Vegas Thursday: Sexton continues his rise

LAS VEGAS – Five-star combo guard Collin Sexton continues to be the story of the summer after turning in another scintillating performance, this time in The 8. On the other side of town, high-end four-star Nick Weatherspoon was dominating at the Adidas Summer Championship.

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Thanks to a monster spring on the Nike EYBL Circuit, combo guard Collin Sexton climbed all the way to No. 12 in the 2017 Rivals150 and a five-star status. After watching him on Thursday with Team CP3 in The 8 at Spring Valley High in Las Vegas, he may not be ranked high enough and he could push for the national top five before all is said and done.

Standing about 6-foot-1, Sexton isn’t the biggest kid but he may be the quickest and most explosive guard in America once the ball is in his hands. He has a commanding presence on the floor and fears nobody. The 8 is the first event that he’s ever played with CP3 so he is coming off the bench, but the second he hits the floor he changes the energy in the entire gym. His deep threes, fearless drives and swagger sent a charge through the gym.

Earlier this week, Sexton cut his list down to a top 10 of Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia Tech, Iowa State, Kansas, North Carolina, N.C. State, Oklahoma State and Villanova.

Among the crowd while Rivals.com watched Sexton on Thursday were Avery Johnson, Bill Self, Roy Williams and Josh Pastner. Sexton said that he’ll plan another cut after the summer and mentioned Alabama as the one program that he was sure would get an official visit.

“I will probably finish up here and then probably in August I will make another cut and then I want to take my five officials," he said. "I want to try and do it (decide) before school, before I start the season.”

Another huge spring riser was Mississippi combo guard Nick Weatherspoon. On the other side of Vegas in the Adidas Summer Championships at the Cashman Center, Weatherspoon has proven to be pretty much unguardable.

Through two days of play, the explosive 6-foot-2 scorer for MBA Hoops is leading the event in scoring at nearly 27 points per game. His bread and butter has been using his speed to get to the rim and then using the fear of speed to put defenders on their heels and pull-up for jumpers from between 15 and 22 feet.

Ranked No. 32 overall the product of Camden (Miss.) Velma Jackson is considered thought to be somebody that will be tough to pry away from Mississippi State – where his older brother plays. Others like North Carolina, N.C. State, LSU, Louisville, Ole Miss, Memphis, Alabama are among a group fighting for position.

Weatherspoon also mentioned that Kansas is his newest suitor and he said that he’s taken notice of Bill Self attending all of his games in Vegas.

“Kansas is coming hard to try and get involved and my coach has said I should look at them,” said Weatherspoon. “I’ve noticed Bill Self has been at my games.”

At some point in August, Weatherspoon said that he would like to cut things down to five schools and he said Mississippi State is the one program that is sure to get an official visit.

“Sometime after Vegas and Adidas Nations I’m going to cut my list down to five,” said Weatherspoon. “I just need to sit down with my dad and my coaches and see which places are best for me.”

He will eventually have to choose between football (Tulane and UTSA have offered him as a wide receiver) and hoops, but New Orleans Elite shooting Davontavean Martin was a load of fun to watch in a 14-point, 12-rebound, three-steal effort against MBA Hoops. The 6-foot-2 three-star prospect is a monster athlete who is a little wild but plays with tremendous energy and has huge upside. He mentioned that Southern Miss and Nicholls State have offered for hoops while UAB is watching closely. At this point, he looks to be way under-recruited.

Playing in The 8, Nike Peach Jam champion MoKan Elite is missing its five-star standouts Michael Porter and Trae Young who are with USA Basketball. Because of that, some of its outstanding supporting cast has been allowed to show more of what they can do. On Thursday, Bryan Trimble took advantage. Playing in front of his future head coach Leonard Hamilton of Florida State, he hit some rainbow jumpers and used his big and strong body to bounce off defenders.

He gave up some size and strength to 2017’s No. 3 player Wendell Carter of Team CP3, but Team Final’s Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree didn’t give an inch of space without a fight. The Villanova-bound four-star forward is a junkyard dog of the highest degree who understands and embraces attacking the glass, dunking everything he can and sparking his team with energy.

When we saw 6-foot-8 forward Greg Floyd during the high school season, he had some serious struggles. A former Rivals150 prospect in 2017, he’s since moved to 2018 and moved from Las Vegas to Middlebrooks Academy in the Los Angeles area. In a loss to Basketball U, he was very engaged on both ends of the floor and had a monster game for the Las Vegas Knicks with 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists. In need of strength and consistency, the move to 2018 looks to be doing wonders for Floyd.

In a win over Texas Pro, CP25’s Wyatt Wilkes and Malik William were a two-man wrecking crew. A wing with size, Wilkes was burning the nets from deep and active all over the floor with 25 points and seven rebounds. A skilled faceup big man who can really shoot and pass, William had 17 points and 16 rebounds of his own. Clemson and West Virginia are thought to be strong with William.