Elite 14: Bossi's takeaways

WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- The Elite 14 annually features much of the top talent from Texas and nearby states, elite 2020 guard R.J. Hampton took another step forward. More on him and others in National Basketball Analyst Eric Bossi's takeaways from the loaded event.

Based on his play during the summer and at USA Basketball's minicamp in October, R.J. Hampton has established himself as the best point guard in the sophomore class. I think we need to start discussing whether or not he's the best guard in the country regardless of class.

The game is moving more and more to skilled guys who have versatility and Hampton is the prototype offensive minded floor general with size. He can shoot from deep, he has a devastating mid range game, he plays with an infectious enthusiasm and has a big time work ethic.

Hampton has hit Duke, Kansas and Kentucky this fall and I'm expecting his recruitment to turn into an all out war between the nation's top programs. Of course he'll have to continue to get better and it's sometimes easy to get captivated by the up and coming talent, but pound for pound he stacks up favorably with anybody in the country.

Kevin McCullar isn't yet a big name nationally, but I think that's going to end up changing sooner than later.

I spent a lot of time watching him play for the Yes II Success 16U squad during the summer and loved his playmaking and scoring off the dribble from the wing. Seeing him with an excellent San Antonio (Texas) Wagner squad, I was able to really see his entire game.

McCullar has a terrific basketball IQ and continually makes the right decision. He passes very well, has good positional size and is a versatile player on both ends of the floor. Texas A&M, Tulsa, UT San Antonio, Kansas State (Bruce Weber watched on Saturday), Texas Tech (where his father played football), Houston and others have offered and Kansas and Wake Forest are among those looking to jump in.

The amount of talent that head coach Luke Barnwell has at his disposal at Sunrise Christian is almost unfair and they look like at least a top 10 team in high school basketball.

In Central Arkansas bound wing Khaleem Bennett and Loyola Chicago bound point guard Isaiah Budjoso, Sunrise has two solid and battle tested seniors. Their leadership is going to be key because the rest of the talent is from the classes of 2019 and 2020.

The headliner is five-star sophomore N'Faly Dante. A difference making big man who protects the rim, flies up and down the floor and shows more and more offense each time out, he's a legitimate big timer with offers from LSU and Oklahoma State among others and he was on campus at Kansas earlier in the Fall.

In the junior class, Sunrise has three four-star prospects who currently hold places in 2019's top 100. Wing Malik Hall is the highest ranked and has tremendous size, can shoot from deep and has added a nice middle game. Florida import Blake Hinson has gotten into tremendous shape, can really shoot from deep and though he can play the wing projects as a high level stretch four man. Speaking of Hinson, he told me that he is considering a move to 2018 if things work out. The other ranked player is long and lanky wing Jordan Turner. Turner is a fine athlete who wields a good looking jump shot. Once he adds consistency he could take another big step forward. Turner has a twin brother Jalyn Turner who has a chance to be a Big 12 level prospect himself.

I'll look forward to seeing how these guys do against a strong schedule this winter.

Because of injury, top 50 junior Jalen Wilson didn't get a full spring and summer. However, when he played with YGC36 on the Adidas circuit he showed a huge ceiling because of his size, shooting touch and overall skill.

Watching him on Saturday, it's clear that he's added to his game. Most notably, he's hit the weight room and gotten much stronger. When he stopped settling for jumpers and used his size and strength to attack the paint and finish through defenders he wasn't guardable.

We're talking about a guy who is just figuring out how good he could be but he's got room for some serious upward movement in the rankings. He's been to Oklahoma and Texas A&M this fall and mentioned Marquette and TCU (head coach Jamie Dixon watched on Saturday) among those who are making him a priority.

The Elite 14 has actually expanded well beyond 14 teams and the jamboree style of play across four gyms where each team plays two or three times allowed for seeing a lot of talent. Here's some quick hitters.

Three-star wing Jaycson Bereal is a little wild and has to learn some things about pace and decision making, but his size, length, athletic ability and aptitude for creating off the dribble could one day make him a star at Boise State. If he gets serious about his overall skill level and playing hard on both ends he could end up having Big 12 programs wondering why the passed on him. Great chance for Leon Rice and his staff to show what they can do when it comes to player development.

Class of 2020 guard Mike Miles of Lancaster (Texas) High recently has offers from TCU and Oklahoma State and Old Dominion offered after seeing him on Saturday. Thanks to a growth spurt, he's no longer undersized and he's got strength, quickness and a really aggressive style. Keep an eye on him down the road.

Four-star junior power forward Drew Timme has one of the best motors of any player in the country. On top of his motor he is tough, has great footwork around the hoop and soft hands. On Saturday he hit a few 15 foot jumpers. If he can consistently make that mid range shop while contested by big men with his size, his value on the next level takes a huge leap. TCU, Gonzaga, Purdue, Illinois, SMU, Tulsa, Baylor and Kansas State are among his offers.

He didn't have his best shooting game in the contest we watched, but there's no doubting that 2020 four-star Bryce Thompson has a high skill level. His ability to create space via the dribble and feel for getting open off the ball is big time. One thing moving forward that I'd like to see is for him to raise the release point on his jump shot. He shoots it kind of low and because of that he needs a little more room than he may get on the highest levels of college hoops to get his shot off. Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Tulsa, Texas A&M, Houston, Iowa and others have offered.

Arkansas bound Rivals150 forward Jordan Phillips is a perfect fit for the Razorbacks up tempo style. Defensively he can switch up and down the floor and on offense he can play on the wing or as a mobile four man. He's got a college ready body, can get to the rim and is getting more confident in his jumper.

Finally, Northwestern bound Miller Kopp was on fire with his jumper. He is in constant motion off the ball and is always ready to shoot when he catches. He'll play the three and the four for Chris Collins and should be a multiple year starter. His Texas A&M bound point guard Sahvir Wheeler from the class of 2019 had a good day as well. He made good decisions with the ball and is a ball hawker on defense.