Over the weekend, though, things got off to an unofficial start at The Warmup presented by MADE Hoops. Five-star shooting guard
Malik Monk led his Arkansas Wings squad to a title on his home floor and one was one of several standouts.
The No. 5 player in the class of 2016, 6-foot-3 guard
Malik Monk had the luxury of leading his Arkansas Wings squad into battle on a floor with which he was quite familiar. The Warmup was played at Bentonville (Ark.) High, which is Monk's high school.
It's not as if Monk has trouble putting up big numbers in any venue, but he looked quite comfortable playing on his home floor. A true high flyer, Monk thrilled those in attendance with above-the-rim acrobatics and deep three-point shooting. He can get by just about anybody with his lightning-fast first step. Monk is also a pretty good passer, particularly in transition.
Because he was dialed in from deep, Monk was tougher to cover than usual. If you crowd him to try and prevent jump shooting, he gets to the rim where he's just too athletic to stop. But, then again, that's always been the deal with him.
With the Wings entering play in Nike's Elite Youth Basketball League next weekend, Monk is going to run into better players - and he got a taste of that with some EYBL teams playing at The Warmup - and better defenses. If his jumper or drives get taken away, how well has he developed his mid-range game? That's something that Rivals.com didn't get to see over the weekend in Arkansas and it will likely play a huge role in Monk's long-term development. He is a bit of a tweener between shooting guard and point guard.
A target of the utmost priority for nearby
Arkansas, Monk also has overtures from
Duke,
Florida,
Kansas,
Kentucky,
LSU,
North Carolina and many more. For now, though, Monk is playing it cool and he indicated that he's really not thinking about favorites and that he's not likely to lock into narrowing things down until after the summer has come and gone.
The No. 2 player in the class of 2017, 6-foot-8 small forward
Michael Porter got off to a somewhat slow start during his first game for MoKan Elite. But the product of Columbia (Mo.) Father Tolton arrived just moments prior to MoKan's Saturday afternoon tipoff against Team Penny after taking a flight in from California, where he'd been for spring break.
Once Porter got his legs under him, though, it was easy to see why he is so highly regarded as a prospect. A terrific shooter from deep, Porter hit his first deep three on a twisting pull-up in transition. He then got to the rim for dunks, hit medium-range shots, got on the glass and worked his way to free throw line.
Despite his lofty status in the 2017 rankings, Porter is a player that has yet to be seen much by the masses in the recruiting world. That's going to change here soon enough and he looks like a guy ready to deal with all of the attention and scrutiny that will soon be coming his way.
A new team on the summer circuit is Louisiana-based Elfrid Payton Elite. They'll begin play in Nike's EYBL this weekend so The Warmup was a good place to see what they have. They made it all the way to the finals where they lost to the Arkansas Wings but if what Rivals.com saw over the weekend plays out this spring, junior guard
DeJon Jarreau is one who could be ready to break out.
Currently ranked as the No. 116 player in the 2016 Rivals150, Jarreau is an intriguing prospect. Standing 6-foot-4 he has the size to play the two, but is also a slick ball handler with great burst and very good vision who can run the point. He is an athletic finisher in transition, moves his feet well on defense and does a great job of changing speeds.
What Jarreau isn't just yet is overly consistent. He will make a few plays that scream out high major while at other times he is content to coast and not make as much of an impact on the game as he could. However, the Elfrid Payton group is a new one and it looked as if everybody, including Jarreau, was feeling out their roles and how they fit with their teammates.
The bottom line is this, Jarreau looks to have pretty considerable upside and he will soon be elevated from three- to four-star status. He told Rivals.com that he currently has offers from Louisiana Lafayette,
Tulsa,
Oklahoma,
Boston College,
Memphis,
Louisiana Tech,
Washington, UMass and Oral Roberts.
Look for that list to grow.
Nike Team Texas was without some firepower over the weekend as 2017 guards
C.J. RobertsClick Korita does not yet have any offers but has heard from Arkansas, Missouri State, Wichita State, Wake Forest and Memphis. Curry said that he's got early interest from Arkansas, Tulsa, Memphis, Iowa and Oregon. Smith has started to rack up the offers with Arkansas, Oklahoma State, Tulsa and Creighton extending early offers. He had one from Tennessee but has not yet been in contact with anybody from Rick Barnes staff to see if the offer still stands.Here to view this Link. and
Jordon MyersClick Korita does not yet have any offers but has heard from Arkansas, Missouri State, Wichita State, Wake Forest and Memphis. Curry said that he's got early interest from Arkansas, Tulsa, Memphis, Iowa and Oregon. Smith has started to rack up the offers with Arkansas, Oklahoma State, Tulsa and Creighton extending early offers. He had one from Tennessee but has not yet been in contact with anybody from Rick Barnes staff to see if the offer still stands.Here to view this Link. sat with injuries. That left a lot of the ball handling to four-star sophomore combo guard
R.J. NembhardClick Korita does not yet have any offers but has heard from Arkansas, Missouri State, Wichita State, Wake Forest and Memphis. Curry said that he's got early interest from Arkansas, Tulsa, Memphis, Iowa and Oregon. Smith has started to rack up the offers with Arkansas, Oklahoma State, Tulsa and Creighton extending early offers. He had one from Tennessee but has not yet been in contact with anybody from Rick Barnes staff to see if the offer still stands.Here to view this Link.. Nembhard is strong, can create off the dribble and a good athlete. At times, he gets caught up in indecision between looking for his own offense and creating for others. He has the tools to be very good, though.