With the grassroots event calendar getting tighter each summer because of the voluminous number of event across the country and abroad, it would be easy to focus on the elite national level talent who were unable to participate at the 2024 Pangos All-American Camp do to event conflicts or other issues, but what that accomplished from the "half full" perspective was create opportunities for other hungry college-bound players.

The Pangos All-American Camp is designed for national Top 150 prospects, but with the way college recruiting is set up nowadays with the robust NCAA transfer portal, colleges are not focused on high school players outside the Top 50 in credible national rankings, give or take 25 players. Not many of the rising seniors (2025) have committed to college yet where in year's past a handful would already by the time the event that traditionally tips-off summer commences.

Camp Director Dinos Trigonis invited some without the national fanfare but with the talent to take a legitimate shot at being considered a national Top 150 recruit.?

Incredibly, two players, one guard and one big man, came into the camp with zero offers but will leave with plenty of national buzz. And expect the offers to come, too. The guard was 6-foot-2 Darrell Brown Jr., a 2025 prospect out of West Nottingham Academy (Colora, Md.). In the first camp game, Brown's athleticism and explosive drives to the basket turned heads. However, as the game went, it wasn't hard to evaluate that his other skills were up to par too, as Brown is a deft ball-handler and can knock down the perimeter shot enough to keep defenses honest against playing him for the drive. He plays in the mold of former USC and NBA guard Robert Pack?by packing alot of punch around the rim in a small guard's body.

National scouts were a bit shocked to see Brown didn't have an official offer on the table. Which may be a first for a standout Pangos Camp player.

The post player who fell into the same offer category as Darrell Brown was 7-foot rising senior (2025) Tammar Brown of Rocktop Acadey (King of Prussia, Pa.). Now, there can be a variety of reasons why a player doesn't have an offer, especially with big men who develop in the later stages of their high school career. For the soft-spoken Brown, however, it isn't difficult to see he'll be a much improved player two years from now and has a chance to develop into a legit NBA prospect.

Tammar Brown's skill level is quickly catching up to his confidence and in the camp games he showed he can effectively compete with a deep group of camp bigs. He hit some nice turnaround shots and even a fall-away jumper with touch. Tammar Brown also does a good job of asking for the ball in prime post position, runs well and has good length and a frame that gets NBA scouts to take notice.

Expect the offers for both Browns to roll in sooner rather than later.

There were other standouts who did come into the camp with some offers, but should see there list grow. That would include, first and foremost, 6-foot-10 Cody Peck, a rising junior (2026) out of Carmel Christian (Matthews, N.C.). Peck has tremendous versatility in his offensive game, from 3-point shot making capabilities to a nifty package of finger rolls and layups. Peck is light on his feet and is one of the best upside prospects in attendance at a camp with plenty of them.

Some of the other top upside prospects among big men who should see their recruiting grow include 6-foot-10 2025 Jayden Leverett of Chapin (El Paso, Texas), 6-foot-10 Collins Onyejiaka of Newman School (Boston, Mass.) and 7-foot 2026 Keiner Asprilla of Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.).

The wings and guards who fall into this category, among others, include 6-foot 2025 Miles Sadler of Canyon International Academy (Phoenix, Ariz.), 6-foot-5 2026 Dylan Mingo of Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.), 6-foot-5 2026 Elias Obenyah of Salesian (Richmond, Calif.), 6-foot-7 2025 Robert Moore of AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.), 6-foot-6 2025 Jayden Vance of Bella Vista Prep (Scottsdale, Ariz.) and 6-foot-8 2026 Christian Collins of Westchester (Los Angeles, Calif.).

Trigonis focused on size to fill out the depth of his camp in order to give the 26 NBA teams who had their scouts in attendance something to log in their memory bank down the line. Many of them were no doubt impressed by the activity level and upside of 6-foot-9 2025 Oswin Erhunmwunse of Putnam Science Academy (Conn.) and 7-foot-1 2025 Xavion Staton of Sierra Vista (Las Vegas, Nev.). Erhunmwunse motor is non-stop and he has the most explosive vertical pop of any big man in attendance. Staton is a relentless shot blocker who isn't afraid to challenge shots outside his area and has a bit of a nasty streak to him, to go along with being a valedictorian level student. Staton was getting challenged plenty at the rim and won a majority of the battles.

There is already some anticipation for Erhunmwunse and Staton to square off in Tuesday's Cream of the Crop Top 30 All-Star Game reserved for the camp's top performers.

That game should also include a matchup of arguably the camp's top guards: 2024 All-American Elite Team member Maleek Thomas, a 6-foot-4 dynamo out of Lincoln Park (Midland, Pa.), and 6-foot-5 2025 Brayden Burries of Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.). All of the desired matchups for the top all-star game have yet to be determined after two days of camp games, but it's a safe bet those two will be squaring up at some point on the camp's third and final day.

Some of the other "locks" include 6-foot-3 2025 Jerry Easter of La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.), 6-foot-3 2026 Ikenna Alozie of Dream City Christian (Glendale, Ariz.), 6-foot-6 2025 Tounde Yessoufou of St. Joseph (Santa Maria, Calif.) 6-foot-10 post-graduate Matt Gilhool of Penn Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.) and his high school teammate, 6-foot-1 2025 Jake West.

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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At the USA Basketball Junior National Team Mini-Camp, we had a chance to interview fast-rising big man Xavion Staton of Sierra Vista (Las Vegas). The 6-foot-11 rising senior (2025) is one of the fast-rising prospects in the country and a name to know for the future.

RELATED: Staton An Eye-Catcher At USA Basketball

Staton is an excellent student who has picked up offers from all over the country in the past six months, from the likes of Stanford to Blue Bloods like Kansas. He arguably has as much upside as any of the 65 players who were in attendance at the Mini-Camp over final our weekend, but it wasn't always this way. In fact, it wasn't long ago when Staton thought his future was in another sport.

We talk with Staton about his camp experience, his background, his introduction into organized basketball that was fueled by a COVID-19 growth spurt and whom he emulates.

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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Approximately 65 of some of the finest home grown high school talent was in display in Phoenix for the USA Basketball Junior National Team Minicamp. For some camp veterans such as Koa Peat, a 2025 forward out of FAB 50 ranked Perry (Chandler, Ariz.), the experience is nothing new and it's the start of the process of competing at the FIBA 17U World Cup taking place June 29 through July 7 in Istanbul, Turkey. Expect Peat, a three time high school state champion, to be one of the team's leaders.

Today we wanted to highlight the players who made a favorable impression over the first two days by approaching the mini-camp playing the right way, under control and with pace. This is not about passing the look test, as some players look like they belong but have a long way to go in terms of their I.Q. and approach. The theme here is making a favorable impression by being coachable and not pressing or forcing the action.

Here's five participants who caught our eye in those departments and five more who impressed.

Davion Adkins, Oak Cliff Faith Family (Dallas), 6-8 2026 PF
We we first evaluated this well put together 16-year old forward at the Pangos All-South Frosh/Soph Camps, his motor and rim-running stood out, but he's added plenty to his game since then. Adkins had added solid post moves over both shoulders to compliment his vertical pop. He converted a couple of terrific left-handed half hooks and displayed nice touch around the basket. Adkins' pace and patience made a big difference and national scouts and some NBA personnel definitely came away impressed. Adkins plays for a winning high school program and is using the experience to learn how to adjust his offensive game playing against forwards of similar size and skill.

Devin Cleveland, Kenwood Academy (Chicago), 6-1 2027 PG
We counted 10 2027s in attendance and Cleveland was among the few that really turned heads in a class that has a long ways to go (and plenty of time) to develop. As a 15-year old, many of the older players and upperclassmen in attendance could learn a thing or two about place from Cleveland, who has a cool-under-fire disposition on and off the court. While many of the young guards were forcing the action and getting into trouble with the dribble, Cleveland has a good grasp of the stop-and-pop game and not taking it too deep into the paint to get caught in no man's land. Cleveland can cover ground with the dribble and displays a nice-pull up jumper. He can also finish under control around the rim with both hands and has a competitive drive that will pay off down the line. If he keeps developing at a normal pace, Cleveland has a bright future in the game.

Hudson Greer, Lake Travis (Texas), 6-6 2025 WF
This 17-year old is a well-known commodity on the high school and grassroots circuit and is making a splash at USA Basketball this weekend. Greer had some nagging injuries this past season for Lake Travis, and gutted them out well enough to earn district MVP honors. Already a two-time district MVP, Greer displayed a terrific all-around skill level and when his legs are bouncy and he's at 100 percent like he was here, it takes his game to a whole other level. Greer was knocking down shots at a high clip and finishing in traffic with authority. He also got behind the defense and used his stride to get out and finish before the defense could get set. Greer reminds us some of former Florida St. standout Bob Sura and his confidence and eagerness to get better really shined through on Saturday.

Jacob Lanier, Maumelle (Ark.), 6-5 2026 WF
This 17-year old prospect is just scratching the surface of his potential and coming out of his shell at this level. On the first day, Lanier turned heads and caught the attention of national scouts with his shot making ability off the dribble and his movement off-the-ball. On the second day, he was lauded for not losing his composure during stretches of out-of-control play by the lead guards on his team. Lanier moves without the ball well and can score in a variety of ways, with a better than average float game. He's also an instinctual defender who is learning how to become more vocal on the court and take more of an alpha role. His progression is noticeable and will pay off plenty this spring and summer.

Xavion Staton, Sierra Vista (Las Vegas) 6-11 2025 C
With a dearth of traditional big men in attendance, Staton stands out for many reasons, and even if there were more in attendance, he'd still stand out. That's because he's a quick learner, smart both on and off the court (excellent student) and has tremendous upside. In fact, scouts and NBA personnel were surprised to learn he's been playing the game for only a short period of time (less than four years). Staton grew up playing football until a 6-7 inch growth spirt during the COVID-19 Pandemic made him and his family realize the gridiron was likely not in his long-term future. With his defensive instinct and vertical pop and second jump ability, Staton has a bright future on the hardwood. The 17-year old was blocking shots at a high clip and there might not be a player in the country that alters more shots with his presence than Staton. Another plus is he doesn't do too much he's not capable of right now and quickly moves the ball when he doesn't have an advantage. Few players are getting more out of the USA Basketball experience than this Las Vegas big man who quickly has the interest of P5 schools around the country.

5 More That Impressed:

Mikel Brown Jr., Overtime Elite (Atlanta), 6-2 2025 PG
Not many guards here can rip a crossover into a pull-up, but Brown has a nice offensive arsenal with the ball.
Junior County, Utah Prep (Manti, Utah) 6-5 2026 SG
One of the best shooting strokes of any player in attendance.
Jaylen Mitchell, Reitz Memorial (Evansville, Ind.) 6-7 2027 WF
This 15-year old was making the right passes and displayed a nice shooting touch.
Chris Nwuli, Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) 6-8 SF
Las Vegas native has been up and down on the circuit the past two years, but deserves credit because his outside shot was on point on Saturday and he brought his usual energy and toughness to make winning plays.
Babatunde Oladotun, Blake (Silver Spring, Md.) 6-7 2027 SF
There is plenty to like about this 15-year old who knows how to play with the ball and sets grown man screens. He has a good offensive base, to boot.

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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