Starting Five: Minott shows why stock on rise in Orlando

This year's grassroots hoops experience has been one like we've never seen. Covid-19 has caused the cancellation of many events, wiped out live NCAA evaluation weekends and all three major shoe circuits -- Adidas, Nike and Under Armour -- have shut down for the summer of 2020. As the country moves towards reopening, events are starting to pop up and summer programs are getting creative about getting exposure for their prospects.

One is Team Parsons (CP25) program director Anthony Ricks and Maurice Willie Sr., who created a series of camps in Florida called the Virtual Player Evaluation series. Set up for college coaches and evaluators to watch online, the event was well-organized, well-run and offered an excellent setting to evaluate with quality video and high level talent. With a quality information packet to go along with the event and players easy to identify by team and numbers, it wasn't quite being in the gym but it was the next best thing. On Saturday, the VPES series had a second stop in Orlando and National Analyst Eric Bossi tuned in and recaps the event in this week's Starting Five.

ROUNDTABLE: Draft decisions, sophomore jumps

2020 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position

2021 Rankings: Rivals150 | Position

2022 Rankings: Top 75

I wasn't able to watch the first session of the VPES in its entirety a little over a week ago. However, the bits and pieces I did see had me intrigued to sit down and watch four-star Josh Minott closely. His participation in Orlando was the first time that I've ever really gotten to focus on him and I have to say I was very impressed.

Minott is thin and must get stronger, but the young man has game and is a versatile prospect. He's more of a wing player and does more off the dribble than Otto Porter did at the same age, but in terms of body, how he moves and athleticism, Minott is very similar to the former top 40 player and current Chicago Bull.

He can shoot with range, he puts the ball on the floor and at 6-foot-8 he can play as either a floor stretching four man or a small forward. His passing is tremendous. Simply put, I really like his game and while I'm glad that we have him ranked as a four-star prospect in the 2021 Rivals150, I feel he's somebody that has a lot of room to move up the rankings. I could easily see him pushing for the top 50 nationally.

In my estimation he should be a priority for any program that recruits Florida heavily. Baylor, Dayton, Florida State, Maryland, Oklahoma, Texas and others have offered. As more teams get a look at how he's playing in these camps, more will jump in.

When we updated our national rankings earlier this month, fellow analysts Corey Evans and Dan McDonald were in favor of moving Alex Fudge way up and he ended up being one of the biggest climbers. I can see where their heads were.

At 6-foot-7, maybe 6-foot-8, Fudge is a long and lean combo forward with elite athleticism. He looked graceful in the open court, can attack bigs off the dribble or use his size on smaller defenders around the rim. If the game is a track meet, then he's going to be a major problem. The last time I had seen him was back in August of 2019 and he's definitely made strides.

The key for Fudge to live up to his national top 40 billing is going to be all about his jump shot and overall skill development. He struggled a bit with his shot on Saturday. Not because it looks bad, he just looks like he needs repetitions. In selecting a school -- and getting ready for it -- skill development is going to be the biggest key for him. The tools are all there, he's just a little bit on the raw side and needs some refinement.

All of that potential has made Fudge one of the hottest names in the class of 2021 as he now holds well over 20 offers. Included among them are Alabama, Arizona State, Arkansas, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Iowa State, LSU, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M, USC, Vanderbilt and Virginia Tech to name a few.

After scoring four-star combo guard Caleb Murphy from the class of 2020, South Florida has landed another really good backcourt piece in Trey Moss, one of the top 35 point guards in the class of 2021.

Moss committed on Friday afternoon and had to have had Brian Gregory and his staff smiling as they tuned in on Saturday.

What I like about Moss is that he plays in attack mode. He's got burst with his first step, turns corners and gets to the rim quick off of ball screens. In transition, he really pushes the tempo and when he can't get to the rim, he's an excellent passer. He should be an excellent fit to play with the ultra explosive Murphy when he arrives for the 2021-22 season and looks to be an excellent early pickup for the Bulls.

I was taken with the athleticism, motor and skill of twins Matt Bewley and Ryan Bewley when I saw them play during their freshman seasons at Oakland Park (Fla.) Northeast. They both appeared to be on their way for strong consideration in the 2023 rankings and after watching them both again, they are definitely legit prospects.

Long term, I would still give a little bit of an edge to Matt. He just seems to be slightly ahead of his brother in terms of overall skill and ability to play facing the rim and attacking. His shot also looks to have improved since I saw him during the high school season.

That being said, it could be argued that Ryan had the better day. Getting to watch them separate, rather than together, really helped Ryan show off his full arsenal. I was impressed by him dribbling into three point jumpers, how hard he played and a real nose for the ball. He just seems to be magnet for loose balls on both ends and his motor is always running.

Alabama, DePaul, Florida, Florida State, Iowa State and South Florida have all offered and it's reasonable to expect the Bewleys are going to be recruited at the highest levels of college basketball before they graduate in three years.

.... I was very impressed by three-star point guard Darius Johnson. He's explosive in the pick-and-roll, can shoot with some range and is a decisive decision maker. After picking up his first SEC offer from Alabama earlier this month, Johnson added another from Florida thanks to his Saturday play.

.... A three-star big man from the class of 2022, Ernest Udeh's first offer came from USF last summer. I would expect him to have more, and soon. I liked his athleticism around the rim, knack for rebounding and willingness to play physical.

.... Another 2022 forward I enjoyed watching in closer detail was 6-foot-8 Fray Nguimbi. He's a big-time athlete and I loved his effort level. He's a little sped up right now and sometimes tries to do a little too much, but he's got some skill too and once things slow down for him he could really take off. Alabama, Dayton, Iowa State and USF are among his early offers.

.... A rising senior, three-star forward Tre Carroll is a true tweener. He's built and moves like a big wing but has the game of a natural power forward. He intrigued me with how fluidly he moves around the floor, but he's got to get into the weight room as well.

.... Somebody to keep an eye on down the road as a potential factor in the 2022 national rankings is wing A.J. Brown. At 6-foot-4 with good shoulders and long arms, he's got a prototypical frame for a wing scorer and a nice balanced game. Alabama and USF offered early.

.... One of the toughest competitors I saw all day long was 2022 wing Brice Sensabaugh. Checking in at about 6-foot-5, Sensabaugh is a strong and physically punishing wing who loves to attack the basket. His jumper keeps defenders honest and as he matures and grows into his body he'll really make some noise. SMU and Stetson have offered early.

.... Finally, athletic post player Tyrone Baker from Fort Myers (Fla.) Riverdale made a very positive impression. He runs the floor very well, is quick off his feet around the rim and does a good job of remaining active to create opportunities even if he's not getting fed the ball. East Carolina, Florida Gulf Coast, Iona, North Carolina Wilmington and others have seen enough to offer.