DUNCANVILLE, TX Over the weekend, more than 300 high school teams traveled to Duncanville High School and the Duncanville Fieldhouse for the Texas Basketball Coaches Association demonstration. The event, attended by over 200 college coaches and several media outlets, was a true showcase for the best talent in Texas. Due to some transfers to out-of-state programs, this event lacked firepower compared to last year’s event, but still had many high-level prospects. 247Sports has been on hand all weekend and director of basketball Eric Bossy has taken a look at some of its major storylines.
The best team I saw all weekend in Texas was the Lake Highlands, and Dallas High may have had the two best players I saw all weekend in 2024, shooting guard. Tre Johnson and wing class of 2025 BJ Davis.
We have been deeply immersed in these periods of school evaluation for several years now, and Johnson put on the most memorable performance I have ever seen in any of them. The 6-foot-5 rising junior is thin and has a baby face, but don’t let that fool you because he is 100% a killer on the floor. He has arguably the best jump shot in the country, he has impeccable footwork, plays with intensity and has a wide range of offensive moves. He becomes much more cheerful and turns into a real opponent in defense. He ranked 3rd nationally in 2024 and proved why all weekend by dominating one high level match after another. His father spent a season at Baylor and he studied there at Texas and UCLA. Auburn, Duke, Kentucky, LSU, North Carolina have all been offered in the last two weeks.
In Davis, the Lake Highlands have another player that is likely to become a national-level prospect. A 6ft 6in winger who can already do triples, attack and play over the rim, Davis has also opened up a lot of eyes. The rising sophomore has been able to outmaneuver and outmaneuver several older players and his overall game is quite advanced for such a young player. We’ll only release the 2025 ranking after the summer, but I’m betting Davis will be pretty high when we do. Kansas has offered to join Illinois, Kansas State, Missouri, Oklahoma, St. Louis, and Texas Institute of Technology over the weekend.
One of the players I was most looking forward to was Dink Pate The 6ft 7m guard from Dallas, Texas, Pinkston certainly did not disappoint on Saturday morning. During the game I watched, he hit 30-odd, and he did it in a variety of ways, doing deep jumps, pull-ups, finishing the ball over the hoop and hitting the attacking glass. He has also demonstrated the ability to handle and pass the ball at a fairly high level for a kid of his size.
While Pate can be amazing at times, watching him can also be a bit of a wild ride because he’s fickle and a bit wild at times. For example, he will get to the basket at will, but will randomly throw the ball around 23 feet or throw the ball all over the place. We currently ranked it 43rd in the 2024 national rankings. On Saturday he looked like his rating could have been much higher, but other times he looked like that rating could be on the high side. It will be all about consistency for him to move forward.
Auburn is offered on the weekend after Bruce Pearl watched, and he was also watched by head coaches from Baylor, Houston, SMU, Oklahoma State, and several assistants.
Already committed to Arizona C. J. Lewis debuted at his new high school on the floor that would become his home at Duncanville High School. Lewis, ranked 30th overall in 2023 by 247Sports, has always impressed with his strength, athleticism and ability to hit buckets from the edge or from deep. Blending in with his new teammates, some of that was certainly noticeable.
What really caught my attention was how Lewis played defensively and how much he competed. Lewis has never been stooped or lazy defensively, but he was set up for that end of the floor and if he wants to compete and move in a way that keeps others from scoring from now on, he could be an elite wide back. college level. I look forward to seeing if he continues the trend in that direction.
Speaking of defense. You cannot play for Kelvin Sampson in Houston unless you tackle him on the defensive side of the ball and for that reason Cordelius Jefferson looks very good for Sampson and Cougars.
Ranked 144th nationally by 247Sports, Jefferson was the best defenseman I’ve seen all weekend. He is fast, tough, athletic and has great flair. It is not easy to get around him, and when he is not himself, he is always ready to help, enters the passing lanes and is a communicator. Offensively, he is a slick shooter, but he uses his athleticism to his advantage for quick shots around the rim.
Looking at Houston’s current roster, it’s easy to see some Jamal Shed in Jefferson’s game.
Top 40 players in the class of 2023, Beaumont United. Wesley Yates proved that he can show up when it matters most. He’s a clutch throw master, he’s got the power and he’ll give up his body on the drive to the rim. He can also pass the ball a little, and when he rolls it from deep, it sets him up for drive and pull-ups where he can convert some high difficulty buckets.
When the game is tight and contested late, you can count on him to step up and try to play. On the other hand, when I have observed Yeats in the past, he too can sometimes move by momentum. If it’s still early, or maybe his team is digging a deep hole, he can go through sections where he’s not quite 100% working. Maybe it’s because he sets the level so high for the competition when everything is close that it confuses the way I look, but if Yates can connect to this beast that is constantly inside him from the start to the final whistle he… it will be really hard to keep off the floor wherever he lands.
Head coaches from Auburn, Baylor, LSU and Stanford were among those already involved to see him over the weekend, along with assistants from several programs.
When it comes to tough guards, Fred Payne discussed with anyone in the class of 2023 if we are talking about a guy who wants to compete. I really enjoyed watching the Boston College commitment succeed. He stays in attack mode on both ends of the court and can be counted on to play as hard as his body will allow him to. He’s attacking under the rim and a bit of a shooter at his best, but he’s exactly the kind of guy BC needs right now. To succeed, they’ll have to find guys who don’t have a lot of reps but play hard and have the potential to develop their all-around game like Payne does.
Thanks to his game in the spring. Keanu Dawes moved nationally to 133rd in the 2023 class. Watching him with my team from Houston Stratford, I saw the combo forward take another step up. Dawes has grown to around 6’8″ and is a real matchup challenge due to his ability to handle the ball and play with other players of his height. He is tough and strong and can score on the block, but he dealt most of his damage face up and attacked. Houston, Kansas, Oklahoma, TCU, Tennessee, Texas A&M, and UNLV are among those on the list, with several head coaches watching over the weekend.
Source: 247sports.com