Spring Ice Breaker: Top three R.J. Hampton dominates, talks NCAA Tournament

RANKINGS: 2018 Rivals150 | 2019 Rivals150 | 2020 Rivals150 | 2018 Team

HOUSTON - The best player in attendance at the RCS Sports Spring Ice Breaker, 2020's No. 3 player R.J. Hampton left no doubt about who best player on the floor was. The five-star also talked about what he can learn from the NCAA Tournament while a prospect from London emerged onto the scene.

The No. 3 player in the class of 2020, Little Elm (Texas) point guard R.J. Hampton was as advertised playing for his new club team Mudiay Elite.

Noticeably stronger and more explosive athletically, Hampton got to the rim at will, elevated for deep jumpers and looked the part of possibly the best point guard in the country regardless of class. Lately, he's been spending a lot of time watching the NCAA Tournament.

Winning or losing doesn't make a big difference, but he is watching to see if coaches stay true to who they are.

"I don't think it can help or hurt a team that's recruiting me because at the end of the day when I get there it will be a whole new team and maybe a whole new coaching staff," Hampton told Rivals.com. "So I look at what happens in the tourney with a short life.

"But, I am watching the NCAA Tournament closely. I'm watching it at home, in the car on my phone, I'm watching everything pretty much. During Tournament time some coaches change philosophies and some don't. I'm liking what Duke is doing. They are staying with what they've been doing using Marvin Bagley and Wendell Carter. When coaches can stay the same way the whole year, that shows the type of poise they have and those are the kind of coaches I want to play for."

Hampton visited Durham to see Duke during the fall and he also made a trip to Lawrence to see Kansas. The Blue Devils and Jayhawks can't contact Hampton directly until mid June but have been active speaking with his father and those close to him.

"I think those two schools (Duke and Kansas) are recruiting me the hardest even though they can't contact me directly," said Hampton. "So I think once the middle of June hits it will be kind of crazy."

Among the others that Hampton mentioned as making inroads with him were UCLA, Texas, Baylor, TCU, Mississippi State and Oklahoma State.

A native of London, 6-foot-8 sophomore combo forward Richard Amaefule isn't a national name yet, but that could change quickly this spring.

Amaefule played his freshman season in Virginia before moving to Dallas (Texas) Bishop Lynch and sitting out as a transfer this last season. Playing with the Texas Titans, he was a big find on Saturday.

Amaefule is athletic, plays with skill, has a great motor and is productive on both ends of the floor. He looks like he has the tools to be a nationally ranked player in the class of 2020. At this point, he says nobody really knows about him but look for that to change real soon.

... One of the best long term prospects at the Spring Ice Breaker was 6-foot-9 freshman center Jerrell Colbert of Basketball University's 15U team. 2021 is a long way away, but Colbert's size, motor and overall fluidity allowed him to really stand out. He'll be a guy that big time programs are sure to get a look at this spring. Colbert also has two impressive 2021 teammates in 6-foot-3 guard Jimel Cofer and 6-foot-5 wing Griffin Datcher. Cofer is an explosive driver with good size while Datcher is a big time athlete who plays tough.

... Class of 2020 point guard Mike Miles is going to get some serious consideration the next time we update the national rankings. The product of Lancaster (Texas) High and the Texas Titans is a tough as nails floor general who will sit down and defend and gets into the lane regularly. His recruitment has started to take off lately with offers from TCU, Oklahoma State, LSU, Old Dominion and UT-Arlington. Oklahoma, USC, UCLA, Texas A&M and Baylor have also been showing increased interest.