck me most was his skill level. He did some things with the ball (stepbacks, hesitations, changes of pace and direction) that I'd not seen from him in the past and he shot the ball with confidence. He backed up his lofty national status.

As for Nunez, he's not nearly as mature physically as his teammate White but he plays with every bit as much confidence. He's a gunslinger from deep who has no reservations about pulling up for jumpers and he's pretty crafty off the dribble. When he adds strength through physical maturation, he's got the skill and feel to be a real problem and that's why Baylor, LSU, Memphis, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, UT San Antonio and Wake Forest have already offered.

High school basketball fans in the state of Oklahoma should have a lot of fun watching the Kingfisher (Okla.) High duo of three-star point guard Bijan Cortes and three-star shooting guard Matthew Stone.

Cortes is going to be a favorite of the mixtape crowd before he's done because he has some serious sauce in his game. He's a showman and playmaker who really dances with the ball, sees passing lanes and has explosive athleticism to the rim when he wants. He's also strong and is somebody who has a chance to crack the Rivals150 for his class. North Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, Tulsa and many others have been in with early offers.

While Cortes serves it up to open teammates, Stone is a fiery and strong two guard who is often the benefit of open looks. He plays with some serious intensity and I loved how seriously he took something like a preseason scrimmage. It's pretty clear he puts work into the weight room and he's setting himself up for the best chance of success at the next level. Like Cortes he holds OSU and Tulsa offers and has also landed scholarships from Belmont and Texas A&M.

Headed to Northwestern and Butler respectively, both combo guard Ty Berry and power forward Jakobe Coles look capable of providing help as soon as they arrive on campus.

I'm actually quite sure that Northwestern could have used Berry on Friday night when they fell at home to Merrimack. He's done a tremendous job of adding strength in the weight room of Sunrise Christian, looked comfortable both on and off the ball and mixes deep jumpers with pull ups and drives to the rim nicely. Berry hit a lull with his game during the spring and has spent the last four or five months putting it all back together.

I'm not going to be at all surprised if Coles ends up an All-Conference player in the Big East before he finishes his time in Indianapolis. He's skilled, he's tough and he can play either as a tough four man or a small ball five. What I was most struck by is the work he has done to get in shape. He's always been strong but he has gotten rid of a few excess pounds and really leaned up. I'm pretty surprised he got out of the region.

I'll admit it, I was pretty skeptical of whether or not Trey Phipps could play at the Big 12 level when he committed to Oklahoma. Don't get me wrong, it isn't like I thought he was a bad player or anything like that. I have always loved his fire and ability to shoot from deep, but I also worried a lot about his lack of size for a shooting guard.

But, after watching throughout the summer and again over the weekend in Wichita Falls I've really come around on the thought of him contributing in Norman. Make no mistake, he's one of the very best three-point shooters in the class of 2020 and that alone will help him out. But, I think I underestimated his all around game and just how much his confidence plays into his success. He and five-star Bryce Thompson make for one heck of a high school backcourt.

To wrap things up, I want to give some quick hitter notes on some new names making their way onto the radar.

Ronald Holland- A freshman on a pretty loaded Duncanville (Texas) High squad, Holland looks like a potential big time recruit. He is unafraid against older players, has a tremendous motor, is athletic and can shoot with some range at 6-foot-6. Mark his name down for future reference.

Kiante Williams- If I was in the Big 12 or SEC I'd be starting to keep tabs on this sophomore wing from Lubbock. He's at least 6-foot-7, moves around fluidly on the perimeter, can put the ball on the floor and has a nice looking jump shot. I'm not saying he ends up at the same level as 2020's Ziaire Williams, but physically he reminds me a lot of him at the same age. When he gets a little more physical and aggressive, he could reach a pretty high level.

Cade Hornecker- A lean and wiry strong sophomore center from Amarillo, Hornecker is getting tracked at the mid to high major level and I suspect programs will start making him more of a priority soon. He runs the floor extremely well, has some toughness and shows skill and touch from eight feet and in. Good looking prospect.

Shaedon Sharpe- A member of Canada's U16 National team, Sharpe is an explosive 6-foot-4 sophomore wing at Sunrise Christian with upside on both ends of the floor. Right now his specialty is finishing at the rim in transition or off of a drive but he doesn't look bad as a spot up shooter either. What I really like is his potential to be a big time defender thanks to his physical tools.

Noah Shelby- With offers from Georgetown, TCU, Texas and Vanderbilt, Shelby isn't exactly an unknown but the sophomore from Dallas' game is rounding out. His calling card is shooting the ball and he's not a guy you want to give a clean look because he will burn you from deep. Now, he's adding to his game off the dribble and becoming a bigger threat to create for himself and others which will only enhance his jumper. When he matures physically, strength and more explosiveness should be huge for him.