Finally some size: class of 2022
Posted: Thu Dec 7, 2017 5:42 pm
Canadian Class of 2022
The class of 2022, together with the class of 2023 (next), will form the basis of the next cadet team for the U16 FIBA Americas in summer 2019. And yes, it’s really early to say anything with certainty. But my sense is that the talent level in these two classes might be similar to what we had in the excellent 2015 FIBA Americas cadet team, the one that almost upset the Americans in the finals (this team included, among others, Barrett, Simi, Nembhard, Brezdaikis, Carr, Kirkwood, and Llewellyn, all class of 2018).
From the class of 2022, I see three who seem especially promising at this point:
Caleb Houstan (a 6’7 or 6’8 wing). From what I’ve seen so far, the most talented player in this class. Great size for a wing payer (will likely end up around 6’10 or maybe even 6’11, so might be able to play PF as well). Excellent feel for the game. Can do many things – shoot from the perimeter, penetrate efficiently and finish above the rim, and grab rebounds and finish around the basket. Also has good court vision and he’s a willing passer. Still quite thin, but is not overpowered by older guys. Also doesn’t seem like an explosive athlete, but it might be too early to tell. I really like what I’ve seen from him so far. Plays with St. Marcellinus high school this year and might already be the best player on the team, despite being much younger than the others. Very smooth and plays with confidence. Seems to me like the talent level could be that of a top-10 in North America, although obviously I’m not familiar with all of the American prospects in this class.
Ryan Nembhard (6’1 PG). Andrew’s brother and a very similar type of player. Pure PG – pass first. Very mature game. Shoots and penetrates well. Good athlete – nice speed and lift. I might be wrong on this, but seems to me a bit more assertive than his brother and looking some more for his own shot, not just setting others. Plays with Vaughn prep. Gets a lot of minutes, and from the games I’ve seen, already one of their best players, although he’s 4-5 years younger than the others. Will likely be the floor general of the 2019 Cadet team, similar to what his brother did on the 2015 team.
Jayden Webley (6’10 Center). A physical specimen. Still very young. I believe he’s still 13 or maybe only just turned 14, but he’s already 6’10 and has the body of a 20 year-old. Wide frame and shoulders (around 260 pounds!), Long arms, and big hands. If he follows a normal growth curve, he’ll probably end up at around 7’2 or 7’3. Saw very little of him in action. But he seems to be a decent athlete and doesn’t seem awkward or too heavy on the court, like some might expect from someone that big at this age. Left a mark at the Made Hoops circle, finishing at least one of the games with a triple double in points, rebounds and blocks. Just the fact that he’s already so big and strong makes him a very intriguing prospect.
More generally, unlike previous classes, this class seems to have some very good size. Caleb Atewe (6’8), playing for Vaughn, Ebube Agbaji (6’8; Uplay), and Rory Stewart (I think around 6’7) can all get to around 6’11 or 7’0 by the end of their development. All of them already seem to have fairly strong frames. At this point, Stewart seems the most offensively skilled of this bunch, but it’s still very early and not sure he’s the one with the best long term potential, as he’s not a great athlete right now. Atewe actually seems to have quite good potential – excellent frame, moving well on the court, and already quite good on defense, although still shows very little offensively. Together with Houstan and Webley, we might finally have a class that will produce one or two bigs for the national team.
In terms of guards, there are also quite a few players in this class with good potential. As always, I’ll only mention the ones I’ve had a chance to watch a bit:
• Jaiden Langley-Thomas. PG with good size (around 6’1 or 6’2 I think) and athleticism. Really took a step forward over the last year and looks like a very solid future PG with potential for the higher levels. Excellent frame and strength, plays aggressively, with a tight handle and can score in multiple ways: a nice developing outside shot, using floaters and stop-and pops (strong legs), or finishing nicely around the rim.
• Javier Glasgow. A 6 foot PG. Very skilled. Plays with a lot of confidence for Thornlea’s high school prep. Good shooter and slasher. Not afraid of the moment.
• Kymani mignott. An athletic guard; scores on both outside shooting and drives. Haven’t seen him play enough to say more.
• Cole Scott. Another fairly athletic guard who’s a very good scorer at the junior levels. Will need to improve his PG skills, as he does not look very tall.
• Noah Ngamba. Guard/Small forward with good size (6’3 or 6’4) and excellent outside shooting. Not very athletic though from what I’ve seen.
• DJ Jackson. Another guard with very good scoring instincts and a clean shot. Not exceptionally strong, tall or athletic at this point I think. Again, haven’t seen him enough to judge.
Other classes:
2017-18:
viewtopic.php?f=32&t=1643672
2019:
viewtopic.php?f=32&t=1644140
2020:
viewtopic.php?f=32&t=1644482&p=60956369#p60956369
2021:
viewtopic.php?t=1644845
2023 + :
viewtopic.php?f=32&t=1645754
The class of 2022, together with the class of 2023 (next), will form the basis of the next cadet team for the U16 FIBA Americas in summer 2019. And yes, it’s really early to say anything with certainty. But my sense is that the talent level in these two classes might be similar to what we had in the excellent 2015 FIBA Americas cadet team, the one that almost upset the Americans in the finals (this team included, among others, Barrett, Simi, Nembhard, Brezdaikis, Carr, Kirkwood, and Llewellyn, all class of 2018).
From the class of 2022, I see three who seem especially promising at this point:
Caleb Houstan (a 6’7 or 6’8 wing). From what I’ve seen so far, the most talented player in this class. Great size for a wing payer (will likely end up around 6’10 or maybe even 6’11, so might be able to play PF as well). Excellent feel for the game. Can do many things – shoot from the perimeter, penetrate efficiently and finish above the rim, and grab rebounds and finish around the basket. Also has good court vision and he’s a willing passer. Still quite thin, but is not overpowered by older guys. Also doesn’t seem like an explosive athlete, but it might be too early to tell. I really like what I’ve seen from him so far. Plays with St. Marcellinus high school this year and might already be the best player on the team, despite being much younger than the others. Very smooth and plays with confidence. Seems to me like the talent level could be that of a top-10 in North America, although obviously I’m not familiar with all of the American prospects in this class.
Ryan Nembhard (6’1 PG). Andrew’s brother and a very similar type of player. Pure PG – pass first. Very mature game. Shoots and penetrates well. Good athlete – nice speed and lift. I might be wrong on this, but seems to me a bit more assertive than his brother and looking some more for his own shot, not just setting others. Plays with Vaughn prep. Gets a lot of minutes, and from the games I’ve seen, already one of their best players, although he’s 4-5 years younger than the others. Will likely be the floor general of the 2019 Cadet team, similar to what his brother did on the 2015 team.
Jayden Webley (6’10 Center). A physical specimen. Still very young. I believe he’s still 13 or maybe only just turned 14, but he’s already 6’10 and has the body of a 20 year-old. Wide frame and shoulders (around 260 pounds!), Long arms, and big hands. If he follows a normal growth curve, he’ll probably end up at around 7’2 or 7’3. Saw very little of him in action. But he seems to be a decent athlete and doesn’t seem awkward or too heavy on the court, like some might expect from someone that big at this age. Left a mark at the Made Hoops circle, finishing at least one of the games with a triple double in points, rebounds and blocks. Just the fact that he’s already so big and strong makes him a very intriguing prospect.
More generally, unlike previous classes, this class seems to have some very good size. Caleb Atewe (6’8), playing for Vaughn, Ebube Agbaji (6’8; Uplay), and Rory Stewart (I think around 6’7) can all get to around 6’11 or 7’0 by the end of their development. All of them already seem to have fairly strong frames. At this point, Stewart seems the most offensively skilled of this bunch, but it’s still very early and not sure he’s the one with the best long term potential, as he’s not a great athlete right now. Atewe actually seems to have quite good potential – excellent frame, moving well on the court, and already quite good on defense, although still shows very little offensively. Together with Houstan and Webley, we might finally have a class that will produce one or two bigs for the national team.
In terms of guards, there are also quite a few players in this class with good potential. As always, I’ll only mention the ones I’ve had a chance to watch a bit:
• Jaiden Langley-Thomas. PG with good size (around 6’1 or 6’2 I think) and athleticism. Really took a step forward over the last year and looks like a very solid future PG with potential for the higher levels. Excellent frame and strength, plays aggressively, with a tight handle and can score in multiple ways: a nice developing outside shot, using floaters and stop-and pops (strong legs), or finishing nicely around the rim.
• Javier Glasgow. A 6 foot PG. Very skilled. Plays with a lot of confidence for Thornlea’s high school prep. Good shooter and slasher. Not afraid of the moment.
• Kymani mignott. An athletic guard; scores on both outside shooting and drives. Haven’t seen him play enough to say more.
• Cole Scott. Another fairly athletic guard who’s a very good scorer at the junior levels. Will need to improve his PG skills, as he does not look very tall.
• Noah Ngamba. Guard/Small forward with good size (6’3 or 6’4) and excellent outside shooting. Not very athletic though from what I’ve seen.
• DJ Jackson. Another guard with very good scoring instincts and a clean shot. Not exceptionally strong, tall or athletic at this point I think. Again, haven’t seen him enough to judge.
Other classes:
2017-18:
viewtopic.php?f=32&t=1643672
2019:
viewtopic.php?f=32&t=1644140
2020:
viewtopic.php?f=32&t=1644482&p=60956369#p60956369
2021:
viewtopic.php?t=1644845
2023 + :
viewtopic.php?f=32&t=1645754
