- Jared Exler
The Summit-ZGXL Report Part 1
Updated: Oct 14, 2021
* Any college coach seeking additional information on any players, including projected collegiate level, may make an inquiry at necorridorhoops@gmail.com
*All class of 2022 prospects unless noted
Lateef Patrick 6’2 Point Guard (Middlesex Magic-Lambros/Milton HS): Patrick was very effective on both ends of the floor during Middlesex Magic-Lambros’ victory over NEPA Elite. He has a smooth mid-range pull-up in his arsenal. Had a nice play attacking a closeout from the wing to score a two dribble pull-up from near the baseline. Also drained a one dribble pull-up from the foul line coming off a ball screen. Patrick has some shifty ball handling moves, helping him to get into the paint and finish efficiently near the rim. Used a nice through-the-legs move to get by an opponent and finish with a runner high off the glass through contact. Teams cannot sag off him as he can hit open three-pointers at a solid rate both spotting up and off the dribble. Hit a one dribble three in transition near the wing. Finished the game with 19 points. While Patrick is a talented scorer, he also understands when to get his teammates involved, finding them particularly well for open treys beyond the arc. Threw a nice crosscourt pass to a teammate spotting up from the wing for a three, in addition to getting the ball quickly to a teammate moving to the corner for a long ball. Patrick is also a pest defending on the ball with his very good lateral quickness. On a number of occasions, he made it extremely difficult for the opposing point guard to get his team into their offense. Also has quick hands along with a good understanding on when to use them, leading to an abundance of steals and deflections. Patrick plucked the ball away from an opponent when they were weak with their handle to force a steal in the first half, in addition to deflecting a multitude of passes, which forced the opponents to reset their offense out of bounds.
Ethan Meuser 6’8 Power Forward (NEPA Elite/The Hill School): Meuser looked primed to make a significant impact in the MAPL next season during NEPA Elite’s loss to Middlesex Magic-Lambros. He has developed into a legitimate floor spacer, making three-pointers at an effective rate when spotting up, and showed flashes of making them off the dribble. Hit a pair of treys in the contest, one on a spot up three from the wing on a sideline out of bounds play, in addition to draining a one dribble trey from the wing. Meuser also is effective at finding open spots in the mid-range for high percentage shots. Had a good play flashing to the foul line for a jumper in the first half. Shows some nice upside with his ball handling when creating off the dribble from the perimeter. Used a crossover move to get by an opponent from the wing to nail a 15-foot jumper, and used a spin move on an opponent on a drive from the wing to score an and-1 on a seven foot jumper. Meuser creates easy layups for himself with sharp cuts to the basket. Scored a pair of layups coming hard off a screen from the foul line, in addition to moving to the basket for an easy layup when the opponents left him wide open after a switching miscommunication. Scored 25 points in the contest.
Johan Nzeimi 6’7 Power Forward 2021 (Pro Level Titans/Woodstock Academy): Nzeimi held it down inside for Pro Level Titans in their win over DMV Stags. He makes his presence felt on the glass, using his strong body to box out opponents and come down with tough rebounds at a good rate. Had eight rebounds in the game. Nzeimi also has nice length with his 6’10 wingspan which he uses to create steals effectively for a player at his position. Picked off a lazy post entry feed, in addition to getting his hands on an opponent’s bounce pass for a steal when defending a 2-on-1. Also tipped an opponent’s bad entry pass to a teammate for another steal. Finished the contest with four steals. Because of his length, it is difficult to shoot over the top of Nzeimi. He blocked an opponent’s shot from eight feet when he tried to rise over him. Offensively, Nzeimi is productive when facing up and taking opposing forwards off the dribble where he is proficient at finishing at the rim through contact. Had a pair of impressive finishes at the rim through contact on straight line drives. Showed impressive patience on drives during key situations late in the game. Had a nice play catching the ball near the elbow, getting to the rim and causing two opponents to go up in the air with a shot fake, then finishing with his left hand. Nzeimi scored the game winner on a drive from near the wing using a spin move and then stepping between two opponents for the go ahead bucket on a finger roll layup. He is also aggressive on the offensive glass, showing good instincts as to where a teammate’s miss could end up. Had three offensive rebounds, including a putback layup off the glass on a missed three-pointer by a teammate. Nzeimi had 15 points in the contest.
Amare Wimbush 6’7 Small Forward (DMV Stags/Wise HS): Wimbush spaced the floor well for DMV Stags in their defeat to Pro Level Titans. Uses his size to rise over opponents effectively from deep, making three-pointers at a good rate when spotting up or coming off screens. Hit a trey near the wing on a drive and kick from a teammate, in addition to connecting on a long ball from the wing, taking one dribble after coming off a screen. Also drew a pair of shooting fouls from beyond the arc when attempting a shot from the corner on a drive and kick from a teammate, and after taking one dribble on a shot from the wing. While shooting is the focal point of his offensive game, he also showed some flashes of creativity off the dribble using a nice crossover move to get by an opponent from the wing and finish a layup at the rim. Wimbush finished the game with 15 points.
Collin Bowman 6’2 Combo Guard 2023 (Pro Skills Basketball Philly/Friends’ Central School): Bowman did a nice job from long range, in addition to getting his teammates involved effectively during Pro Skills Basketball Philly’s victory over NY Jayhawks Select. The southpaw has a smooth stroke from long range with a quick release, making three-pointers at a good rate when spotting up. Nailed a pair of treys from the wing on drive and kicks from teammates. Drained his third long ball from near the top of the key when a defender gave him too much space. Had 11 points in the contest. Bowman is a solid passer, finding teammates particularly well for high percentage layups close to the bucket. Whipped a pass between two opponents to hit a teammate next to the hoop for a layup, along with pushing the ball after securing a rebound to hit a teammate open next to the bucket for a finish. Also had a nice crosscourt find to a teammate spotting up for a 15 foot jumper. Defensively, Bowman moves his feet well, making it difficult for opponents to have blow by drives against him. He makes a concerted effort getting out quickly beyond the arc to contest opponents’ shots and force them into lower percentage attempts.
Jayson McGhee 6’1 Combo Guard (NY Jayhawks Select/Bull City Prep Academy): McGhee was difficult to keep out of the lane throughout the game during NY Jayhawks Select’s loss to Pro Skills Basketball Philly. Has good burst off the dribble, making it difficult for opponents to keep him in front of them. When McGhee is in the lane, he has a smooth runner off the backboard when he cannot get all the way to the rim. Had a pair of finishes with his runner off the glass on a drive from the top of the key and wing. Also had a nice play pushing the ball up the floor after an opponent’s free throw make, getting all the way to the rim and finishing with another runner off the backboard. McGhee moves well without the ball. He scored on a backdoor cut when his defender wasn’t playing with his head on a swivel after a teammate of McGhee’s drove down the lane. Had a nice cut to the hoop on a baseline out of bounds play, but an opponent made a nice recovery at the last second when switching on the screen. Finished the game with 13 points. While McGhee did not have any assists in the contest, he is a good passer who provided his teammates several good scoring opportunities during the game. Made a nice post entry lob pass to a teammate who was able to draw a shooting foul when an opponent was fronting him. Also hit a teammate cutting to the hoop with an on point baseball pass in transition that was not finished. In addition, he made a good decision when pushing the ball up the court, hitting a teammate cutting to the rim who took one dribble to convert an and-1. Averaged four assists per game this past high school season. Defensively, McGhee has good instincts when going for steals. Stole a pass on a fastbreak when he realized an opponent was trying to hit a teammate for a layup, in addition to picking off a lazy skip pass by an opponent to take it the other way for a layup.
Ademide Badmus 6’7 Power Forward (Team New England-Moore/Lynn English HS): Badmus made his presence felt during Team New England-Moore’s win against East Coast Power-Rap. Is a skilled finisher on the block when using a drop-step, scoring a pair of buckets with this move. He can face up and put the ball on the floor in the halfcourt when catching it from fifteen feet in. Had a nice play catching the ball in the mid-post and then facing up to take an opponent off the dribble, finishing from five feet away with a step through move through the primary and help defender. Also found the open spot against the opponent’s 1-2-2 zone at the foul line to face up again and score through contact at the rim. While shooting is not a central part of Badmus’ game right now, he did show some nice potential for the future with a smooth jumper from 15 feet when an opponent laid off him. Scored 16 points in the game. He has very good vision for a player of his size. Made a nice crosscourt pass to a teammate for a three-pointer from the wing, as well as taking two dribbles after securing a rebound to find a teammate for another trey. Had 3 assists in the contest. Defensively, Badmus does a good job of covering space quickly when coming over from the help side in the lane. Forced opponents into a number of low percentage shots, or forced them to get rid of the ball when he took away their opening to the rim. Is also is an impressive rebounder who uses his strength and intense desire for the ball to rebound the ball at an effective rate. Finished the game with nine rebounds.
Allen Cieslak 6’1 Combo Guard (East Coast Power-Rap/Devon Prep): Cieslak looks ready to take on a bigger role in the PCL this year based on his play in East Coast Power-Rap’s loss to Team New England-Moore. Has a smooth mid-range pull-up in his game. Hit a two dribble pull-up on a drive from the wing over an opponent; also drained a one dribble pull-up near the baseline off a handoff from a teammate at the elbow. With his good form and touch, Cieslak is a better shooter from deep than his percentages this past high school season suggest. Cannot be left open when spotting up from beyond the arc. Nailed a trey spotting up from the wing in transition after a steal by a teammate. Despite his size, he can still get to the rim in various situations. Drew a shooting foul when attacking an opponent’s closeout from the corner, along with faking a handoff to a teammate from the wing to get all the way to the rim for a finger roll layup. Finished the contest with 17 points. Cieslak can also be relied upon as a secondary playmaker in an offense. While he only had one assist in the game - off a good pass to a teammate cutting to the hoop for an and-1 - he set up other teammates for a number of good looks that were not finished. Found another teammate on a cut to the basket for a layup, and also made a good extra pass to a teammate for an open three from the corner. Cieslak can make an impact playing tight on ball defense. Had a pair of nice plays, one when he forced an opponent to step out of bounds, and another when his tight defense forced the opponent into an out of control spin move leading to a steal by a teammate. Cieslak is rarely out of position when making rotations on the defensive end.
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