NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- The 2015 edition of the National Prep Showcase

kicked off on the campus of Albertus Magnus College on Friday and Miami bound

guard Bruce Brown showed why Hurricane fans were celebrating at the end

of the first signing period.

With a dominant 29 point (12-20 FG), nine rebound and four assist effort on

Friday Bruce Brown of Saxton's River (Vt.) Vermont Academy proved

beyond a shadow of a doubt that he belongs as a top 50 prospect in the class of

2016.

Brown -- who signed with Miami on Wednesday -- played a spirited game

while leading his team to victory. Always known for his toughness, Brown is a

strong and aggressive two guard who has taken his athleticism from good to well

above average. He attacked the rim for vicious jams, dished off some nice passes

on dribble drives and rebounded like a power forward.

Miami fans should be very excited that they were able to lock him up in the

early signing period and I continue to feel that Brown is a potential All-ACC

level defensive player.

Originally a member of the class of 2016, 6-foot-3 point guard Kellan Grady of Northfield (Mass.) Mount Hermon has moved to the class of 2017 and

the change will be beneficial to both his game and recruitment. I've always felt that he

had a good level of skill and shooting ability, but worried about his lack of

physicality and assertiveness. By giving himself an extra year before college he

can get stronger and become more comfortable directing traffic. He looked quite

comfortable on Friday delivering 18 points four assists and two rebounds.

Grady has already been on several college campuses and said that he's taken a

particular liking to Davidson. Villanova and Butler have shown recent

interest but haven't yet pulled the string on an offer. Other offers for the

potential Rivals150 prospect include Xavier, Richmond, Rhode

Island and most of the Ivy League.

The standout so far for Northfield Mount Hermon is 6-foot-3 combo guard Kellen Grady. Swishing threes, slick runner & nifty passing #NPS- Eric Bossi (@ebosshoops) November 21, 2015

In the summer, Canadian point guard Marcus Ottey impressed with his

toughness and high end athleticism. He did so again on Friday for Geneva (Ohio)

Spire Institute. A tough off the dribble scorer, Ottey got to the rim over and

over again while racking up 22 points and six rebounds. He is more scorer than

playmaker but the three-star prospect is one of the better remaining floor

generals. He took Fall visits to Valparaiso and Illinois-Chicago and mentioned

New Mexico State, Toledo, Detroit, UTEP, VCU and Nevada as others

currently involved.

He

didn't check into the game until 15 minutes left in the second half, but 2017

five-star Hamidou Diallo made the most of his time scoring 13 points in

just 14 minutes of action. Hopefully the 6-foot-4 shooting guard plays more on

Saturday because we know he's an elite athlete but need to see how his jumper is

coming along.

Perhaps

UNLV stole one in combo guard Christian Vital. A sharp shooter

from deep with sneaky athleticism, Vital went for 25 points and eight rebounds

while making five of his seven three-point attempts.

Rivals150

power forward Tyrique Jones looks like a good fit for Xavier. They've

always liked having a bouncy, rugged insider who attacks the glass and tries to

dunk everything. That's pretty much his game and he appears happy to do so.

The

story for Kai Toews is an interesting one. The 2017 point guard at

Bridgton Academy just came to the United States from Japan and has not heard

from a single Div. I school. That should be changing soon for the 6-footer. His

father played pro ball in several countries and is now a professional coach in

Japan and it's easy to see he has learned well. Heady, explosive when he needs

it and in total control Toews looks to be at least a very good mid major

prospect.

I

like shooting guard Roosevelt Smart of Bel Aire (Kan.) Sunrise

Christian as a good upper mid major spring target. He's improved his ball

handling and decision making enough to play some point but he's most effective

off the ball as a scorer with some athleticism.

Finally,

you can't like basketball and not enjoy three-star point guard Ian Sistare

of Northfield Mt. Hermon. Sistare is a balls-to-the-wall competitor who makes

jumpers, crashes the glass and leads his team vocally. He was good for 18

points, five rebounds and three assists while only missing one shot.