{"id":185087,"date":"2025-10-02T13:14:08","date_gmt":"2025-10-02T13:14:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/185087\/"},"modified":"2025-10-02T13:14:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-02T13:14:08","slug":"2025-hoop-exchange-fall-festival-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/185087\/","title":{"rendered":"2025 Hoop Exchange Fall Festival Report"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s okay; I wasn\u2019t super familiar with it either! <\/p>\n

Remember when I went to the All-American JUCO Showcase this past July? If you don\u2019t, I took a trip to the great Atlanta area this Summer to sharpen my holistic basketball scouting skill set. I got connected with the folks from Elite Basketball Services<\/a> to check out some of the TOP Junior College Athletes that will trickle into the consciousness of the Draft Scouting community.<\/p>\n

During my time making connections, I was made aware of some future events\u2014the Hoop Exchange Fall Festival being one of them.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

NC+<\/p>\n

<\/a>Draft Sicko Confidential: The All-American JUCO Showcase<\/a>\"Draft<\/a><\/p>\n

Intro This piece is meant to serve three purposes. For starters, I wanted to recap my time spent with the fine people of the All-American JUCO Showcase. It was a remarkable event to attend over a period of two days. I\u2019ve watched basketball the majority of my life, but rarely do I ever learn something new while I\u2019m watching games. I\u2019m not talking about learning a player\u2019s tendencies or abilities\u2014I\u2019m talking about how things work organizationally, that allow events like this to take place.<\/p>\n

You could find this overarching goal on their website, but the main objective of this event is to connect people\u2014specifically, colleges, basketball players, and media. The folks at Elite Basketball Services do a tremendous job of providing access to members of each of those entities. The facilities for this event are located in beautiful Tavares, Florida, in The Big House. This complex contains nine courts, all of which are constantly being used for some fun games.<\/p>\n

The Fall Festival has featured a slew of past and current NBA players, but their latest promotional image proudly displays Amen Thompson, Cooper Flagg, Scottie Barnes, and Keon Ellis. You could imagine several prominent schools and academies attending this event, given that it\u2019s in Florida. You would be correct. Not every Florida powerhouse attended this year\u2019s event, but many players from the 2026 graduating class (and on) featured on reputable grass root recruiting outlets were present. <\/p>\n

And, boy, did they show a lot to the hoop heads in the building.<\/p>\n

Similar to what I did with the All-American JUCO Showcase piece, I will highlight the players that stood out to me. Most will be those who are highly ranked for their respective graduating class, but you know I will drop a little something for the Sickos out there.<\/p>\n

Without further ado\u2026<\/p>\n

Jaxon was far and away the best player of the Fall Festival. Like what was the case with his older brother, Jase Richardson, Jaxon shows an insane amount of feel on the floor. What makes Jaxon different from his brother\u2014or NBA alumni father, Jason Richardson\u2014is how much he impacted the game without the ball in his hand. On multiple occasions, Richardson crashed the offensive glass from the wing and converted on putbacks. He played smart and instinctive defense\u2014tipping passes or intercepting them outright. Jaxson made smart passes, showing a strong connection with his teammates. He linked up with guard Marcellous Jackson on transition lobs several times. Of course, Jaxon showed the ability to shoot from deep (seems to run in the family). With a strong performance during this event, it\u2019s easy to see why Jaxon is widely considered one of the top talents in the 2026 class.<\/p>\n

In the matchup of Montverde vs. Columbus, several of the most highly touted prospects in the 2026 class were on display. For Montverde, Joe Philon was the most impactful player in my eyes. I made a comment to the No Ceilings group chat that Philon had helium legs. As you could assume, this was because of his effortless leaping ability. Joe flew all over the floor throughout the day, using his athleticism and rangy frame to grab rebounds, break up plays on the defense end, and put on an absolute show in transition. While there wasn\u2019t much Philon couldn\u2019t do throughout the day, I have a sneaky suspicion that he is going to be one of those \u201cif he shoots it\u201d guys. During the course of the day (small sample, I know), Joe didn\u2019t connect on many of his outside shots\u2014hitting just one shot from deep that I witnessed. Despite the lack of shooting, there was plenty to be excited about with Philon\u2019s game. If he can iron out some of the unnecessary actions in his jumper (and pack on some weight), he will be a very dangerous player.<\/p>\n

Despite being the #2 ranked prospect in his class, Gaskins ranked third to me in terms of impressiveness for this event. That doesn\u2019t mean he wasn\u2019t awesome, though! Caleb was one of the more poised players of the entire weekend\u2014even when dealing with a ton of pressure. Aside from his poise, he and his brother, Cayden Gaskins, were some of the more physically filled-out players of the event, too. With his strong build, Caleb demonstrated some fun defensive stands\u2014tipping passes, mirroring his man\u2019s feet, using his chest, and closing out possessions with rebounds. What was pleasing to watch was the blend of feel that Gaskins possessed, along with his strength. Caleb didn\u2019t shoot particularly well from deep this weekend, but he converted on a number of midrange shots and smooth post finishes. He also showed some nice passing feel, connecting with Cayden often (must be a brother thing). Like Philon, Caleb will need to be a consistent shooter from deep, but he\u2019ll come into college with a frame that can withstand a higher level of competition.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s right; I was more impressed by a 2027 classman than some of the highly ranked 2026 prospects. Lincoln Cosby didn\u2019t participate in Day One (Saturday) of the event. I\u2019m not sure why (didn\u2019t ask), but I was pleasantly surprised to see him on Sunday. It was immediately apparent why he is graded so high in his class. He is long, fluid, and moves well. Oh, and he\u2019s a lefty, so he gets extra points. Once the games started rolling, it was great to see him be utilized as a perimeter defender, as he showed off his silly length and anticipation skills. He was able to knock down some shots from deep, too. I wasn\u2019t blown away by his handle, but he obviously has some time to work on it. While he didn\u2019t do much dribbling to create, he was able to get to some shots off the bounce. I couldn\u2019t help but think that he is going to be his class’s Nate Ament. There are some floor spacing aspects to his game on offense, and he also showed impactful defense while not being the most filled-out guy on the floor.<\/p>\n

Depending on what high school rankings you look at (I recommend as many as you can stand), Jayden Hodge can be found in a number of places. ESPN ranks him at 69 (I know), which was sixth among players in his class that performed over the weekend. You could have fooled me after what I saw. Hodge put constant pressure on the basket, driving and cutting to the basket on seemingly every possession. His downhill approach during this event led to him making a few trips to the free throw line\u2014and he made more than he missed. Jayden wasn\u2019t the biggest\/tallest player on the floor throughout this weekend, but he found ways to carve out lanes for him to finish on the block or on the drive. Defensively, Hodge forced a few turnovers and crashed the glass. There wasn\u2019t much to speak of in the shot department, so that aspect of his game might explain his ranking. Still, Jayden was more impressive than his rankings suggest, so don\u2019t be surprised if\/when he sneaks up on consensus. <\/p>\n

Obinna Ekezie was hilarious to watch\u2014not that he was crazy, or a Shaqtin\u2019 A Fool candidate, but because he is so strong. I can\u2019t tell you (mainly because I didn\u2019t count) how many times players wound up on the floor because they thought they could tangle with Ekezie on screens or rebounds. Obinna towered over many players, but his feet blew me away. There were several instances in which he switched (and stayed) onto a guard on the perimeter, and was able to stay in front. Having nimble feet, he also showed the ability to do the traditional big man things well: finish around the basket, protect the rim, and rebound. Admittedly, I don\u2019t know the most about Ekezie\u2019s background, but it feels like most of his plays feel more reactionary than instinctive. That\u2019s not to say he can\u2019t be a valuable player, but it just may take more work than it would otherwise. With another year of development on a stacked team, Obinna will likely make strides in that department in preparation for college ball.<\/p>\n

Jaxon Robinson isn\u2019t the only younger brother of NBA talent, as Felipe is the younger brother of Lester Quinones\u2014who spent time with the Warriors, 76ers, and Pelicans. Felipe had a fine weekend, but because of the star power of his team, Quinones had to get in where he fit in. To be honest, he did a good job of being a high-end roll player during this event. He brought the ball up the floor, helped to initiate the offense, made instinctive cuts, and played stout defense. Felipe was a hound on defense\u2014showing a combination of effort and intellect. What took me by surprise was the touch he could put on his passes\u2014especially the well-placed lobs he tossed up to Jaxon Robinson. To be honest, I don\u2019t know how good or bad his shooting is based on him taking very few attempts from deep (if any). I don\u2019t know how strong his handle is as a \u201cguard\u201d exactly, but the tools are there for him to be a switchblade guard, of sorts. I would venture to guess that high school ranking outlets are ranking Felipe where they are based on his role on this team. I get it; there is just so much talent on the Explorers. <\/p>\n

The SEPA Falcon roster has a ton of talent, many of whom are of the 2027 class. C.J. is ranked one spot ahead of the aforementioned Obinna Ekezie, so why would I have him behind his teammate? Rosser showed off a ton of tools during this event, but he had moments where he ghosted in and out, whereas Obinna made his opponents feel him consistently. C.J. has silly length and looks more than comfortable operating along the perimeter. Rosser showed some shooting touch from deep, as well as some drive and finish flashes. The problem was that, well, they were just flashes. It\u2019s worth noting the Falcons favored \u201chockey substitutions\u201d, which means I probably didn\u2019t see the normal dosage of C.J. Still, just going on what I saw, Rosser could have done more to be more of a present force.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t see someone who was \u201conly\u201d 5\u201911\u201d over the weekend, so it\u2019ll be nice when we get some \u201cofficial\u201d measurements once Beckham goes to college. I did see a fairly skinny player, though. There were times during the Fall Festival when Black was a little frustrating to watch. It took him a minute to get the shot to fall initially, and there were passes where\u2014like a bad quarterback\u2014he left too much air underneath the ball when he made entry passes. Be that as it may, Beckham did show off some positive plays. I was relieved to see him make some three-pointers\u2014something that has troubled his older brother, Anthony Black. It may not be for everybody, but he did get into it with another player (who will remain nameless in print), which lit a fire underneath him. After that, Beckham bullied smaller guards on the block and let them know when he scored on them. He also showed off that passing DNA he and his brother have, launching a few no-look lobs that caused the court to erupt. I want to see more consistency and intensity, but Beckham has a real shot to be a special ball player.<\/p>\n

I talked about it with Felipe Quinones, and the same thing applies to Kevin Thomas: he plays on a stacked team. Because of his role, there will inevitably be stretches where you simply have to produce when your number is called. Even though he is ranked higher than Jayden Hodge, Thomas found himself to be of lesser utility this weekend for the most part. He still contributed, hitting on a high volume of his deep shots\u2014something I didn\u2019t see enough of from almost every high-end prospect. Thomas showed some interior finishing as well, which makes him more endearing. Aside from being an efficient scorer\/shooter, there wasn\u2019t anything else that stood out as \u201cspecial\u201d. The defense came from elsewhere on the team, and his efficient shooting really limited any sort of playmaking chops. <\/p>\n

You know your resident Draft Sicko has to drop some names of some players that stood out that you won\u2019t find on Top 100s, 60s, or 25s, and that is exactly what I will be doing in this segment. <\/p>\n

The Explorers have an embarrassment of riches on their roster, which can sometimes result in players fitting into a role rather than showing off their full repertoire. Over the course of the weekend, I couldn\u2019t help but be impressed with \u201cCello\u201d Jackson. Despite not being the more \u201cprominent\u201d name on his team, he organized everyone throughout this event. He has a very mature frame\u2014especially for a guard\u2014and was able to take it to every other guard he lined up against. He was able to get to his spots in the paint and finish through defenders. He also cleared a defender in transition for one of the most crazy dunks of the festival. To be honest, I\u2019m shocked he isn\u2019t a Top 100 prospect, as Cello is a coach\u2019s dream due to the respect he commands from his team, the grit he plays with, and the natural ability to dribble, pass, shoot, and defend.<\/p>\n

Just go ahead and keep track of this name. When I found out that Yak was a freaking freshman, I was stunned. I believe he is taller than he is listed, for one thing. He went toe-to-toe against the aforementioned Obinna Ekezie, and looked like a formidable opponent. I cannot overstate how impressive Yak moved for his size; he was very fluid and moved with the ball in his hand like a natural. His ground coverage at his age is very mature, and he is relentless on the boards. Broward Prep even went against Montverde earlier in the weekend, and Yak blocked many shots of future NBA players. He defended the perimeter against that Eagles squad, too, and pushed the break off of defensive events that he forced. He will need to get bigger, as he is of the Bol Bol style of frame, but there is no way Yak isn\u2019t already a primary target for the more prestigious universities\/international clubs that exist.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll admit I had no idea who Mohammed Masoud was when I watched his team go up against a SEPA team that featured Beckham Black, Obinna Ekezie, and CJ Rosser, but I was tremendously impressed with what I saw from him. Despite not being as tall as some of his opponents, Masoud threw down multiple dunks\u2014some off of putbacks. He showed the ability to connect on several of his jumpers. He picked off Beckham Black a few times in the game. He showed the ability to drive and dump the ball off to his teammates. He did not shrink against the big names he lined up against, and wasn\u2019t afraid to let them know when he was taking it to them. SEPA ultimately won the matchup, but Masoud made sure he walked away taking a proverbial chunk out of that team. From my understanding, Masoud hasn\u2019t been playing the game for a long time (roughly a year with SLAM). <\/p>\n

One thing I wanted to do specifically with Mohammed\u2014especially since I have gotten to know some of his history\u2014is magnify him within this piece. I spoke to his coach, Alex Garcia, to find out a little more about his guy:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just got Mohammed about three months ago. We saw him play in the summer\u2014he was playing on a small travel team. We asked him was school he had played for, he told us West Broward. For some reason or another, his first season was when he was a sophomore and he didn\u2019t make the team. He had mentioned something didn\u2019t work out with the team because they already had a roster, and he didn\u2019t play his junior year. So when I saw him playing with his travel team, he blew my mind away\u2026We loved him because he played against our travel team. We were like \u2018Listen, we think you could be special with our team\u2019 and everything just clicked. <\/p>\n

After the summer, he was like \u2018Coach, I am interested in coming to your school\u2026We were happy because we knew we got a heck of a player that no one knew about.\u201d<\/p>\n

When I spoke to Alex, I mentioned that the thing that impressed me was how Mohammed was going up against a team outfitted with Top 100 prospects, but Mohammed didn\u2019t care; Mohammed was going to take it straight to them. I asked Coach what about Mohammed allows him to play that way:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s discipline. He\u2019s a \u201cYes, sir \/ No, sir\u201d guy. He goes out there and plays like a player that knows his clock is ticking. He doesn\u2019t have much time [before he graduates High School], so he\u2019s going in the weight room. Mentally, he comes in focused. He\u2019s working on his grades to get the highest GPA possible. He doesn\u2019t want any excuses\u2026He has to make up for lost time, so you can see that in the way that he plays. He works hard\u2014he wants to be first at everything. He\u2019s one of the hardest workers at practice. His mindset is just at the level of a college player already.<\/p>\n

Everyday, he\u2019s just been better and better, and the more and more competition that we put in front of him\u2014that\u2019s how he is going to excel. He\u2019s got to see the top level guys now because he hasn\u2019t been seeing it. But we\u2019re so happy that every time he\u2019s been put in front of a good team, he\u2019s been catching everybody\u2019s eye.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just like he caught my eye. The last thing I asked Coach was: what is one part of Mohammed\u2019s game that isn\u2019t necessarily the best part now, but is something that he sees that Mohammed is close to tapping into and making a focal point?<\/p>\n

\u201cHis pullup jumper off of the dribble has gotten really good. He three-point shot has always been decent, but now he is putting it on the floor where he is shooting over taller guys. His arc has gotten much better, you know? His follow through has gotten a lot better. I think in a couple more moths working with our trainers, he is going to be a really good mid range shooter for his size\u2014and he needs it at his size. Something his opponents need to worry about is him getting to his spot and pulling it up. It looks really nice\u2026He\u2019s getting more and more comfortable getting to his spots and pulling up. We\u2019re happy where he is with his three-point range, but now that mid range is coming along, and that\u2019s what I think is going to put him over the top.\u201d<\/p>\n

Based on where he started, and what I saw over the weekend, Mohammed is going to add that middy and be even more of a problem. He is going to be a legit surprise for whichever school has done their homework in recruiting him.<\/p>\n

Follow me on Twitter: StephenGHoops<\/a><\/p>\n

Catch me on BlueSky: StephenGHoops<\/a><\/p>\n

Catch the Draft Sickos show LIVE on the No Ceilings NBA channel<\/a>:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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