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No. 1 prospects Ayton and Bagley back up billing at EYBL Hampton

Marvin Bagley
Marvin Bagley
Nike/Jon Lopez @nikeeyb

HAMPTON, Va. -- Five-star big men Marvin Bagley and DeAndre Ayton sit on the thrones for their respective classes of 2018 and 2017. They proved why on Saturday and were just two of many players making big noise at the EYBL in Hampton.

BAGLEY AND AYTON IMPRESS

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On Saturday, we were able to watch 2018's No. 1 player, power forward Marvin Bagley, play once and 2017's No. 1 player, center DeAndre Ayton, play twice. Both made it clear why they are No. 1 in their respective classes.

In a word, the near seven-foot tall Ayton was dominant for California Supreme. Ayton hit jumpers, ran the floor, protected the rim, cleaned the glass and he showed off slick passing ability. How good was he? The junior at Phoenix (Ariz.) Hillcrest averaged a video game-like 23 points, 15 rebounds, six assists and 3.5 blocks per game. Kansas has been the most involved but Arizona, Kentucky and UCLA are among those that are starting to look closer.

For his part, Bagley was almost as impressive as Ayton during the game we watched. The 6-foot-1o power forward from Chatsworth (Calif.) Sierra Canyon scored 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Phoenix Phamily to a big morning win over Team Final. Rangy and athletic, Bagley did most of his damage around the rim but also showed skill in the high post. His most impressive play of the day, though, came when he blocked a shot to the backboard, got the rebound and then dribbled coast to coast before swishing a pull-up three pointer. Just not fair for a kid with two years of high school left.

Bagley -- whose class of 2020 brother Marcus Bagley showed much promise as a small forward scoring eight points and grabbing three rebounds playing up three years in a 17U game -- has offers from the likes of Arizona, Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, UCLA and many more but said he's not sweating the recruiting process just yet.

"I don't really talk to the coaches yet," Bagley told Rivals.com. "My dad is handling all of that for me now and I'm worrying about it later on in the process.

"I'm just focusing on trying to be a normal kid and having fun playing basketball."

Lonnie Walker
Lonnie Walker
Nike/Jon Lopez @nikeeyb

Already ranked No. 30 in the class of 2017 Rivals150, Team Final shooting guard Lonnie Walker is just outside of five-star status. The 6-foot-5 junior from Reading (Pa.) High has used the EYBL to build a solid case to get the bump.

He's got tremendous size, is an above average athlete and he's showed that he's just as likely to score by bombing a three as he is attacking off the dribble for pull-ups and strong drives.

Walker's recruitment has certainly taken off.

He listed a recent offer from Kentucky to go along with the likes of Villanova, Syracuse, Florida State, Miami, Oregon, Virginia, SMU and Indiana. He's not planning to cut his list until at least later in the summer and hasn't yet set a timetable for making his choice.

Right now, he's just trying to see how he compares to the best players.

"I just want to see how I compare to the top talent in the country. I want to see where I stand so if I'm falling off I know what I need to work on during the summer.

"I'm focusing on my post moves and just being consistent."

FIVE-STAR DIALLO UPDATES RECRUITMENT

One of the hottest players this spring has been five-star shooting guard Hamidou Diallo. The New Yorker who attends Putnam (Conn.) Science has been a standout for the New York Rens in the EYBL and he's proven very worthy of his No. 10 overall ranking in 2017.

Diallo has scored recent offers from Duke and Kentucky and swung by Syracuse recently. He caught up with Krysten Peek in the above video and updated where he stands and when he'll look to make a college choice. Hint: It won't be anytime soon.

RIVALS150 FORWARD KYLE YOUNG TALKS RECENT OFFERS

It's been a strong spring for class of 2o17 Rivals150 forward Kyle Young. A skilled and tough combo forward out of Massilon (Ohio) Jackson who ranks No. 139 overall, Young has showed inside and outside game with the King James Shooting Stars.

His recent play has drawn offers from Big Ten powers Michigan State and Ohio State among others. Krysten Peek caught up with Young in the video above and he brought us up to speed on his latest offers.

MORE SATURDAY NOTES FROM HAMPTON

Chaundee Brown
Chaundee Brown
Rivals.com

Nike South Beach looked very impressive in an 83-68 win over a loaded Georgia Stars team. Ranked No. 28 in the class of 2017 seven-footer Zach Brown recently decommitted from Connecticut in what was a mutual split. He's taking a step back before starting the recruiting process over but had a terrific night. He didn't score big, but he controlled the lane on both ends with 14 points, a whopping 26 rebounds and seven blocks.

Brown wasn't without help as four-star wing Chaundee Brown, potential Rivals150 guard Zack Dawson and scorer JoJo Walker all played very well. Ranked No. 76 overall, Brown was relentless and athletic while scoring 15 points and adding four rebounds. He listed offers from Connecticut, Wake Forest, USC, Georgia, Florida and Texas Tech and he visited Florida, UCF and Florida State as a junior. Dawson is explosive in the pick and roll and went for a team high 19 points and five assists while Walker made several tough jumpers to finish with 17 points of his own.

One of the harder working and physically tough players in the EYBL is three-star forward Donnie Tillman of the Oakland Soliders. He's a rebounding machine with improving offense. Tillman listed offers from Marquette, Dayton, Toledo, Creighton, Iowa State, San Diego State, Boston College, USC, UTEP and UNLV.

By playing more around the rim, four-star forward Oshae Brissett made several huge plays (most of them on the glass) down the stretch in a Las Vegas Prospects win while finishing with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Five-star teammate Troy Brown was also impressive as well playing all around the perimeter. Brown's jumper mechanics are looking better and he's a good passer who is starting to fill out. He mentioned that he's wanting to show off more post game and if that part of his game develops he will become much more consistent as a scorer. Brown finished with an impressive 21 points and 10 rebounds of his own and added five assists.

Playaz Basketball Club shooting guard Jamir Harris looks to be ideally suited for a conference like the A-10 or the Big East. At 6-foot-1 or so, he's a strong and compact scorer who can bury shots from deep. He hit for 22 (five threes) in a loss to the Prospects but made several tough buckets.

Some point guards standing out on Saturday were four-star juniors Matt Coleman andQuade Green and soon to be four-star sophomore Ayo Dosunmu. Coleman was aggressive on both ends in a loss to Cal Supreme but scored 21 points, grabbed six rebounds, dished out five assists and had four-steals. Green continues to be the top assist man of the spring and was flawless scoring 19 points and dishing out nine assists in the PSA Cardinals win over the St. Louis Eagles. Finally, Dosunmu caught our eye back in early April playing 16U for the Mac Irvin Fire. Now playing up on 17U, the rangy 6-foot-3 lead guard is getting to the rim at a high rate and showing high major tools. He finished the night off with 20 points, six assists and four rebounds. Dosunmu has recent offers from Illinois, SMU and UIC.

Speaking of warrior types whose contribution doesn't always show in the stats, four-star sophomore Brandon Johns, 2017 three-star Adam Seiko and 2017 Rivals150 forwardHasahn French deserve mentions. French isn't the tallest power forward, but at 6-foot-6 or so he plays like a man and embraces physicality while running with the PSA Cardinals. Johns is a versatile 6-foot-8 power forward playing alongside talented and older big men on the Spiece Indy Heat. He's gotten early offers from Alabama and Iowa and hopes that in state Michigan State and Michigan aren't far behind. Finally Seiko is a tough as nails shooting guard for the Phoenix Phamily and one of the better defenders around. He listed offers from Rutgers, San Diego State, Pepperdine, Portland, Long Beach State, Pacific and UCSB.

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