Bulldogs

LAS VEGAS (AP) &mdash; Gonzaga&rsquo;s players heard the criticisms this wasn&rsquo;t the same Bulldogs team that has been among the nation&rsquo;s elite in recent years, and they even struggled themselves to live up to the program&rsquo;s enormous expectations.
&ldquo;There were numerous days where I was not fun to be around,&rdquo; Gonzaga coach Mark Few said.
The Bulldogs kept working at it, and on Tuesday night, No. 9 Gonzaga sent a message to the rest of the country with a dominant-from-the-start 77-51 victory over No. 16 Saint Mary&rsquo;s in the championship game of the West Coast Conference Tournament.
The Zags (28-5) continued their domination of the WCC with their fourth consecutive tournament championship and 10th in 11 years, with Saint Mary&rsquo;s in 2019 being the only exception. Gonzaga has won 21 tournament titles overall.
Drew Timme scored 18 points and became Gonzaga&rsquo;s all-time leading scorer, earning tournament Most Outstanding Player.
&ldquo;I took for granted winning,&rdquo; Timme said. &ldquo;I won so much in my career, it&rsquo;s a shock not to win. I think early in the year, it just kind of made me appreciate what it takes to win night in and night out. I think sometimes we kind of assume we were just going to win because we&rsquo;re Gonzaga.
&ldquo;Sometimes it&rsquo;s hard not to fall into mindset we just need to get to March. It was grind this season. I think that grind has made us as a group appreciate each and every night winning and what it takes to win and be a good team.&rdquo;
Saint Mary&rsquo;s (26-7) was seeded first in the tournament after the teams split the regular-season series, and Timme said it was strange wearing a blue jersey rather than the customary white one. The Gaels were the last team to beat Gonzaga, which takes a nine-game winning streak into the NCAA Tournament that includes beating Saint Mary&rsquo;s to end the regular season.
Both teams will find out their seedings and destinations Sunday.
Gonzaga made 58% of its shots, while holding Saint Mary&rsquo;s to 33% shooting. The Bulldogs led by as many as 37 points and never trailed.
Timme was efficient in making 8 of 10 shots to lead four Bulldogs into double figures. Malachi Smith scored 14 points, Nolan Hickman 12 points and Julian Strawther 10. Anton Watson had 10 rebounds.
Timme&rsquo;s short jumper with 10:18 left put him in first place alone as the leading scorer in Saint Mary&rsquo;s history. He entered just five points short of breaking the mark, and his 18 points for the game gave him 2,210 for his career. Frank Burgess held the previous record of 2,196 from 1958-61.
Logan Johnson led the Gaels with 20 points, and Alex Ducas scored 10.
Gonzaga took control early, using a nine-point run to go up 14-4 and maintained a double-digit lead most of the way from there. The Zags at one point in the first half made 10 of 12 field goals, and by halftime, they had taken full command with a 37-19 lead.
&ldquo;I told our guys we played 32 games and played pretty well in 32 of them,&rdquo; Saint Mary&rsquo;s coach Randy Bennett said. &ldquo;This one, we&rsquo;re off. You can credit them. They played well. We didn&rsquo;t show up.&rdquo;
BIG PICTURE
Gonzaga: Now is when the real pressure is on Gonzaga, which had made numerous deep runs in the NCAA Tournament, but is still searching for that elusive national championship. Until that happens, critics will say the WCC school is not on the same level as those from the power conference. It&rsquo;s up the the Zags to prove them wrong.
Saint Mary&rsquo;s: Saint Mary&rsquo;s nearly gave away all of a 26-point lead in Monday&rsquo;s semifinals because the Gaels had trouble with BYU&rsquo;s press. Gonzaga threw the press at Saint Mary&rsquo;s, and while it didn&rsquo;t result in transition baskets for the Bulldogs, it slowed the Gaels&rsquo; offense. Saint Mary&rsquo;s will need to figure out how to better execute against the press, or it will be a problem in the NCAA Tournament.
UP NEXT
Gonzaga has a legitimate shot at a No. 2 seed, and it entered the game ninth in the NET rankings, a metric the NCAA committee uses in selecting the field. Even though Saint Mary&rsquo;s was ranked just one spot ahead of the Bulldogs, the Gaels likely are looking at more of a five or six seed.

The Zags (28-5) continued their domination of the WCC with their fourth consecutive tournament championship and 10th in 11 years.

Timme sets record, Gonzaga routs Saint Mary’s for WCC title

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) &mdash; Cam Shelton banked in a go-ahead runner with 13 seconds left and Loyola Marymount snapped No. 6 Gonzaga&rsquo;s 75-game home winning streak with a 68-67 victory on Thursday night.
The home streak for the Bulldogs (16-4, 5-1 West Coast Conference) was tied with Long Beach State (from 1968-74) for the eighth-longest in Division I history.
Shelton scored 27 points to lead the Lions (14-7, 4-3), who hadn&rsquo;t won in Spokane since 1991 and had lost 25 straight overall to the Zags.
Gonzaga had won 93 straight games against unranked opponents with 69 of those coming at home, and had won its previous 116 WCC games against teams other than Saint Mary&rsquo;s and BYU.
Gonzaga&rsquo;s streak of 36 straight wins in the month of January also ended. Coach Mark Few&rsquo;s Bulldogs had won 11 straight overall, the fourth-best streak in the country, since losing 64-63 to Baylor on Dec. 2.
Jalin Anderson added 15 points and Keli Leaupepe had 11 for the Lions. Loyola Marymount led by as many as nine in the second half and held off Gonzaga&rsquo;s late run.
LMU led 66-59 with 2:55 left after Shelton&rsquo;s 3-pointer, but the Zags scored the next eight points to take 67-66 lead on Drew Timme&rsquo;s free throw with 41 seconds left. With the shot clock running down, Shelton converted a runner from just outside the lane to give the Lions the lead, and Timme&rsquo;s last attempt at a winner was partly blocked by Leaupepe.
Timme led the Zags with 17 points. Nolan Hickman chipped in 12 points and six assists for the Zags, who were coming off a 115-75 win over Portland last Saturday.
Gonzaga struggled from the field, shooting 44.4% overall and going 4 of 14 (28.6%) from 3-point range and 15 of 23 (65.2%) from the free-throw line.
BIG PICTURE
The Lions improved to 2-2 on the road in WCC play.
Gonzaga had won 29 of its last 30 over Loyola Marymount.
UP NEXT
Loyola Marymount: Hosts Portland next Thursday night.
Gonzaga: At Pacific on Saturday night.

Cam Shelton banked in a runner with 13 seconds left and Loyola Marymount snapped Gonzaga’s 75-game home winning streak.

Loyola Marymount ends No. 6 Gonzaga’s 75-game home streak

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) &mdash; Drew Timme scored 29 points and grabbed 17 rebounds, and No. 18 Gonzaga closed the game on an 11-0 run to rally past Kent State 73-66 on Monday night.
The nation&rsquo;s longest home win streak was extended to 69 games but not without a major scare by the Golden Flashes. Kent State led 66-62 with 3:38 left after Miryne Thomas&rsquo; 3-pointer, but the Bulldogs tightened on the defensive end and got a handful of big plays offensively to hold off the Flashes.
Julian Strawther added 14 points, including a 3-pointer with 3:19 left that started Gonzaga&rsquo;s decisive run. Timme&rsquo;s spinning basket in the lane with 2:29 left gave Gonzaga (6-3) the lead, and he added a key defensive play blocking Sincere Carry&rsquo;s layup attempt at the other end.
Timme was fouled and split free throws with 1:55 left, but Malachi Smith grabbed the offensive rebound and his three-point play gave the Bulldogs a 71-66 lead. It was Smith&rsquo;s first basket of the game.
&ldquo;(Timme) was heroic. He wasn&rsquo;t really looking for the ball much early and wasn&rsquo;t demanding it &hellip; he was splitting the defense and scoring in a variety of ways like he does,&rdquo; Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. &ldquo;To end up with 17 boards is monster and we needed every one of them.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Nolan Hickman added 10 points and seven rebounds for the Bulldogs, who held a 43-30 advantage on the boards. It was just the second home game inside the McCarthey Athletic Center for Gonzaga and first since Nov. 7 against North Florida.
Thomas led Kent State (6-3) with 16 points, including four 3-pointers. Malique Jacobs added 11 points and Carry, who was averaging 18.5 points per game, was held to 10.
&ldquo;I think in the second half we moved the ball well, we got some turnovers, got some easy shots and was able to give us a lead playing a great team and great program. &hellip; Unfortunately we couldn&rsquo;t finish it off. Give them a lot of credit for that,&rdquo; Kent State head coach Rob Senderoff said.
Kent State nearly pulled off a surprising upset on the road for the second time in two weeks but couldn&rsquo;t withstand Gonzaga&rsquo;s late surge. Kent State led No. 1 Houston by one-point with less than a minute to go nine days ago in Houston but couldn&rsquo;t make the plays in the closing seconds to finish off the upset in a 49-44 loss.
&ldquo;Coach Few has told us all week that this is a great team that could go to the Sweet 16. &hellip; We knew what they were capable of and we weren&rsquo;t taking them lightly and we knew it was going to be a dog fight,&rdquo; Strawther said.
JERSEY RETIRED
Kelly Olynyk&rsquo;s No. 13 jersey number was retired in front of a sellout crowd. Olynyk played for Gonzaga from 2009-13 and led the Bulldogs to its first ever No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament while earning first team AP All-American status as a senior.
&ldquo;You&rsquo;re almost speechless,&rdquo; Olynyk said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s just such an honor, especially with the names that you&rsquo;re up beside. They&rsquo;re unbelievable players.&rdquo;
BIG PICTURE
Kent State: The Golden Flashes lost their third game of the season and their second against a ranked opponent. Kent State has three non-conference games left before beginning Mid-American Conference play at home against Western Michigan.
Gonzaga: The Bulldogs bounced back from a one-point loss to No. 12 Baylor last week with the win. All three of Gonzaga&rsquo;s losses are to teams ranked in the top 12 of the AP Top 25.
UP NEXT:
Kent State: At Cleveland State on Saturday.
Gonzaga: Host in-state rival Washington on Friday.

The nation’s longest home win streak was extended to 69 games but not without a major scare by the Golden Flashes.

No. 18 Gonzaga withstands scare from Kent St for 73-66 win

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) &mdash; Mark Sears had 24 points, five rebounds and five assists, and No. 18 Alabama sent top-ranked North Carolina to a second straight loss with a 103-101 victory in a quadruple-overtime thriller on Sunday in the third-place game of the Phil Knight Invitational.
Jahvon Quinerly scored 21 points for the Crimson Tide (6-1), who knocked off the top-ranked team for the first time since upsetting Stanford in the 2004 NCAA Tournament. Charles Bediako had 14 points, 16 rebounds and three blocks.
North Carolina (5-2) wasted a big game for Caleb Love, who had 34 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals. Armando Bacot finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds, and R.J. Davis had 19 points and nine rebounds in the second four-overtime game in North Carolina history. The other was a victory over Tulane in 1976.
Alabama forward Noah Clowney took a hard fall on a dunk attempt four minutes into the first half and had to be helped off the court. He did not return.
NO. 6 GONZAGA 88, XAVIER 84
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) &mdash; Julian Strawther scored 23 points, including 10 in the final 4:07, and Gonzaga beat Xavier in the third-place game of the Phil Knight Legacy men&rsquo;s tournament.
Each of Gonzaga&rsquo;s starters scored in double figures. Drew Timme and Anton Watson had 16 points apiece. Nolan Hickman finished with 14, and Rasir Bolton had 13 points and six assists.&nbsp;
Jack Nunge scored a game-high 25 points for Xavier (4-3), and Colby Jones had 22.
Strawther&rsquo;s 3 put Gonzaga (5-2) back in front at 76-75 with 3:18 to go. Watson then converted a floater, and Strawther made another 3 to make it 81-75 with 1:39 left.
NO. 24 PURDUE 75, NO. 8 DUKE 56
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) &mdash; Zach Edey had 21 points and 12 rebounds, helping Purdue beat Duke in the championship game of the Phil Knight Legacy men&rsquo;s tournament.
Fletcher Loyer scored 18 points for Purdue (6-0), and reserve Caleb Furst finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
The 7-foot-4 Edey was 7 for 13 from the field and 7 for 8 at the line. He was named tournament MVP.
Duke (6-2) shot 36.2% (21 for 58) from the field. Tyres Proctor scored 16 points for the Blue Devils. Kyle Filipowski and Jeremy Roach each had 14.
Ethan Morton had a steal and a dunk to help Purdue open a 58-41 lead with 15:37 left in the second half.
NO. 12 MICHIGAN STATE 78, PORTLAND 77
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) &mdash; Tyson Walker scored 15 points, and Michigan State topped Portland in the fifth-place game of the Phil Knight Invitational.
Pierre Brooks made all four of his 3-pointers and scored 15 points for the Spartans (5-2). Joey Hauser added 14 points and seven rebounds. A.J. Hoggard had 12 points and nine assists.
After outscoring Michigan State 13-2 in the last three minutes and getting eight points in less than 30 seconds to make it 78-77 with 40.5 seconds to play, Portland rebounded a Spartans miss with 8.1 seconds to go. The Pilots got the ball inside to Tyler Robertson and his shot rolled off the rim, and a desperation putback by Juan Sebastian Gorosito wasn&rsquo;t close.
Robertson had 16 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and two steals for the Pilots (5-4).
NO. 13 AUBURN 65, SAINT LOUIS 60
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) &mdash; Wendell Green Jr. scored 22 points, and Auburn reeled off 11 straight in the closing minutes.
The Tigers (7-0) rallied from a five-point deficit over the final five minutes, starting with back-to-back drives by K.D. Johnson and ending with Green&rsquo;s scoop shot in traffic.
The Billikens (5-2) missed six straight shots before Yuri Collins&rsquo; drive with 20 seconds left. Then Jaylin Williams turned it over with an errant inbounds pass.
But Gibson Jimerson missed a long jumper for Saint Louis and Green went 1 for 2 at the line.
Auburn closed the game on a 12-2 run.
NO. 19 UCLA 81, BELLARMINE 60
LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored a season-high 27 points, and UCLA got the win while playing without leading scorer Jaylen Clark.
Clark sat out for the first time this season because of a non-COVID-19 illness. The junior is averaging 15.7 points and 7.7 rebounds.
Freshman Adem Bona added 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field in his highest scoring game so far.
Bellarmine freshman Ben Johnson led the Knights (2-5) with 20 points. Curt Hopf added 16 points.
The Bruins (5-2) stretched their lead to 20 points in the second half.
NO. 20 UCONN 71, IOWA STATE 53
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) &mdash; Donovan Clingan had 15 points and 10 rebounds, powering UConn to the Phil Knight Invitational championship.
Tristen Newton scored 13 points for the Huskies (8-0), who went 20 for 25 at the free-throw line. Alex Karaban and Andre Jackson, Jr. each had 10 points.
Osun Osunniyi led Iowa State (5-1) with 14 points. Tamin Lipsey had 12 points and Jaren Holmes finished with 11.
Iowa State closed to 53-48 on Holmes&rsquo; 3-pointer midway through the second half. But Karaban made a 3 and a dunk, and Newton&rsquo;s jumper made it 60-48 with 7:13 remaining.

A recap of a busy Sunday for men's college basketball highlights a thriller in Portland for third place in the Phil Knight Invitational.

Sears, No. 18 Alabama top No. 1 North Carolina in 4 OTs

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) &mdash; Tyrese Hunter seemed to be getting farther and farther away every time he let another 3-pointer fly.
No distance seemed out of his range.
Hunter scored 26 points and a led a 3-point shooting spree that pushed No. 11 Texas to a dominant 93-74 win over No. 2 Gonzaga on Wednesday night.
Hunter, last season&rsquo;s Big 12 freshman of the year at Iowa State, was 9-of-14 shooting and made five of Texas&rsquo; 13 3-pointers. He made three from long range in the opening minutes of the second half as the Longhorns seized control.
&ldquo;Big shout-out to my teammates for finding me. I don&rsquo;t think I got one of them off the dribble,&rdquo; Hunter said.
Gonzaga couldn&rsquo;t push Hunter far enough away from the basket.
&ldquo;They hit a lot of deep, deep 3&rsquo;s,&rdquo; Bulldogs coach Mark Few said. &ldquo;We knew he could shoot them, but not from 30 feet or whatever. He was feeling it.&rdquo;
Texas was 3 of 22 from long range in its previous game against Houston Christian.
Defensively, Texas (3-0) shut down All-American forward Drew Timme for long stretches and rendered him mostly ineffective when the game was still close. Two of his first four shots were airballs against switching double-team defenses.
Marcus Carr added 16 points for Texas. Timme led Gonzaga (2-1) with 18 points.
Texas held Gonzaga to a single basket over the final five minutes of the first half and stretched a tight game into a 10-point halftime lead behind a rare scoring burst from defensive specialist Brock Cunningham. He made a 3-pointer and a reverse layup before tipping away a pass to Timme for his own layup that made it 47-37.
Texas broke it open with the flurry of 3-pointers to start the second half. Hunter struck first, then Dylan Disu was left wide open for another. Hunter then made two more before converting a three-point play on a steal and layup that pushed the Texas lead to 20.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m pretty sure a lot of people were watching the game, saw who we are and what we&rsquo;re about,&rdquo; Hunter said.
BIG PICTURE
Gonzaga: The Bulldogs shot pretty well (49% overall with nine 3-pointers) but have a turnover problem. They finished with 20 turnovers, one game after they gave the ball away 18 times in a tight win over Michigan State on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln. The Longhorns turned those turnovers into 27 points. Point guard Nolan Hickman had four turnovers and two assists.
&ldquo;Some of it was us, but a lot of it was their pressure,&rdquo; Few said. &ldquo;We can&rsquo;t function if we turn the ball over like that.&rdquo;
Texas: Disu was a big part of Texas&rsquo; ability to lock down Timme from the jump. At 6-foot-9, he&rsquo;s the tallest Longhorn and a nagging leg injury kept him off the court for much of last season. His physical play around the rim will be key for a team that lacks overall size. He scored 12 points and hit two 3-pointers with his soft shooting touch, giving the Longhorns a critical piece on both ends of the court.
&ldquo;He had great poise against a great player in Timme,&rdquo; Texas coach Chris Beard said.
POLL POSITION
Texas doesn&rsquo;t play again until next week&rsquo;s rankings come out and the Longhorns can expect to make a big jump.
FAST-BREAK POINTS
All those turnovers have the Longhorns running a lot. Texas has outscored its first three opponents 55-3 on the fast break.
UP NEXT
Gonzaga continues its rough early-season schedule with a home matchup against No. 4 Kentucky on Sunday.
Texas plays Northern Arizona in Edinburg, Texas on Nov. 21.

Tyrese Hunter scored 26 points and a led a three-point spree that pushed No. 11 Texas to a dominant 93-74 win over No. 2 Gonzaga.

Hunter scores 26, No. 11 Texas dominates No. 2 Gonzaga 93-74

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) &mdash; Drew Timme wasn&rsquo;t ready to grow up, at least not without giving it one more shot at bringing an elusive national title to Gonzaga.
&ldquo;My heart&rsquo;s in Spokane,&rdquo; Timme said. &ldquo;And I wasn&rsquo;t ready to be an adult yet, I guess.&rdquo;
Timme is the leader of a Bulldogs team that should again be among the contenders to lift the championship trophy next April in Houston.
Gonzaga begins the season ranked No. 2 in the preseason AP Top 25. Not being in the top spot in the rankings has been an outlier for the majority of Timme&rsquo;s career.
The standout forward played his first three seasons on Gonzaga teams that were ranked No. 1 in the country for more weeks than they were ranked below the top. The Zags were No. 1 for 30 weeks over the past three seasons, and were ranked lower for just 26 weeks.
&ldquo;We really believe if we stay true to who we are, the sky is the limit for us,&rdquo; Timme said. &ldquo;We demand a lot of ourselves.&rdquo;
Timme&rsquo;s decision to return was a bit of a coup for Gonzaga, especially after Chet Holmgren made the expected decision to enter the NBA after just one season in Spokane.
Timme will be joined by fellow returnees Julian Strawther, Rasir Bolton and Anton Watson to make up the core of this group of Zags.&nbsp;
Young guards Nolan Hickman and Hunter Sallis will take on bigger roles this season. And Gonzaga was active again in the transfer portal, landing Malachi Smith, the Southern Conference player of the year last season after he averaged 19.9 points at Chattanooga.
&ldquo;This team has a chance to do something special,&rdquo; Timme added. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to be a fun, exciting, different team this year, and I&rsquo;m excited to be part of it.&rdquo;
Gonzaga went 28-4 last season before losing to Alabama in the NCAA Tournament. After reaching the national title game and losing in 2021, getting bounced in the Sweet Sixteen this year was a disappointing conclusion.
Timme averaged 18 points and nearly seven rebounds per game last season. In addition to his on-court skills, Timme&rsquo;s fun-loving personality has opened numerous name, image and likeness opportunities.
Timme has said his endorsements in Spokane, which include frequent comedic ads for a local casino, add up to what he might have earned as a second-round NBA draft pick.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s the epitome of what&rsquo;s good right now with NIL and everything that&rsquo;s going on with the attention,&rdquo; Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve had some great characters over the years and also just incredible players, and he&rsquo;s certainly at the top of all those lists.&rdquo;
Few believes Timme&rsquo;s persona sometimes overshadows what he has accomplished on the floor.
The Zags are 90-7 in his first three seasons, including that trip to the national championship game last year. He is the reigning West Coast Conference player of the year and a two-time second-team AP All-America selection.
THE GAUNTLET
The gauntlet is what Timme has called a three-week span when Gonzaga plays some monster opponents. This season it begins with Michigan State in the Armed Forces Classic on Nov. 11, played on an aircraft carrier in San Diego. That&rsquo;s followed by a road game against No. 12 Texas on Nov. 16 and a date with No. 4 Kentucky at the Spokane Arena on Nov. 20. The Bulldogs play in the Phil Knight Legacy in Portland, Oregon, over the Thanksgiving holiday with a potential matchup against No. 7 Duke. They play No. 5 Baylor on Dec. 2 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. They also play No. 20 Alabama on Dec. 17.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think people give coach the credit for what he was able to pull off,&rdquo; Timme said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know how many people (would) do that because you could wind up losing all of them just as easily as you could win all of them.&rdquo;
UP FRONT
Gonzaga doesn&rsquo;t have a significant amount of depth in the front court aside from Timme and Watson. A big addition &mdash; literally and figuratively &mdash; was LSU transfer Efton Reid III. The 7-footer started all 34 games for LSU last season and averaged 6.3 points while playing about 20 minutes per game.
WCC FAVORITES
For the 11th year in a row, Gonzaga was selected by coaches as the preseason favorite to win the West Coast Conference regular season title. The Bulldogs will open conference play on Dec. 31 against Pepperdine.
BRING ON KENTUCKY
Gonzaga and Kentucky will play a six-game series beginning this year in Spokane. Gonzaga will go to Kentucky twice and there will be neutral site games in Nashville and Seattle before the series concludes in 2027 back in Spokane.&nbsp;

“We really believe if we stay true to who we are, the sky is the limit for us,” Drew Timme said. “We demand a lot of ourselves.”

Timme back as No. 2 Gonzaga seeks elusive national title

The 2021-22 college basketball season is officially underway!
Subsequently, our scouting staff will have its eyes glued on NBA prospects across the country. However, considering that the bulk of top draft selections are one-and-done freshmen each year, we will take an emphasized look at college newcomers.
I recently shared a list of the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-nba-draft-top-incoming-college-freshmen-with-pro-potential" target="_blank" rel="noopener">top freshmen we will be keeping close tabs on</a>. Below are last night&rsquo;s stat lines from a number of those NBA prospects that we currently have included on our <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Draft Big Board</a>:
Chet Holmgren - Gonzaga vs. Dixie State MIN: 28&nbsp; PTS: 14&nbsp; REB: 13&nbsp; AST: 6&nbsp; FG: 4-6&nbsp; 3FG: 0-2&nbsp; FT: 6-9&nbsp; TO: 2 BLK: 7
Paolo Banchero - Duke vs. Kentucky MIN: 31&nbsp; PTS: 22&nbsp; REB: 7&nbsp; AST: 0 FG: 7-11&nbsp; 3FG: 0-3&nbsp; FT: 8-9&nbsp; TO: 1&nbsp; STL: 2 &nbsp;
Jalen Duren - Memphis vs. Tennessee Tech MIN: 31 PTS: 15&nbsp; REB: 6&nbsp; AST: 2&nbsp; FG: 7-10&nbsp; 3FG: 0-0&nbsp; FT: 1-2 TO: 3 BLK: 5
Jabari Smith - Auburn vs. Morehead State MIN: 21&nbsp; PTS: 8&nbsp; REB: 6&nbsp; AST: 3&nbsp; FG: 3-6&nbsp; 3FG: 2-3&nbsp; FT: 0-0&nbsp; TO: 0&nbsp; STL: 3&nbsp; BLK: 1
Patrick Baldwin Jr. - UW Milwaukee vs. North Dakota MIN: 37&nbsp; PTS: 21&nbsp; REB: 10&nbsp; AST: 1&nbsp; FG: 6-14&nbsp; 3FG: 2-7&nbsp; FT: 7-8&nbsp; TO: 3&nbsp; BLK: 1&nbsp;
AJ Griffin - Duke vs. Kentucky MIN: 11&nbsp; PTS: 2&nbsp; REB: 2&nbsp; AST: 0&nbsp; FG: 1-3&nbsp; 3FG: 0-1&nbsp; FT: 0-0&nbsp; TO: 0 
Peyton Watson - UCLA vs. CSU Bakersfield MIN: 20&nbsp; PTS: 7&nbsp; REB: 5&nbsp; AST: 0&nbsp; FG: 2-11&nbsp; 3FG: 0-5&nbsp; FT: 3-4&nbsp; TO: 3&nbsp; BLK: 2&nbsp; STL: 1
TyTy Washington - Kentucky vs. Duke MIN: 28&nbsp; PTS: 9&nbsp; REB: 3&nbsp; AST: 3&nbsp; FG: 3-14&nbsp; 3FG: 0-2&nbsp; FT: 3-4&nbsp; TO: 0&nbsp; STL: 1&nbsp; 
Kennedy Chandler - Tennessee vs. UT Martin MIN: 22&nbsp; PTS: 20&nbsp; REB: 1&nbsp; AST: 4&nbsp; FG: 7-10&nbsp; 3FG: 4-4&nbsp; FT: 2-2&nbsp; TO: 3&nbsp; &nbsp;
JD Davison - Alabama vs. Louisiana Tech MIN: 26&nbsp; PTS: 12&nbsp; REB: 6&nbsp; AST: 6&nbsp; FG: 3-4&nbsp; 3FG: 1-2 &nbsp; FT: 5-7&nbsp; TO: 2&nbsp; STL: 1
Daimion Collins - Kentucky vs. Duke MIN: 2&nbsp; PTS: 0&nbsp; REB: 0&nbsp; AST: 0 FG: 0-0&nbsp; 3FG: 0-0&nbsp; FT: 0-0&nbsp; TO: 1&nbsp;&nbsp;
Max Christie - Michigan State vs. Kansas MIN: 31&nbsp; PTS: 9&nbsp; REB: 3&nbsp; AST: 0&nbsp; FG: 3-10&nbsp; 3FG: 2-4&nbsp; FT: 1-2&nbsp; TO: 2&nbsp; &nbsp;
Brandon Huntley-Hatfield vs. UT Martin MIN: 19&nbsp; PTS: 7&nbsp; REB: 6&nbsp; AST: 0&nbsp; FG: 3-5&nbsp; 3FG: 1-1&nbsp; FT: 0-0&nbsp; TO: 1&nbsp; STL: 2&nbsp; BLK: 2
 Others:
Nate Bittle - Orgeon vs. Texas Southern MIN: 7&nbsp; PTS: 0 REB: 0&nbsp; AST: 0&nbsp; FG: 0-1&nbsp; 3FG: 0-0&nbsp; FT: 0-0 TO: 0&nbsp; BLK: 1&nbsp; 
Nolan Hickman - Gonzaga vs. Dixie State MIN: 17&nbsp; PTS: 11&nbsp; REB: 2&nbsp; AST: 2&nbsp; FG: 5-9&nbsp; 3FG: 1-4&nbsp; FT: 0-0&nbsp; TO: 1&nbsp; STL: 1
Harrison Ingram - Stanford vs. Tarleton MIN: 31&nbsp; PTS: 16&nbsp; REB: 7&nbsp; AST: 1&nbsp; FG: 7-11&nbsp; 3FG: 1-2&nbsp; FT: 1-1&nbsp; TO: 1
Trevor Keels - Duke vs. Kentucky MIN: 34&nbsp; PTS: 25&nbsp; REB: 1&nbsp; AST: 2 &nbsp; FG: 10-18&nbsp; 3FG: 1-4 &nbsp; FT:&nbsp; 4-6 TO: 2&nbsp; STL: 3
Bryce McGowens - Nebraska vs. Western Illinois MIN: 39&nbsp; PTS: 25&nbsp; REB: 6&nbsp; AST: 0&nbsp; FG: 7-18&nbsp; 3FG: 1-6&nbsp; FT: 10-12&nbsp; TO: 2&nbsp; 
Efton Reid - LSU vs. UL Monroe MIN: 24&nbsp; PTS: 16&nbsp; REB: 6&nbsp; AST: 1&nbsp; FG: 7-10&nbsp; 3FG: 0-1&nbsp; FT: 2-3&nbsp; TO: 2&nbsp; BLK: 1
Hunter Sallis - Gonzaga vs. Dixie State MIN: 13&nbsp; PTS: 9&nbsp; REB: 2&nbsp; AST: 0&nbsp; FG: 4-7&nbsp; 3FG: 0-0&nbsp; FT: 1-1&nbsp; TO: 0&nbsp;

Derek Murray highlights the box scores of college basketball's top freshmen with one-and-done potential for the 2022 NBA Draft.

2022 NBA Draft: Opening night stat lines from potential one-and-dones

College basketball is just around the corner, and when the season tips off on Nov. 9, the scouting season will truly kick into high gear.
BasketballNews.com Senior NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock and his team of scouts have already been watching prospects in U.S. professional programs (G League Ignite and Overtime Elite) as well as abroad, and have made stops at college pro days and exhibition games. So even though the collegiate season has yet to start, they have already been hard at work scouting some must-watch players.
I asked Babcock some questions about what he has observed in the collegiate preseason, what he expects from the early stretches of play, and more. Be sure to also check out the BasketballNews.com <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Draft Big Board</a>.
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1. From a scouting perspective, how much do you take away from college basketball preseason?
Well, I evaluate hundreds of prospects every year. I&rsquo;m in the information-gathering business, and there is an extensive process to be able to gather enough information and come to a conclusive evaluation of a player prior to their draft. During the preseason &mdash; depending on who I&rsquo;ve seen before &mdash; I know some players better than others, how many times I&rsquo;ve seen them and in what setting. If I&rsquo;m seeing a player for the first time, it&rsquo;s the first step in my evaluation process.&nbsp;
In those cases, I&rsquo;m really just trying to get a feel for the player&rsquo;s skill set, body type, movements and personality &mdash; essentially creating a platform to work off in order to be able to do a deeper dive on the player. If I already know the player decently, I try to get a pulse of where they&rsquo;re at in their development. Both scenarios are important to me. I carefully put together my travel and my day-to-day efforts to make sure I gather enough information on all of the relevant prospects by draft night. To make a long story short, I value seeing prospects in all different types of settings, including practices and scrimmages during the preseason.
2. What were the most significant changes you made to your recently updated Big Board?
I&rsquo;d say the biggest change was including some additional freshmen who I&rsquo;m somewhat on the fence about. I recently included Max Christie from Michigan State, Moussa Diabate from Michigan, and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield from Tennessee. Projecting how a true freshman will do right off the bat can be extremely challenging. I spend a lot of time evaluating high-school prospects in an effort to get a head start on the evaluation process.&nbsp;
I&rsquo;m confident that all of the freshmen we currently have on our Big Board have the tools to be NBA prospects this year, but there are so many variables that can affect their imminent draft status: How will they adapt to their new setting? What role will they play for their team? Different things along those lines. I make it a point to track freshmen closely because oftentimes it can go either way.
3. What opening week games would you consider to be must-watch for scouts?
I&rsquo;m kicking the season off with a bang. I&rsquo;m heading to New York City for the State Farm Champions Classic to see Kansas versus Michigan State, and then Kentucky versus Duke at Madison Square Garden. Obviously it&rsquo;s great from a scouting standpoint because I&rsquo;ll see a bunch of top prospects. But even just as a basketball fan, I&rsquo;ll get to see some of the best coaches in the country go head-to-head: Bill Self versus Tom Izzo, and then John Calipari versus Coach K. It doesn&rsquo;t get any better than that.
4. After seeing Kentucky and TyTy Washington recently, what type of impact do you expect from him?
I&rsquo;ve spent a lot of time watching TyTy over the course of the last year. I feel like he&rsquo;s one of those players who I&rsquo;m constantly higher on than the consensus. My latest trip to Kentucky kept that idea intact. In fact, I walked away even higher on him than I was before. Kentucky had a brutal season last year, but I&rsquo;m expecting for them to bounce back this season &mdash; and I think TyTy is going to lead the charge for them. They&rsquo;ll go as TyTy goes. That said, I think he&rsquo;s going to be a star player for them and subsequently become a lottery pick come June.
5. Which prospects moved the needle the most this preseason?
There are a few guys in my book who have impressed me and helped themselves recently &mdash; Max Christie from Michigan State, Oscar Tshiebwe from Kentucky and MarJon Beauchamp from the G League Ignite.
6. What college freshman not currently on your Big Board could possibly be included sometime soon?
I&rsquo;ve got my eye on a few. Nolan Hickman and Hunter Sallis from Gonzaga, Harrison Ingram from Stanford, Trevor Keels from Duke and Bryce McGowens from Nebraska. There are some others too, but those are names that come to mind first.
7. How does this year&rsquo;s G League Ignite team compare to last year&rsquo;s?
Last year, the Ignite produced two lottery picks in Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga. This year, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/babcock-takeaways-from-the-g-league-ignites-season-opener" target="_blank" rel="noopener">I&rsquo;m expecting</a> Jaden Hardy to be a high lottery pick, but I don&rsquo;t expect any of the other guys to be taken quite that high. However, I think they have more depth and overall talent top-to-bottom. We are currently projecting that Dyson Daniels will be a first round pick, Michael Foster is not far off and MarJon Beauchamp is doing some really good things early for them too.
8. Which international prospects have risen for you in recent weeks?
One player to keep an eye on is Ismael Kamagate, who is playing for Paris. He&rsquo;s a big, athletic rim-protector and rim-runner. Our international scout, and a former NBA scout, Jason Filippi, recently watched Kamagate and had the chance to interview him. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-nba-draft-qa-french-big-man-ismael-kamagate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">His Q&amp;A is up on BasketballNews.com</a>. Jason walked away impressed with Kamagate. He&rsquo;s not currently on our Big Board but I wouldn&rsquo;t be surprised if we ultimately included him.

Ethan Fuller checks in with Senior NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock ahead of the 2021-22 college basketball season.

2022 NBA Draft: NCAA basketball season preview with Matt Babcock

Every year, there are NCAA freshmen who step into college basketball and dazzle right off of the bat, subsequently earning opportunities to be selected in the NBA Draft following their lone season at the college level. This year will be no different.
Here is a list of incoming freshmen that we currently have included in our <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Draft Big Board</a>:
1. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/chet-holmgren" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chet Holmgren</a> | Gonzaga | Forward/Center
2. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/paolo-banchero" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Paolo Banchero</a> | Duke | Forward
4. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/jalen-duren" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jalen Duren</a> | Memphis | Center
6. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/jabari-smith" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jabari Smith</a> | Auburn | Forward
7. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/patrick-baldwin-jr" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Patrick Baldwin Jr.</a> | UW-Milwaukee | Forward
8. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/caleb-houstan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Caleb Houstan</a> | Michigan | Forward
9. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/aj-griffin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AJ Griffin</a> | Duke | Guard/Forward
12. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/tyty-washington" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TyTy Washington</a> | Kentucky | Guard
13. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/kennedy-chandler" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kennedy Chandler</a> | Tennessee | Guard
14. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/jd-davison" target="_blank" rel="noopener">JD Davison</a> | Alabama | Guard 
16. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/peyton-watson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Peyton Watson</a> | UCLA | Guard/Forward
23. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/daimion-collins" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daimion Collins</a> | Kentucky | Forward
24. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/kendall-brown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kendall Brown</a> | Baylor | Forward
25. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/matthew-cleveland" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matthew Cleveland</a> | Florida State | Guard/Forward
While the players listed above are currently included on our Big Board, here is a list of other freshmen prospects (in alphabetical order) who our scouting staff will be keeping close tabs on:
Nate Bittle
Forward/Center | Oregon
Height: 7-0 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Wingspan: 7-5 Weight: 215 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Draft Day Age: 19.1
Nate Bittle is a long and lanky stretch big who can really open up the floor as a shooter. On the offensive end, he&rsquo;s an adequate passer, and has shown great promise as a scorer on all three levels. He can get bumped off his line with contact and needs to fill out his frame, but his combination of length and touch is impressive at his age. On defense, Bittle utilizes his length really well as a rim-protector, but it&rsquo;s yet to be seen how his lateral mobility and movement skills translate to tougher competition. The Oregon native will suit up for his home-state Oregon Ducks this season as one of four centers listed at 6-foot-11 or taller. He will likely be utilized as a floor-stretcher, but I&rsquo;m curious to see how he fits in their lineup construction.&nbsp;
Max Christie 
Guard | Michigan State
Height: 6-6 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Wingspan: 6-9 Weight: 190 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Draft Day Age: 19.8
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Max Christie is a sharpshooter who has the potential to be one of the best 3-and-D prospects in the 2022 draft class. He averaged 24.0 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 3.1 steals and 2.0 blocks per contest as a high-school senior, and was named Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year. His combination of shot-making and finishing craft should allow him to provide value offensively quickly for the Michigan State Spartans, as they will likely rely on him to carry a heavy load. Christie is an active rebounder and defender who uses his hands well to contest shots and deflect passes when engaged. He&rsquo;s a skilled playmaking wing who has the tools to produce at a high level, which could potentially propel him into the 2022 draft.
Moussa Diabate 
Forward/Center | Michigan
Height: 6-11 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Wingspan: 7-3 Weight: 210 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Draft Day Age: 20.4
Born in Paris, France, Moussa Diabate comes to Michigan after two years at IMG Academy. He is a long, athletic, high-energy big with the ability to impact the game on both ends of the floor. Due to his aggressive nature, he excels on the offensive end by finishing through contact and being a high-level rebounder. He also has the ability to block shots and impact plays around the rim on the defensive end. With improvement as a ball-handler and shot-maker, Diabate can make a great case for himself as a one-and-done option next summer.&nbsp;
Cerebro Sports note: Per their 2021 Geico Nationals data, he was one of only six players to post a Defensive Statistical Impact rating of &gt; 90 and &gt; 60 in the Big Man Strengths metric.
Nolan Hickman
Guard | Gonzaga
Height: 6-2 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Wingspan: 6-6 Weight: 185 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Draft Day Age: 19.1
Nolan Hickman comes to Spokane, Washington as Gonzaga&rsquo;s fifth-highest rated recruit of all-time. The 6-foot-2 point guard is an impressive athlete who can get to his spots and create scoring opportunities at will. His tight handles and skills as a facilitator only make him that much more lethal when paired with his shooting. He is routinely found at the top of Cerebro Sports&rsquo; Floor General Skills and Pure-Scoring Prowess metrics, regardless of the event and competition. Hickman is a fiery competitor in all facets of the game, and could be poised for a strong year for the Bulldogs.
Brandon Huntley-Hatfield 
Forward/Center | Tennessee
Height: 6-10 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Wingspan: 7-1 Weight: 246 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Draft Day Age: 18.9
After graduating from Scotland Campus Prep in Pennsylvania, Brandon Huntley-Hatfield returns to his home state of Tennessee to play for the Volunteers. Standing 6-foot-10 and 246 pounds, he has the tools to be an ideal power forward in today&rsquo;s game. He&rsquo;s a powerful athlete with strength, length and an ability to score from anywhere on the floor. He is already a tremendous rebounder who has also shown promise as a ball-handler and defender. He will still be only 18 years old on draft night, and has plenty of room to develop into an elite prospect.&nbsp;
Harrison Ingram 
Forward | Stanford
Height: 6-8 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Wingspan: 7-0 Weight: 230 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Draft Day Age: 19.6
Harrison Ingram is one of the most intelligent and competitive prospects in this year&rsquo;s freshman class. At 6-foot-7 with a 7-foot wingspan, he is savvy on both ends of the floor, and is capable of playing both on and off the ball. Even though he&rsquo;s not an elite athlete, he has shown flashes as a shooter and projects well as a high-level defender. Another aspect of his game that stands out is his poise, as he rarely gets sped up and plays under control. As a skilled point-forward who can make plays, score and also be effective on the glass, Ingram has a great opportunity to shine for the Cardinal.
Cerebro Sports note: Per their database, Ingram was one of only four players in the 2021 FIBA U19 World Cup with a Defensive Statistical Impact rating &gt; 92 and a Three-Point Efficiency rating &gt; 58.
Trevor Keels 
Guard | Duke
Height: 6-4 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Wingspan: 6-7 Weight: 221 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Draft Day Age: 18.8
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The Clinton, Maryland native comes to Duke after finishing high school as a consensus top-25 prospect. At 6-foot-4 and 221 pounds, Trevor Keels has phenomenal physical strength for his age and position. He excels in attack mode on the offensive end, using his combination of strength and skill to score on all three levels. He possesses a unique ability to finish through contact in the lane, and also knock down shots by spotting up or as his own creator. At the Iverson Roundball Classic in May, Keels&rsquo; footwork and smooth shooting stroke impressed me, a swing skill he&rsquo;ll look to maintain as a freshman. With continued improvement as a passer, shooter and on-ball defender, Keels has a chance to be a solid one-and-done option.&nbsp;
Bryce McGowens
Guard | Nebraska
Height: 6-7 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Wingspan: 6-9 Weight: 179 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Draft Day Age: 19.6
Possessing positional size and length, Bryce McGowens has a chance to be one of the best shot makers in college basketball. He&rsquo;s flashed space creation as a shooter with pull-up craft, ball-handling and the ability to elevate over defenders. Although he can be a bit streaky, the mechanics and fluidity with his shooting are special. He is also a solid defender due to his length, athleticism and instinctual play. With his combination of great athleticism, shot-making and finishing craft at the rim, McGowens should be a go-to scorer for the Huskers, and will look to make a strong case as a potential draft pick in 2022.
Hunter Sallis
Guard | Gonzaga
Height: 6-5 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Wingspan: 6-8 Weight: 175 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Draft Day Age: 19.2
Hunter Sallis stands 6-foot-5, giving him solid positional size as a scoring guard who also excels as a facilitator. The McDonald&rsquo;s All-American averaged 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game as a high-school senior. Gonzaga will have a handful of capable ball-handlers on the roster this season, but Sallis&rsquo; ability to control the game and be a scoring floor general should create a solid role for him. He will need to add physical strength, but the size, skill set and scoring prowess give promise to him as a likely high-level prospect. Sallis is currently included on the 2022 Jerry West Award preseason watchlist, and has the potential to be one of the leaders of the Zags&rsquo; offense.&nbsp;

Derek Murray analyzes the upcoming college freshman class and under-the-radar names to watch out for in the 2022 NBA Draft.

2022 NBA Draft: Top incoming college freshmen with pro potential

Last week, I traveled to Fort Myers, Fla. for the 2021 GEICO Nationals Tournament, which included some of the best high-school talent in the country. 
After spending several days evaluating players, it became apparent to me that there are many young players in the classes of 2022 and 2023 to be excited about moving forward, including Jalen Duren, Jarace Walker, Dariq Whitehead, Jaden Bradley, Adem Bona, M.J. Rice, Eric Dailey Jr., Gradey Dick, Vince Iwuchukwu, Jett Howard, Caleb Foster, and Kanaan Carlyle among others. 
However, as an NBA Draft Analyst, I&rsquo;d like to highlight a handful of the top seniors in the class of 2021 who will likely be high-priority prospects on my watchlist next season for the 2022 NBA Draft.
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Kennedy Chandler
Sunrise Christian Academy | Committed to Tennessee
Quarterfinal vs. Prolific Prep: 11 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 6 steals, 7 TOV, 5/10 FG, 1/3 3pt
Semifinal vs. IMG Academy: 25 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 TOV, 6/8 FG, 2/3 3pt
Final vs. Montverde Academy: 9 points, 7 assists, 3 rebounds, 1, TOV, 4/12 FG, 1/6 3pt
Although on the smaller side, Kennedy Chandler dazzled with his speed, scoring, and playmaking abilities at the 2021 GEICO Nationals, leading his Sunrise Christian team to the championship game where they came up just short, losing to a loaded Montverde Academy team. Chandler, a 5-star recruit and McDonald&rsquo;s All-American, is committed to head coach Rick Barnes and the University of Tennessee, where he will most certainly be a high priority for me to scout for the 2022 NBA Draft.&nbsp;
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TyTy Washington
AZ Compass Prep | Undecided
Quarterfinal vs. Wasatch Academy: 22 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 3 TOV, 6/16 FG, 2/7 3pt
Semifinal vs. Montverde Academy: 15 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks, 0 TOV, 7/16 FG, 1/6 3pt
I have had the opportunity to watch TyTy Washington and his AZ Compass Prep team a lot lately, and as I continue to watch Washington, he keeps impressing me more and more. At 6&rsquo;3, Washington is not your typical star player, as he&rsquo;s not an elite athlete. However, his court vision, shot-making ability, and basketball IQ dramatically affects each game he plays in. Having recently decommitted from Creighton, Washington has become quite the hot commodity on the college recruiting front. I&rsquo;m not quite sure where he&rsquo;ll end up playing next year, but I do know wherever it is, I&rsquo;ll be going there to evaluate him some more.&nbsp;
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Caleb Houstan
Montverde Academy | Committed to Michigan
Quarterfinal vs. Oak Hill: 20 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 TOV, 7/11 FG, 1/4 3pt
Semifinal vs. AZ Compass: 5 points, 7 rebounds, 0 assists, 4 TOV, 2/9 FG, 1/5 3pt
Final vs. Sunrise Christian: 16 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal 6/12 FG, 4/9 3pt
A highly-touted prospect and McDonald&rsquo;s All-American, Caleb Houston showed why so many people within basketball circles are excited about his future. At 6&rsquo;8 and 200 pounds, it wouldn&rsquo;t surprise me to see some NBA scouts label Houstan as a &ldquo;tweener." However, I see him as a hybrid forward who can really stretch the floor with his outside shooting and provide defensive versatility. After seeing Houstan play for several days in a row, I, too, am excited about his future -- which will be taking him to Ann Harbor next season.&nbsp;
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Kendall Brown
Sunrise Christian Academy | Committed to Baylor
Quarterfinal vs. Prolific Prep: 21 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 0 TOV, 10/19 FG, 0/2 3pt
Semifinal vs. IMG Academy: 10 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 2 TOV, 5/9 FG, 1/3 3pt
Final vs. Montverde Academy: 11 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, 2 blocks, 2 TOV, 5/9 FG, 1/3 3pt
Although I had never seen Kendall Brown play in-person before, he quickly impressed me with his elite motor and athleticism, as he executed spectacular dunks and defensive plays regularly. He should be a welcomed addition to the national champion Baylor Bears as they look to reload (since they will most likely lose star players Jared Butler and Davion Mitchell to the NBA).
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Matthew Cleveland
Pace Academy | Committed to Florida State
Play-in round vs. Oak Hill: 30 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 TOV, 1 steal, 12/18 FG, 2/3 3pt
This was the first time I was able to see Matthew Cleveland in-person, and unfortunately, my sample size for evaluating him still remains small, as his Pace Academy team lost in the play-in game versus Oak Hill Academy. However, in the one game I saw, Cleveland was terrific, scoring 30 points while shooting 12-for-18 from the field and also grabbing 8 rebounds. At 6&rsquo;6, Cleveland was extremely assertive and efficient getting to the hole and finishing. He was also showed an ability to shoot the ball from outside, although I would like to see more from him in this area to have full confidence. Leonard Hamilton has put together a terrific program at Florida State that keeps pumping out pros. Matthew Cleveland may very well be next in line.
Others Worth Mentioning
Nathan Bittle&nbsp;
Prolific Prep | Committed to Oregon
Moussa Diabate
IMG Academy | Committed to Michigan
Nolan Hickman
Wasatch Academy | Committed to Kentucky
Langston Love
Montverde Academy | Committed to Baylor
Zach Clemence
Sunrise Christian Academy | Committed to Kansas

After attending the 2021 GEICO Nationals Tournament, Matt Babcock shares which players stood out to him.