National Hoops Festival Sunday: Keels steals the show
WASHINGTON, DC. – The National High School Hoops Festival concluded on Sunday and it was Trevor Keels stealing the show once again. While he was arguably the top stock booster from our time in D.C., many others stood out with their play to end the weekend, including his Duke-bound teammate and an emerging sophomore center.
MORE EVANS: Freshmen outplaying their ranking
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Trevor Keels owned the weekend. Check that, he dominated his two games of play. We didn’t give him his due on Saturday but no one improved their national standing more than Keels. Averaging just shy of 30 points and eight rebounds, Keels is the epitome of a winner in every sense.
The basketball version of LeVeon Bell with the ball in his hands, Keels never gets rattled. He plays at his own pace and just like how Bell patiently awaits for the crease to open in the backfield, Keels does as such via the up-fake along the perimeter. He has taken official visits to Ohio State and Virginia already, and is expected to take a few others once his school season ends.
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Favour Aire looks to be one of the best in the 2022 class. He was close to making an appearance in the first 2022 Rivals150 earlier this year; he made his exclusion look to be a major mistake on our part. Finishing with 20 points and 10 rebounds, Aire is one of the best centers nationally and possesses a great motor, mobility and length. He is a dominant presence at the basket that holds offers from IUPUI, Rhode Island and Rutgers, and will be one of the most recruited frontcourt prospects before things are said and done.
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Jaden Springer looks more than ready to contribute. In his first full week of live in game action, Springer ended his stay in DC in the best way possible. Whether it was making difficult step back jumpers look easy, scoring through contact at the basket or creating for his teammates, Springer looks more than ready to star for Tennessee a year from now. Losing Lamonte Turner and Jordan Bowden will hurt but Springer looks to be a more than capable replacement in the backcourt.
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Jeremy Roach was the best story in DC. It was awesome to see Roach fully healthy after suffering an ACL injury last fall. He has regained some of the pop that we have become accustomed to seeing from him off the bounce and his shooting stroke hasn’t left him.
Roach has all of the abilities in the world to succeed in college and beyond. Likely to have the ball in his hands next season with the NBA departure from Tre Jones, there shouldn’t be much of a dropoff, which goes to show just how good we think Roach is.
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Eric Dailey is one of the weekend’s top stock boosters. The sophomore forward has done a great job of revamping his frame where he looks lighter on his feet. That has allowed for him to produce more efficiently away from the basket as both an offensive weapon and on the defensive end.
Michigan offered on Saturday, joining Florida, Iowa State and Texas A&M to have already done so. The lefty is the perfect combo forward that presents a major mismatch in the frontcourt and will be a valuable commodity in the coming years.
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Earl Timberlake found a comfortable landing spot. No one loves bigger guards or wings more than Jim Larranaga and with him sitting courtside along with the rest of his Miami coaching staff, he had to love what he had to see in his future standout. While his jumper remains a work in progress, Earl Timberlake looks more than ready to step in and immediately stabilize the Hurricanes’ perimeter. He is a fastbreak initiator that can play out of the post thanks to his size and strength, defend a number of positions and make the winning plays when it is asked of him. Timberlake is a good one and will continue to be in college.
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Wilson & Leggett will have battles for the next four years. Isaiah Wilson did another great job of leaving a positive mark on Sunday. Averaging more than 15 points and eight assists during his two-game showing, Wilson is going to the perfect place for his style of ball and that is Richmond. He will see Ishmael Leggett a few times as the future Rhode Island product was more than solid on his own end. Making six perimeter attempts and finishing with 22 points, Leggett is a do-it-all guard.