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Graf Awards: Crossroads Elite Invitational

Yves Missi
Yves Missi (Rivals.com)

INDIANAPOLIS – Rivals.com's Travis Graf was on hand for the prestigious Crossroads Elite Invitational this weekend. The three-day camp showcased a lot of the top underclassmen from all across the country.

Below are the Rivals' superlatives for the event.

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More: Oklahoma has grabbed the attention of Sebastian Mack

2022 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position

2023 Rankings: Rivals150

2024 Rankings: Top 40

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UPSIDE THROUGH THE ROOF: Jalen Shelley

Shelley is such an intriguing prospect because he just recently started focusing solely on basketball. Formerly a star on the gridiron as well, he decided that his sophomore football campaign was going to be his last.

He definitely made the right choice, as he does some things on the basketball court that really make your eyes light up. At 6-foot-8, he showcases quality guard skills, creating and finishing off of the bounce. While he adds muscle and his micro skills continue to develop, he could end up as one of the best prospects in 2024 if everything goes right.

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CLUTCH GENE: Meleek Thomas

As it stands today, there aren’t very many prospects better than Thomas in the 2025 class. At Crossroads, he was never afraid to take over the game when his team needed a bucket, and he always seemed to deliver.

He had no bigger moment than when he hit a buzzer-beater shot from the outside in the semi-finals to send his team to the championship game. Thomas is wired to score and made many dazzling plays at the offensive end of the court.

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MONSTER ATHLETE: Calvin Robins, Jr.

Robins was an absolute monster when attacking the basket and defenders weren’t able to keep him from scoring without fouling, but that didn’t help, either. The rims at the venue had to have been bent from Robins’ thunderous dunks by the end of the weekend.

At 6-foot-5, he’s built like a defensive end, strong and compact, but he still maintains his bounce, and rose up for tomahawk dunks off of one and two feet multiple times in every game.

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TWO-WAY STANDOUT: Aaron Rowe

Rowe was one of the most impressive prospects at the camp. His willingness to defend was second to none at Crossroads, and he enjoyed locking down the opposing ball handlers as much as he did scoring the ball. At one point, Rowe caused a five second call, which in a camp setting is very rare to say the least. Developing a consistent jumpshot is going to be the next thing that takes Rowe’s game to the next level.

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POTENTIAL FIVE-STAR: Yves Missi

Missi had a great all-around performance this weekend. Although the 2024 forward showed high upside as a rim protecting rim runner, his game is more complex than that. He attacked the rim off of the bounce with confidence and broke down defenders on the perimeter. Missi seems comfortable facing up attacking, and would rather do that than stay in the post. His ability to defend multiple positions and his understanding of how to defend the pick and rolls properly was on full display.

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MR. INTRIGUE: Drew McKenna

McKenna was one of the most interesting prospects on display at Crossroads. The 6-foot-8 wing is oozing with upside, showcasing creation skills and scoring ability from multiple levels. McKenna is a confident ball handler for his size and utilized a tight handle to create space on the perimeter, where he consistently picked and chose his spots effectively. The 2024 wing showed the ability to turn the corner and get to the rim at a high level as well, where he finished in traffic at a high rate.

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LONG-TERM POTENTIAL: Alier Maluk

Maluk’s all-around skill set was showed a lot of promise for what’s to come in his game. He blocked and altered a ton of shots, comfortably hit mid-range and long-range jump shots, and handled the ball in the open court. At 6-foot-10, his ability to impact the game in a variety of ways was encouraging to see. He’s definitely a prospect to keep close tabs on in the rising sophomore class.

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OLD SCHOOL GAME: Trey McKenney

There wasn’t very many players more enjoyable to watch than McKenney. Built like a linebacker, he’s strong and agile enough to beat any defender that was thrown at him in a one-on-one situation. He was very crafty, especially in the mid-range, where he took most of his shot attempts and played at an absolute comfort. He utilized many methodical dribble moves to get to his spots and rose up to drain shot after shot from 15 to 20 feet.

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SUPER STRONG: Sammie Yeanay

Yeanay was nearly impossible to stop with single man coverage on the interior. His strength and footwork constantly allowed him to get to the correct angles to put up a shot on the block. Defensively, he anchored the paint and made life rough for opposing drivers. Offensively, he was at his best as a rim runner and even showed a little bit of a handle in the open court.

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