-
Paul Biancardi, Basketball Recruiting
Players are made in the offseason. April and May are filled with travel basketball while June is filled with camps, which provides us a different type of evaluation platform.
This is a key environment to evaluate players, especially as we get closer to our updated summer rankings at the end of the month. Seeing how players function in drills, take direction and respond to coaching is important. June is a test of a player’s learning ability, basketball IQ and coachability.
The Jay Bilas Camp, NBPA Top 100 and USA Basketball’s National Team training camp all provide necessary teaching and structure for players looking to learn and compete. Here are the prospects across the 2025 and 2026 classes who made their mark and caught our attention at various camps over the last few weeks.
Class of 2025
A.J. Dybantsa, SF
6-foot-9, 205 pounds | Utah Prep (Utah)
ESPN Rank: 1
The game is slowing down for Dybantsa, and that’s a problem for his opponents. His long 6-9 frame and 7-foot wingspan stand out, as well as his high-end ball skills and emerging defensive awareness. He’s beginning to do the little things with greater focus and his energetic personality transfers over to the court. You can hear his defensive communication and ability to predict what will happen while yelling out coverages.
Dybantsa also scores in a variety of ways. He gets to the basket whenever he wants, but is most dangerous pulling up from mid-range. He knows how to blend in alongside the nation’s elite players, or when to take over a game.
“He would be the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft and next year’s draft,” one NBA scout said.
Dybantsa will decide on official college visits after Peach Jam in July. His father, Ace, said they expect to make six or seven visits.
Cameron Boozer, C/PF
6-9, 246 pounds | Columbus (Florida)
ESPN Rank: 2
Boozer’s always an impactful presence, regardless of the environment. He shoots and passes at the highest level and his vision and decision-making instincts are on point. His shooting and passing space the floor on offense while he’s a willing help defender on the other end and never forgets to rebound. Coaches can run offenses either to him or through him. There’s a high probability any team with Boozer will play cohesively and win because he’s a coachable competitor and will bring a winning mindset to USA Basketball’s U-17 team.
Meleek Thomas, SG
6-4, 175 pounds | Overtime Elite (Georgia)
ESPN Rank: 7
Thomas scored at will throughout the NBPA camp while also showing some playmaking ability. There isn’t much help-side defense played in camp settings, and Thomas took advantage of driving lanes while recording assists either on lobs at the rim or as a kick-out passer. Scoring is Thomas’ first priority and, most importantly, he creates space for his attempts while his driving ability supplements his long-range shooting. He can make a dribble move under control, or straight-line drive on his defender. Thomas’ scoring talent and transition ability were on full display this month. He’ll make official visits to UConn and Arkansas this week.
Chris Cenac Jr., C
6-10, 230 pounds | Link Academy (Missouri)
ESPN Rank: 36
Cenac parlayed a slew of strong performances, including winning MVP at the NBPA Top 100 camp, into a spot on USA Basketball’s U-17 National Team. His potential for an NBA future is growing because he understands how to make his presence felt during games. The 6-10 center owns a rare combination of mobility, fluidity and inside-out scoring ability. He can post up with touch and good footwork, or step out and knock it down from 3. Cenac is also productive on the glass and as a rim protector. He needs to be more consistent — his effort is up and down — but his stock and ranking are rising. He has taken unofficial visits to Houston and LSU. Kentucky, Kansas, LSU, Houston, UCLA, Tennessee, Louisville, Texas, Alabama, Illinois Oklahoma, UConn, Indiana, and Georgia have all offered.
Kingston Flemings, PG
6-3,169 pounds | William J. Brennan High School (Texas)
ESPN Rank: No. 42
While he didn’t make the team, Flemings was one of the 19 finalists for the USA Basketball’s U-17 roster and is an impressive competitor on both ends of the court. Flemings has a long point guard frame and he’s terrific at driving into the lane both with speed and with a change-of-pace attack. Once in the paint, Flemings’ instincts take over. He’s a competitive scorer and good decision-maker. He finishes in traffic well with a burst of speed and explosiveness. NBA scouts who watched Flemings for the first time walked away intrigued with his size and ability to run the point. He made an official visit to Texas Tech last September. Creighton, Texas Tech, Houston, and Michigan are all in regular contact, with Duke, Kentucky and UCLA recently showing interest.
Derek Dixon, SG
6-4, 180 pounds | Gonzaga College (Washington D.C.)
ESPN Rank: No. 62
Dixon plays with noticeable effort, and it consistently showed up at the NBPA Top 100 camp. He reads the game, makes shots and moves the ball. Dixon is unselfish and willing to grab rebounds or give out assists. He understands when he’s open and when to move the ball, making him an easy teammate to play with and a tough player to defend because of his movement, shooting and quick decision-making instincts.
Acaden Lewis, SG
6-3, 180 pounds | Sidwell Friends School (Washington D.C.)
ESPN Rank: No. 67
Lewis is an extremely-talented combination guard who can score in the open floor, against set defenses and is a big threat in ball screens as the handler. He’s a score-first guard who at times can over dribble, but he’s a very good passer when he sees the open man. The lefthanded guard can cleverly dribble by defenders and get to the rim. Lewis has some off-balance floaters and finishes in his arsenal, and he’ll pull up and shoot if his defender backs off. He’s becoming more comfortable attacking in ball screens, and he’s a legitimate threat to knock it down when his man cheats and goes under.
Davis Fogle, SG
6-7, 185 pounds | AZ Compass Prep (Arizona)
ESPN Rank: No. 74
Fogle solidified his ranking with his performance at the NBPA camp. He’s presently most comfortable looking to score with the ball in his hands. His best basketball is clearly down the road, but he’s not afraid to compete and score right now. His ball skills and handle allow him to find his spot to utilize a tight mid-range jumper. With a good frame, long arms, twitchy legs and a great second jump, Fogle is full of upside. He reminds me of Austin Reaves.
Class of 2026
Tyran Stokes, PF
6-7, 230 pounds | Prolific Prep (California)
ESPN Rank: No. 1
Stokes looks unstoppable at times. He’s the No. 1 prospect in the class because of his combination of incredible strength, force, skill and instincts on both sides of the ball. Notably, he has excellent anticipation as an off-ball defender. His defensive communication and engagement on that end of the floor are impressive as well. Stokes has really improved his conditioning, only enhancing his enormous talent, and he dominated action at the U-17 national camp in Colorado Springs.
Stokes told ESPN that Kentucky, North Carolina, Arkansas, UCLA, Alabama, Auburn, Michigan, USC, Oregon, Texas, and Kansas are on his list.
Caleb Holt, SF
6-5, 200 pounds | Buckhorn (Alabama)
ESPN Rank: No. 5
Holt brings some of the best energy in high school basketball, regardless of class. He has sprinter speed, explosive verticality and lateral quickness. Now, his basketball skill, IQ and defense are catching up. Holt scored big in the half court with the ball in his hands at the NBPA camp and he has been the hardest worker at Team USA U-17 practice. Holt is a great on-ball defender and scores with smart shot selection, driving ability and off-ball cuts on the offensive end. The game is starting to slow down for him and his reads are improving. So far, Holt has made multiple unofficial visits to Alabama and Auburn. He has also visited Tennessee, Houston, Georgia Tech and Ole Miss, and is also hearing from Duke, Kansas, North Carolina and Louisville.
Jordan Smith, SG
6-2, 195 pounds | Paul VI (Virginia)
ESPN Rank: No. 9
Another member of Team USA’s U-17 team, Smith plays with enormous intensity and is becoming a special on-ball defender. There aren’t many players capable of getting by him when he gets up into the ball. The ever-aggressive Smith isn’t afraid to go for the steal, either. Offensively, attacking the basket with strength and speed is his calling card. He’s very aggressive in transition, yet remains under control. Smith plays with positive body language and reminds me of a Jrue Holiday type.
Toni Bryant, PF
6-9, 205 pounds | Tampa Bay Christian Academy (Florida)
ESPN Rank: No. 37
The 6-9 center runs the court with long strides and hands ready to score in transition. When Bryant stays at the high post, he understands when to shoot, drive, go high, low or reverse the play. He has remained committed to blocking shots and rebounding and scores in the paint with footwork, shooting touch and length. He’s a great teammate who cares about improving and winning. Florida, Florida State, USF, UCF, California, Ohio State, Missouri and Georgia Tech are interested.
Other Notable Performers
Koa Peat | 2025 | ESPN Rank: No. 5
Cayden Boozer | 2025 | ESPN Rank: No. 14
Tounde Yessoufou | 2025 | ESPN Rank: No. 25
Jaden Toombs | 2025 | ESPN Rank: No. 43
Tajh Ariza | 2026 | ESPN Rank: No. 6
Caleb Gaskins | 2026 | ESPN Rank: No. 22