I conclude my coverage of the TCU Elite Camp by taking a deep dive on the 2025 prospects that performed well. The 2025 class nationally is loaded and it’s also loaded in Texas. Let’s take a look.

RELATED: 2026 Standouts at TCU Elite Camp

Parker Jefferson, Jason Scott Look Healthy Again

It’s really a process in recovering from serious injuries. For the body to be 100% physically, the conditioning needing to be on point and also the confidence to do things on the court the player was accustomed to doing prior to the injury.?

Junior (2025) big man Parker Jefferson is back healthy and has shedded some weight. He showed off his passing skills, post-play and handle in the open court. He’s never going to be a big-time vertical athlete but he’s smart, knows how to use his body to carve out space and his touch from around the rim and outside the arc was exhibited at camp.?

Jason Scott, who was the Co-MVP of the Pangos FR/SOPH Camp in Dallas last year, has recovered from his leg injury. The spring & summer was a bumpy road but I can tell he’s back to his normal self. Slashing to the rim, a strong off-ball cutter that plays off two feet well to convert and capable of making shots from deep. Motor mixed with good-enough shooting & a high volume of rim pressure is what Scott brought to the table.

Cam Smith Is A Strong Addition to Duncanville

You can say it’s a reloading year for Duncanville High School, who finished No. 3 in the Ballislife FAB 50 Rankings for the 2022-2023 season, but pieces have been added and knowing David Peavy, he’ll have a team that’ll compete for a state title every year. Cam Smith is a welcoming addition to the squad. At 6’5 and sporting a 6’8 wingspan, Smith is a lefty wing-guard that plays with length. He thrives in transition as a finisher, attacks closeouts and is an adequate driver to the rim. Also, Smith is a capable shooter with clean looking mechanics. Defensively, he intercepted passing lanes and used length to bother shots when defending on-ball. Like the upside with this one, as Smith can be a defensive playmaker and also a versatile offensive threat down the road.

His teammate at Duncanville and the go-to-guy, Kayden Edwards, had a strong showing at the as well. Lefty with one of the fastest releases in the state and can make shots from all over the court. As his ball-skills and strength have improved, it’s allowed him to open his game and get to his shots. Prior, he was more of a spot up guy, but because he’s more comfortable creating and putting the ball on the floor, Edwards can keep the defense guessing on when he will release.?

Versatility of Kash Polk

Someone that may not have popped out to some but really impressed me was Kash Polk. He’s about 6’7 with plus arm length and he just gets a lot done on the court. Rebounds his butt off, is a grab and go candidate, looks to get to the rim, assertive pursuit to the rim and can make shots from the perimeter. An automatic double-double guy that competes on the defensive end, too. Seeing him commit to guarding the primary ball handler and also tussle with the bigs on the block was a good thing. Polk makes winning basketball plays and I think will end up in the 10-15 range in the 2025 class when it’s all said and done.?

South Grand Prairie Will Be One To Keep Tabs Of

South Grand Prairie has three 2025 prospects that catch my eye consistently and will play big roles this season. Cam Carroll is a 6’2 combo that’s a D1 guard. Physical, has a strong frame and is shifty with the ball. He showed more of his passing this last weekend and that’s been the swing skill for him…. How well or willing is he as a passer? I definitely believe he’s growing in that department as he’s someone that is a regular visitor to the paint and seen him make kick-out passes to the shooter in the corner or dump it off to the post. Cam Paul is a big wing at about 6’7 with guard skills. He can make tough shots and is strong as a pull-up shooter. Coupled with his motor and strength he’s added to his wiry build, Paul has emerged as a high major prospect in a loaded 2025 class. Markece Young is the last one and he’s a yunk-yard dog. Rebounder, defender, driver to the rim. Like his competitive nature and pursuit to get to the paint and finish.?

Guard Standouts

LD Jones, 6’3 2/1 CG - North Forney: Was a good performance day for LD. He can be inconsistent but he holds immense talent. An athletic guard that can score it in bunches. More comfortable playing off the ball but showed some nice playmaking abilities in the open court. 

Caleb Steger, 6’4 SG - Dallas Jesuit: Caleb showed his shooting prowess. A reliable shooter with a stockier frame. Regardless if that was on movement, spot up or mid-range pull-up, Steger was knocking it down.?

JaCobe Coleman, 6’2 CG - Pace Academy: A natural scorer that’s athletic. Gets downhill and finishes utilizing strength and touch. Holds a quick first step and fearless in regards to pulling the trigger from deep. 

Jaylon Dean-Vines, 6’5 Wing - Kimball: An athletic wing-scorer. Explosive finisher and an adequate pull-up shooter. Has improved as a shot creator in the last year and I expect a breakout year at Kimball. 

Roman Miller, 6’3 PG - Mustang (OK): I like this kid’s game a lot. A pg with good positional size and feel. A stable live-dribble passer that showed efficient mid-range game. I like how he balanced playmaking and scoring. He comes from a family of strong basketball bloodlines as his dad is the all-time leading scorer at East Central in Oklahoma.?

Jamison Thrower, 6’3 CG - WT White: A great addition to WT White, a team that carries an immense amount of size in the front-court. Jamison has a good canvas and can score and facilitate well. Got to the rim and when given space, he kept the defense honest by connecting on a couple jumpers.?

Leroy Kelly IV, 6’2 2/1 CG - Dynamic Prep: A natural scorer with good feel for the game. Leroy attacks closeouts well and has a clean pull-up jumper from mid-range and is a dependable shooter from deep off the catch. He’s been consistent and productive on offense everytime I see him and the TCU Elite Camp wasn’t anything different.

Bigs

David Iweze, 6’8 PF - Ischool: A forward prospect with more skill to his game than given credit. Handles well for position and size, outside of Parker Jefferson, was the second best big man passer at the camp and defensively covered ground due to his long arms and long strides.?

Amari Reed, 6’6 PF/C - Lancaster: Can tell Amari has been working on expanding his game. Attempted threes, although I didn’t see one go in I did see his willingness to drive to the rim and attempt jumpers when open. Still has ways to go but I can appreciate the fact that he will try to do the things he’s been working on in this setting. A hard-playing post with big-time length at over 7-foot. He tries to dunk everything, block everything and rebound every miss.?

Aidan Duran, 6’6 PF - PSAT: Was a solid contributor at the camp. Really a tweener that can score inside and out. A mismatch forward when his shot from the perimeter is on, he’s hard to guard.

Jayden Leverett, 6’9 C - Chapin: He was good at the camp. Still raw but played well. One thing that really stood out to me was how quick he processes things. He applied the post-moves and positioning that was taught at the camp and transferred it immediately to the game. That’s not normal in most camp settings, especially for bigs, but for Jayden it was no problem and it equated to success.

Hudson Goellner, 6’8 PF/C - Rockwall: A hard playing, strong forward that is active on the glass. Like his motor, ability to play through contact and get positioning inside. A glue guy that provides more than what’s seen on the stat sheet.

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The Dallas Cowboys were victorious on Sunday afternoon, but the best defense in Big D wasn't being played at AT & T Stadium. It was being played at the Duncanville Fieldhouse at the Pangos All-South Frosh/Soph Camp. Throughout the event, easy baskets were at a premium, as defenders ball-hawked 84 feet, denied post entry passes and contested shot attempts at the rim.

That style of play made for a competitive environment and that competitiveness was most evident during the Cream of the Crop Top 30 Game designed for the camp's top performers. The White jersey-wearing club took a 28-27 halftime lead, but the club wearing the Black jerseys went on to record a 54-51 win after holding off a late White club rally in what was the lowest scoring Cream of the Crop Game in the annual event's history.

Leading the way in the late comeback attempt for the White club was 6-foot-8 freshman (2025) forward Parker Jefferson of Waxahachie (Texas), who scored on a variety of silky post moves and smooth baseline shots to put his club within range to tie the game on its final possession. Jefferson got three quality looks at a potential game-tying 3-pointer. Two of them were of the in-and-out variety and the third was on line, but just long.

The fact Jefferson's teammates kept feeding him the ball and he was able to get open speaks volumes of his ability and instincts for the game. Jefferson utilizes effective half hooks over both shoulders around the basket, smooth turnaround jump shots, bank shots off post entry passes and can finish well with either hand. He was by far the most polished pivot player at the camp and in one camp game looked like UCLA immortal Bill Walton vs. Memphis in the 1973 NCAA title game, continuously scoring on soft lay-ups off post entry lob passes over the top.

Jefferson netted 16 of his team's 51 points in the Cream of the Crop Top 30 Game to cap off his co-most outstanding player honor. It's fitting he was the game's only double digit scorer, as the co-Cream of the Crop Top 30 Most Valuable Players were the brother duo of 6-foot-9 sophomore (2024) Israel Nansha and 6-foot-8 2025 Jed Nansha of Hillcrest (Dallas). The Nansha brothers were rewarded for their relentless defensive effort, as they stood out among a plethora of all-star players who were crashing the defensive and offensive glass and contesting field goal attempts around the cup. Israel finished with two points and seven big rebounds for the victorious Black club, while his younger brother and teammate added six points and four rebounds.

Other Cream of the Crop Top 30 standouts for the Black club included 6-foot-3 2024 guard Jayden Gambrell of James Madison (Houston) with seven points and 6-foot-2 2024 guard Malek Archie of McKinney (Texas) with five points. For the White club, 6-foot-5 2025 wing Jai'Chaunn Hayes of White Hall (Ark.) had a nice game, finishing with seven points, while 6-foot-5 2024 wing Jakeel Registe of Episcopal (Bellaire, Texas) had a strong start and finished with eight points.

Special recognition must be given to coach Kelan Jones of Hillcrest (Dallas). Jones was coaching the Cream of the Crop Top 30 game with passion and quality communication and helped raise the level of intensity ten-fold. There is little doubt his coaching approach to a sometimes laid-back affair helped the campers perform admirably to close the event.

Skill, Shooting, Defense Stand Out

Jefferson's skill level is what separated him from a pack a quality big men with long term potential. From the wing forward position, the most skilled of the lot was 6-foot-5 2025 Hudson Greer of Lake Travis (Austin, Texas). He can score it in a variety of ways and is a quality shooter with lively legs who covers ample ground when he puts it on the deck. Greer didn't particularly stand out in the top all-star game (six points), but over the course of the camp's three games for each player he displayed terrific scoring instincts and a high offensive skill level. His father Josh Greer played at St Mary's (Calif.) after a standout career at Esperanza (Anaheim, Calif.) and son is easily tracking to play on the WCC level and beyond.

From the wing guard position, Hayes was locked in throughout camp and had high-scoring outputs in each game. Hayes can stroke it, has good passing ability and a nice combination of skill and instinct for the game. He was just one of the many 2025 (freshmen) standouts at this camp with mid to high major potential. In fact, one third (10 of 30) of the players selected for the Cream of the Crop Top 30 game were freshmen.

Among the sophomore (2024) lot, there was plenty to like about from 6-foot-5 wing guard Tre Johnson of Lake Highlands (Dallas). He was named camp co-MOP and it's easy to see why some evaluators are so giddy about his long-term potential. Johnson's size-ball skill ratio stands out and he was one of the most explosive campers in attendance with an ability to finish in and above traffic or make a spectacular play on the defensive end. Johnson has a knack for being around the ball at opportune times and just needs to continue to polish up his shot and tighten his handle to become a bonafide high school All-American candidate.

Some of the perimeter shooters who stood out included 6-foot-4 2025 Adlan Elamin of Bishop O'Connell (Arlington, Va.), 6-foot-5 2024 S. Trap Johnson of Belton (Texas), 6-foot 2024 Drew Ward of Longview (Texas), and 6-foot-3 2025 Jaden Nickens of Milwood (Oklahoma City, Okla.). Nickens had it going during the Cream of the Crop Top 60 game, leading his team to an easy 79-34 victory by nailing two 3-pointers and finishing with a game-high 18 points.

Nickens was the one player we felt whose evaluation was deserving of a spot in the top all-star game. We also would have reserved a spot for 6-foot-3 2024 Anthony Bates Jr. of Seven Lakes (Katy, Texas).

Our cinch choice for player most deserving of a Top 60 selection was 6-foot-1 2024 Cornelius Brown of The Walker School (Marietta, Ga.). Brown was one of the most explosive players off the bounce in attendance.

Defense was the name of the game at this camp, and the one player who earned a Creme of the Crop Top 60 berth mostly because of his defensive performances was 5-foot-10 2024 Rondae Hill of Calvary Baptist Academy (Shreveport, La.)

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores

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