Wood's Takeaways: Day 2 of Hoop Exchange Fall Festival
TAVARES, Fla. – On Sunday at the Hoop Exchange Fall Festival, the intensity and overall level of play matched what we saw on Saturday.
Among the prospects we saw, a five-star backed up his ranking, two emerging guards showed progress since the summer and several youngins are on the come up.
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More from Wood: Takeaways from Day 1 at the Hoop Exchange Fall Festival
2023 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2025 Rankings: Top 40
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Ranked No. 12 nationally in the 2024 class, Knox is a natural scorer. More than that, Knox is a skilled, high scoring wing with very good size, length and athleticism. His effort level is high and he has a good feel for the game. Knox is capable of entering a zone and putting up points in a hurry. In the first half of a Sunday game, while definitely playing well, Knox was not as productive as he typically is. The second half was a different story and the 6-foot-6, 200-pounder finished the game with 23 points under the watchful eyes of Don Showalter of USA Basketball. Speaking of which, up next for Knox is the USA Basketball Minicamp in Denver (Oct. 7), then official visits to Kentucky (Oct. 14) and Louisville (Oct. 21). We expect Knox to also visit Kansas, LSU and Texas at yet-to-be-determined dates.
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More high major programs need to get familiar with Johnson, out of Oak Ridge High School in Orlando, Fla. An athletic, slashing, above the rim finisher; Johnson comes at you with strength, length and a deadly mid-range game. The 6-foot-5, 190-pound wing is a good rebounder for his position, plays with very good effort and plays tough in the lane. Already holding offers from Clemson, Illinois, Texas Tech and Texas State, Johnson is also hearing from Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, UCF and others.
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This past summer I kept hearing the name Chris Arias. Sunday was my first extended look at the 2024 guard out of Jacksonville, Fla. by way of Río Piedras, Puerto Rico, and he did not disappoint. Known for playing the point, Arias has some combo guard in him and Sunday I liked him better off the ball. He has good size for either guard spot, plays with a high IQ, and is a shot maker. His pace and poise reminded me of when I first saw Andrew Nembhard at this same event back in 2016. Arias holds offers from Florida Atlantic, Jacksonville, Kennesaw State, North Florida and South Florida.
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MORE NAMES TO MONITOR
Over the next few years you’ll be reading quite a bit more about 2026 point guard R.J. Livingston, 2026 forward Alexander Constanza and 2025 wing Dwayne Wimbley Jr. All three are at Ft. Lauderdale's Westminster Academy, which makes it easy for college recruiters to make one stop to see them and teammate Alex Lloyd who we covered yesterday.
At 6-foot-1, 170-pounds, Livingston has good size for the position, gets where he needs to go with the ball, plays with confidence and makes you pay for defensive mistakes. California, Georgetown, Michigan State and St. John’s have all offered.
Constanza first caught my attention at a June team camp due to his 6-foot-8 size and his composure, for such a young player, while his team was facing some adversity. Constanza handles the ball like a guard and is quite comfortable working on the perimeter. His skill set translates to the high major level. Creighton is in early with an offer.
Wimbley has inside/outside skill, plays bigger than his 6-foot-6 size as he wins battles on the glass against bigger opponents, regularly beats the defense down the court in transition plus he is a willing and versatile defender. Chicago State, Florida State and Samford have offered.