The Cassidy Awards: Underclassmen at the Hoop Exchange Spring Showcase

ORLANDO – The Hoop Exchange Spring Player Showcase got under way on Saturday, as the underclassmen took center stage. Major prospects in the classes of 2025 and 2026 gathered in central Florida and showed why they are the future of grassroots basketball in the Sunshine State. Rivals.com national basketball analyst Rob Cassidy was on hand for the day and shares some of the performances that caught his eye below.

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Few prospects at the event got north and south as fast as Wimbley, who attacks the rim at all times and has a knack for absorbing contact while doing so. Wimbley has a broad-shouldered build and solid ball-handling ability. If he becomes a more reliable shooter from outside down the road, his stock will soar. Nobody at camp had much luck staying in front of the 6-foot-6 forward, who bullies smaller defenders with and uses his quickness to frustrate bigger ones. He also shines as a passer when the defense collapses. The next step in his development will be building a more diverse offensive skill set, as he shows signs of being able to become a threat from the perimeter .

Recruitment: Wimbley holds an offer from Florida State and has some semblance of relationship with the staff, as his father played under head coach Leonard Hamilton, when Hamilton was an assistant at Miami in the 90s. The Hurricanes have started kicking the tires on Wimbley’s recruitment but have yet to make things official with an offer.

The 7-foot-1 Thiam hails from Senegal and has been in the United States for roughly a year, but it’s clear that he was the recipient of good coaching back home, as his skill set is advanced. The DME Academy standout passes incredibly well for a big man, packs a high basketball IQ and is a willing ball handler that shows signs of being able to play on the perimeter down the road. On Saturday, he dazzled with agility, passing and nifty moves in the post. He’ll need to add weight and polish, but the class of 2025 big man has all the making of a high-major prospect. He’s poised for a breakout summer.

Recruitment: Thiam says he doesn’t know which colleges have reached out to his coaches about his services, but but UCF seems to stand at the center of his recruitment and are thought to have an inside track for the time being.

Lloyd’s defining trait is his quickness, and he showed why that is on Saturday as he was able to blow by defenders on his way to the rim and finish relatively well once he arrived. He has shown the ability to fill it up from deep in the past, but did not take many long-range jumpers at the event. Lloyds passing oftentimes overlooked because of his scoring ability, but his court vision was on full display in Orlando. He’ll take the next step as he adds size and becomes a more willing defender.

Recruitment: LLoyd already holds a Miami offer and has taken a handful of unofficial visits to Coral Gables for games. Florida State and Dayton are also involved.

Streck was one of the most impressive ball-handlers at the event and flashed some impressive court vision to boot. A true pass-first point guard, Streck makes wise decisions with the ball in his hands and plays with the sort of confidence sophomores sometimes lack. Streck trusts his reads and his athleticism and it paid off for him on Saturday, as he impacted the game in a major way every minute he was on the floor. Streck needs to add weight and become a bigger threat to create his own shot, but he definitely has a high-major ceiling

Recruitment: Streck holds an offer from Jacksonville, and South Carolina, Virginia Tech Vanderbilt and others have shown preliminary interest.

McFadden grabbed the spotlight in the morning session with advanced ball handling, impressive quickness and the ability to get to his spots. He got his teammates involved early and often and dictated the pace of each game he played while getting a number of paint touches. The class of 2026 guard has a skill set well beyond his years, He shoots the ball well enough from the outside to keep defenders honest and has the stroke necessary to become an even better long-range threat down the road.

Recruitment: McFadden already holds an offer from N.I.J.T and says his dream school is Purdue, for which he says he grew up cheering. He has no tie to the Boilermakers, but says the players the school has produced and its style of play have long appealed to him.

Nobody played harder than Niang, who popped as a passer, rebounder and defender in the early session. The 6-foot-8 forward has fantastic court vision for a prospect of his stature and has the size and willingness to impact games on the glass. He’ll need to develop as a scoring threat, but he handles the ball well enough to create shots for himself at the rim. The Central Pointe Academy standout made effort play after effort play on Saturday.

Recruitment: Just a sophomore, Niang has yet to receive his first official offer, Expect his profile to rise this summer as college coaches see him in person.

Ponder, who has the build of an elite football lineman, is 6-foot-10 and over 300 pounds as a freshman in high school. He moves incredibly well for his size, though. On Saturday, he blocked a number of shots and finished a few dunks. He even has a bit of a mid-range game. That said, he projects as a high-level football recruit and already holds an offer from hometown Miami on that front. Whatever his future, however, Ponder impacted the game significantly in the glass and the defensive end on Saturday and showed enough offense to wow the crowd.

Recruitment: Ponder is likely to have more opportunities in football than he will basketball, but he certainly has the size and skill to play hoops at the next level if he so chooses. He already holds a football offer from Miami and has heard from Overtime Elite on the basketball front.