Evans' Takeaways: Thursday in Vegas

LAS VEGAS — A full day of action was on the plate Thursday as the third and final July evaluation period hit full stride. We got a look at some of the top underclassmen to begin the day before ending it with an inspired performance from Devon Dotson.

RELATED: Evans' Wednesday takeaways | Bossi's Thursday takeaways

The buzz was still in the air after what is becoming a legendary night in Las Vegas on Wednesday. The LaMelo Ball versus Zion Williamson affair had people reminiscing about the good ole’ days when LeBron James graced the sidelines at ABCD Camp.

Another huge matchup was on tap for Thursday, as a pair of top 10 players would be on opposite sides. Williamson, class of 2018’s No. 2 player, would face No. 10 Immanuel Quickley’s squad. And while each had their moments, but it was Devon Dotson that sucked all of the air out of the building as his argument continues to mount to be included within the conversation as the best point guard in the 2018 class.

Dotson, a four-star ranked No. 33, got the bettter of Quickley on Thursday. It was nearly impossible to keep Dotson out of the lane. The perfect complement to Williamson, Dotson did his part and then some, and he was motivated to face one of the top-rated players at his position.

“I just wanted to compete and go out there and playing with a chip my shoulder, but also getting the win,” he said. “I just wanted to do all the right things playing next to Zion.”

Let us not understate the type of performance that Dotson had. Posting 17 points and 10 rebounds and with head coaches from Kansas, Miami, and Florida seated on opposing baselines, Dotson continued to cement his case as one of the best players in his class. He will visit Arizona on Aug. 1 for an official visit and he will visit KU and Florida in September.

The name of Aaron Henry has been heating up for the past few months and on Thursday, there was no shortage of high-major head coaches in attendance for the Gary Harris Elite product. Built like a linebacker and with the toughness to match, Henry’s stock has exploded this month as some of the very best Midwestern programs have tossed their hats into the mix.

Head coaches from Illinois, Michigan State, Butler, Ohio State, Purdue, Xavier, Nebraska, Indiana and UConn watched his team’s double-overtime win. Three months ago, Henry’s recruitment was more in the mold of a mid-level priority. Now, Henry, thankful for all of those in pursuit, is facing the next step with his recruitment.

“I want to cut it down after this week, he said. “I want to make it a top six. I am going to take my SAT on Aug. 26 and I am going to take my official visits after that.”

Henry is the type of versatile wing-forward that should immediately breathe life into whatever program that he calls home.

Jalen Johnson put on a memorable performance. The member of the 2020 class, who we profiled earlier in the week, has all the tools to be a heavily recruited prospect in the coming years.

On a hot and steamy day in Sin City, Johnson's only mistake may have been his missed lay-up to begin his afternoon session.

Capable of playing a point-forward role, Johnson picked apart his opposition with accurate passes, hit impressive turnaround jumpers and scored through contact on the break.

Wisconsin and Marquette have already offered, two programs that dispatched assistants to his game. Kentucky and North Carolina also took in his team’s win. He will visit Duke on Aug. 11 and chances are, while the top in-state programs will do whatever they can to keep him home, the bluebloods are already circling.

The game prior to Johnson’s ran late, but Moses Moody made it worth watching.

A 6-foot-5 scoring guard from Arkansas, Moody, facing a one-point deficit and with the time winding down in overtime, raced up the floor with the ball, saw two defenders converging upon him, stopped short of the volleyball line, hoisting up a fluid 35-footer. It was cash.

After the game, Moody talked about having the guts in attempting such a shot.

“I was just feeling it. I had a great pass from my teammate that got me the ball in the right position,” he said. “It was just a great shot in the right moment. That is the kind of shot that I really like.”

One of the top prospects from the south in the 2020 class, Moody has already visited UCLA, Baylor and Arkansas. The Hogs are one of the teams to watch as keeping the top in-state talent at home has been vital for Mike Anderson; Moody is expected to visit the SEC campus again next month.

The days are winding down as college coaches do their very best to show just how much they want, and in some cases, need a prospect. On Thursday, we tracked who was watching who.

Head coaches from Rutgers, Virginia Tech and UConn watched top-100 guard Montez Mathis.

Williamson hosted head coaches from Clemson, Kansas, Kentucky and North Carolina, while South Carolina and Duke also had assistants on hand.

Quickley had Miami’s Jim Larranaga, Kansas’ Bill Self and Kentucky’s John Calipari at his game; each program has set a visit date in September with him.

Jalen Green, tracking as a five-star, top-five recruit in the 2020 class, was watched for the fifth time in two weeks by Kentucky.

In a game pitting top ranked guards Josh Green and Nico Mannion against 2019 top-100 prospects Carl Lewis and Jaime Jaquez, head coaches from Oregon State, Stanford, and UC-Irvine, along with assistants from Oregon, Arizona, USC, Arizona, Oklahoma, South Carolina, UNLV and Villanova were each on hand.