McDonald's Takeaways: Standouts from Exposure Breakout

The Exposure Breakout event took place at the LakePoint Sports Champions Center outside of Atlanta this past weekend and featured just about all the top Adidas 3SSB programs around the country.

Several highly-ranked prospects around the country were in attendance, but there were also some under the radar prospects that emerged from the weekend too.

Dan McDonald was in the building for all the action and identifies the event's top performers.

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2021 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position

2022 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position

2023 Rankings: Top 30

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George was terrific all weekend for Southern Assault but saved his best performance for last with a 34-point outing against We All Can Go in his matchup with Chris Livingston. The five-star guard out of Texas showed off his whole scoring package with deep 3-pointers, contested mid-range jumpers, and his ability to contort his body any which way to finish inside. George made a strong case to be move up in the next rankings update. Arkansas, Baylor, Kansas, Texas and Texas Tech are some of the schools in the mix. The possibility of going to the G-League exists, too.

It doesn’t take long when watching Livingston to see that he’s just different than most other prospects. Physically, he’s just stronger and more athletic than his peers. He has deep range on his shot, and he can bully his way to finish in traffic. He showed all weekend why he ranks among the top prospects in the 2022 class. Georgetown, Memphis, Ohio State and many others are involved in his recruitment.

In the matchup with Southern Assault, Bradley also went over 30 points for We All Can Go. The five-star point guard scored most of his points relentlessly attacking the basket with tough finishes, but he also made some shots from deep. Alabama, Florida State, Kentucky, Michigan and North Carolina are some of the schools making a pitch to Bradley.

Currently at No. 106 in the 2022 Rivals150, look for Epps to be one of the bigger stock risers in the next rankings update. He had a great weekend for Team Loaded (VA). The Providence commit knocked down seven of his nine 3-point attempts in a Saturday afternoon game. Even with his effortless ability to score, Epps did a great job keeping his teammates involved and making great decisions. He’ll be a star at Providence for Ed Cooley.

Along with Epps, Traore was one of the breakout performers from the Exposure Breakout event. The 6-foot-10 center didn’t see much playing time on a loaded Prolific Prep team this year, but don’t let that fool you. He’s one of the top post players in the 2022 class. He has great size and athleticism to anchor the paint. He has great hands and soft touch as well. He also had one of the highlights of the weekend when made he drove to the bucket from half-court, hit a spin move, and rose up for an and-1 dunk in traffic. He added offers from Kansas and TCU on Sunday night.

Another stock riser to track over the next few months is Billups. The Team Loaded (VA) star possesses great size and athleticism for a wing at 6-foot-7 and he has the skill level to go along with it. He was productive all weekend and looks like a safe bet to make an appearance in the next update of the Rivals150. Clemson, LSU, Oklahoma State and Virginia Tech were in with early scholarship offers.

Phillips has always had the size and athleticism at 6-foot-8 and the smooth finishing ability to attract the attention of top programs around the country. When he’s shooting it like he did on Sunday morning when he made five of his seven 3-point attempts, it takes the excitement level up another level. He’ll be in the conversation to appear in next year’s McDonald’s All-American Game. Indiana is his most recent offer. Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, Ohio State and Wake Forest have also been involved.

Lorient had a really good weekend for Team Florida. The 6-foot-8 forward was super active in the paint gobbling up rebounds and finishing in traffic. He also looks like he’s comfortable hitting shots outside and putting the ball on the floor a little. He should be on high-major recruiting boards soon.

Uzan was a fun prospect to watch this weekend. He has one of the smoothest 3-point strokes around and always seemed to be in complete control for Dream Vision. He scored several early Pac-12 offers and should be a priority guy for programs out west.

Smith stepped up in a big way for Southern Assault in its win over We All Can Go. Normally known for his ability to stretch defenses with his shot, which he did here as well, Smith had several really nice finishes at the rim as well and fought tough on the boards. He reminded a little bit of former Texas A&M standout D.J. Hogg.

Keller brought the energy all weekend for the Utah Prospects. He dominated on the boards, rocked the rims with highlight reel dunks, and was hitting shots from 3-point range. His recruitment has been slowed by an injury that caused him to miss some time last season, but it won’t be long before he becomes a priority guy for programs all over the country. He has all the traits college coaches love in post players right now.

Williams will be a no-brainer to be very highly-ranked whenever we get around to ranking prospects in the 2024 class. Even in the past month, he’s made a big jump in his skill level and the confidence he’s playing with. He had moments on Saturday night where he looked like Kevin Durant knocking down 3-pointers, taking it coast-to-coast off a rebound for a dunk, and blocking every shot in sight. Xavier jumped in with an offer on Saturday night followed by Mississippi State on Sunday. That list will grow in a hurry.

Why not make it a Baker’s Dozen with a couple 2024 prospects to watch? Somtochukwu Cyril from EAB had a pretty dominant weekend playing up in the 17-under division. At 6-foot-10, he’s an elite rim protector and an explosive finisher around the rim.

Before leaving the event on Sunday, I stuck around to watch Paul McNeil Jr. for Garner Road 15-under. I’m glad I did. He knocked down four of his five three-point attempts in the second half alone when I was there and it’s a really smooth jumper. He’s 6-foot-5 with a long, lanky frame and really good athleticism, too.