We held our annual camp with AgentZero Masterclass with over 70 players across two groups. We are spotlighting some of the players from the underclassmen group who stood out throughout the event that featured nearly 40 players.

Ashten Powell (5’11 PG/SG, Lane Tech 2029)

Powell showed good ball skills and some scoring ability out of the backcourt throughout the camp. He has a solid first step and the ball control to win in isolation situations and create advantages. Powell hit open threes when he got his feet set and has some promise mechanically, with a repeatable release and some range. He is one of the young guards at Lane Tech to track.

Arthur Jawoski (6’3 SF/PF, Lake Forest 2030)

There is definitely upside for Jawoski, who has the frame and build that suggest continued growth over the next few years. Even as a taller forward for his age, Jawoski moved well and was able to put the ball on the deck with confidence. He is a fluid mover who covers ground well and looks good on downhill drives to his strong hand. It wouldn’t be surprising if he ended up over 6-foot-6 given his length already, which should pair well with his agility as a multi-positional defender as well.

Brayden Sarbaugh (6’1 SF, Glenbrook North 2029)

Sarbaugh was solid all day, making the most of his touches and moving well off the ball. The GBN sophomore was able to be effective as a cutter, direct-line driver, and spacer at times, all in an efficient manner for his team during the scrimmages. He plays with some toughness and takes bumps well on drives to convert around the rim. When he got his feet set, he showed a good stroke from three. Sarbaugh is also a decent athlete who battled inside defensively and moved his feet well on the perimeter to guard. His best basketball is ahead of him, and he showed well during the camp.

Cam Smith (6’1 PG/SG, Benet 2031)

The only eighth grader in attendance, Smith was excellent for much of the day. A highly skilled, aggressive guard, he hit threes from a few feet behind the arc with an effortless, one-motion shot that should translate well. He didn’t need much space to get shots up and had great pre-shot preparation with his footwork to get them off quickly. Smith also showed some competitiveness on the ball defensively, moving well in isolation situations. When he was off the ball, Smith compiled layups in transition by running his lanes and showed some craftiness to get inside in half-court sets off penetration. Smith is going to be a good one.

Christian Dulinsky (6’6 PF, Joliet Catholic 2030)

At camps, it’s really important to watch how players affect the game in different ways and show projectable, winning traits. While Dulinsky didn’t have a high volume of looks offensively, it was clear that he was one of the better long-term, two-way frontcourt prospects of the entire day. Defensively, he was a constant communicator who showed good IQ with rotations and timing on his gap help and closeouts. His mobility and hand activity on the defensive end were terrific, particularly when switching onto guards and using his lateral quickness to stand guys up. He had good ball skills at his size on the offensive end, showed soft touch, and made a ton of timely cuts to open space on the backside. In transition, he got above the rim for a finish and looked comfortable initiating the break. Still growing and filling out as well, Dulinsky is going to be a standout.

Dero Akpoigbe (6’2 SF, Lake Zurich 2029)

There were some nice flashes from Akpoigbe, a springy wing from Lake Zurich. He finished inside well, with a few contact finishes and a dunk during the live segments. While still raw offensively to an extent, he has serious end-to-end speed and a great frame to play to and through hits on his path to the rim. Akpoigbe also made some tough pull-up jumpers and challenged shots around the rim. There are clearly tools to work with here.

Duain Johnson (6’5 PF, 2030)

Another frontcourt player whose defense stood out most, Johnson has a level of attention to detail and extra effort on that side of the ball that is reminiscent of bigs of decades ago. He seemed to take pride in contesting every shot in the lane, amassing blocks and altering shots throughout the scrimmages. Johnson has physical strength, athleticism, and smarts as a ball-screen defender, rim protector, and perimeter container when switched out. There was good activity on the offensive glass as well, to match the baseline cutting and rolls that he scored on. Johnson, who has a near 7-foot wingspan, could be an immediate-impact player at the varsity level.

Eamon Lynch (6’7 PF, Metamora 2029)

The most dominant big in the group, Lynch was a force all day as a rebounder, finisher, and interior presence. He’s an intelligent and effective screener who does a great job of establishing good screen angles and taking defenders with him on rolls to force switches. For large stretches, his ability to seal, catch, and finish was giving defenses problems. He used both hands inside as a finisher, leaning on a good jump hook on the block. Lynch mixed in some slick dropsteps and spin moves inside to score. When double teams came, he was making split-second decisions to throw on-target passes to shooters. His face-up game continues to develop, taking it coast-to-coast on several occasions and looking very adept at making moves in short-roll or DHO situations. He also showed a willingness to step outside and shoot the three. Lynch remains one of the best under-the-radar bigs in the 2029 class.

Eissa Khan (6’0 PG, Hersey 2030)

A skilled incoming freshman from Hersey, Khan was solid as a scorer throughout the day. He shot the ball well from three, hitting shots off the catch and in transition with a clean release. Khan also showed some burst off the dribble to drive closeouts, get to the paint, and finish. At this point, he has decent positional length to play either guard spot and has a scorer’s mentality from the perimeter.

Evan Neal (6’3 SG, De La Salle 2030)

Another scorer at the event, Neal was hunting shots early on for his team during scrimmages. His height, ball skills, and shooting ability give him an edge as a shot-maker from the outside. He rose up for a series of threes during the day and looked confident pulling up from a few feet behind the arc. Neal has some good instincts as a defensive disruptor to generate steals and has the stride length and speed to push and convert off of turnovers. There were moments where his vision flashed as well, finding cutters during live play.

Elijah McKinnie (6’0 PG/SG, Kenwood 2030)

McKinnie is a dynamic guard for an incoming freshman, with a polished on-ball package to generate looks. For the portions of live play he was there, he got to spots well, shook defenders with quick crossovers and stepbacks, and showed quick leaping ability around the rim. He really understands angles well, maintaining his driving advantages and using a wide range of shots to finish inside. McKinnie also knocked down some hesitation threes and looked capable of scoring in bulk in a short period of time. There are nice tools and competitiveness on the defensive end at either backcourt spot, where he has positional length, quickness, and anticipation. McKinnie is going to be a good one for Kenwood.

Jack Hearn (5’9 PG, New Trier 2029)

In what was the most complete point guard performance of the day, the shifty New Trier guard was on point. He has serious three-point range with the ability to make tough shots off the bounce or while in motion. Hearn’s high-arching shot was falling at a great clip, making advanced reads off ball screens to either pull up, get to the paint, or facilitate effectively when two defenders stayed on the ball for too long. I really like his pace and creativity off the bounce, losing defenders with hesitation crosses, snatches, and start-and-stop moves all day. His size was never a deterrent inside, with all of the scoops and floaters in the paint needed to negate shot blockers. His speed and overall grit showed up frequently on the defensive end, where he never gave up on plays and made life tough on any opposing guard. I could not have been more impressed with Hearn in this group.

Jacob Pharthong (5’10 PG, Taft 2030)

Pharthong was able to show some nice defensive activity and made some quality decisions on the offensive end. He banked in a few jumpers and probed into the lane for a couple of layups during the scrimmages. The freshman guard has some quickness that he uses well both as a ball-handler and on-ball defender. He pushed the pace in transition well to generate good looks.

Jon Romano (6’2 PG/SG, Benet 2030)

Another one of the standout freshmen, Romano is a gifted shooter with mature shot-creation skills. During live play, he used bumps and counters well to create space to score and hit shots with defenders in his airspace. He didn’t rely on his jump shooting, though, putting his head down to get into the lane several times and getting some easy ones in transition. Romano is going to be a plus scorer and combo guard for Benet.

Landon Smith (6’1 SF, Byron 2029)

The versatility and win-first attributes stood out for Smith. Throughout the scrimmages, he was very good defensively as a gap defender and wing stopper. His length allows him to play a lot bigger than his 6-foot-1 listing, regularly getting tips and steals and making guys settle for contested shots or dribble pick-ups. Smith was productive as a slasher, driving it hard to the middle of the floor and using his athleticism and frame to convert near the rim. He moves well and gets off the ground fairly well, which aided him as a rebounder on both ends. Smith also showed range and potential as a spot-up shooter who can knock down shots with his feet set. I am high on Smith as a long-term prospect with his physical profile, well-rounded game, and activity. He will be one of the better multi-sport athletes in the Rockford area.

Luke Beran (6’3 SG/SF, Benet 2030)

The MVP of the underclassmen group, Beran helped guide his team to the most wins of the day with a combination of long-range marksmanship, playmaking, and toughness inside. Beran was drilling NBA-range threes in transition like they were layups, providing good balance and consistency with his mechanics. He has a great frame and the athleticism to power through defenders as a driver, where he projects as a plus contributor going forward. When he didn’t win the initial first step, he was able to invert into post-ups and get over his right shoulder well. Even at 6-foot-3 already, he shows good instincts when assessing help defense and making reads as a primary decision-maker. Beran was flat-out dominant for the majority of the live play and is seemingly getting better by the month.

Kade Corbly (6’3 SG/SF, Metamora 2029)

A bigger wing from Metamora, Corbly understands where his strength lies. He was getting his shoulder into defenders and finishing off drives well in half-court situations. Corbly handles the ball well off a few dribbles and can put constant pressure on the rim as a driver, hard cutter, or transition option. There is some solid form to utilize as a perimeter shooter as well, which should be useful as he continues to progress.

Max Newcomb (6’1 SF, Lakes 2030)

Newcomb flashed good shooting ability and athleticism as a taller wing. He is a smooth outside shooter who was able to connect on a few spot-ups and off-the-dribble threes during live play. At 6-foot-1, he drove closeouts well to his left hand and showed some pop around the rim in traffic when defenders came over to help. Newcomb has a good frame and looked to be a plus wing defender and rebounder as well, so I would expect him to have a nice freshman year.

Naoki Jacobson (5’7 PG, Hersey 2029)

Jacobson was high-energy all day and was an integral part of the team that stayed on the winner’s court for the longest. He was active on the ball defensively and was a flat-out pest to other guards at the event. Numerous times, he took the ball from guys and went end-to-end for layups. There was no off switch for Jacobson, who added a couple of threes and was passing it well off his drives. The joy that he played with was great to see.

Niccolo Carter (6’2 PF, Beecher)

A physical forward from Beecher, Carter did a nice job of playing through contact and scoring against length. He was productive as a roller, cutter, and direct-line driver who showed the body control to take hits and still manage to convert. It seemed like he was living in the paint during the scrimmages, also shining as an offensive rebounder who kept balls alive for his team. Carter’s energy was notable, whether it was in a win or a loss.

Patch Farrell (6’1 PG/SG, St. Francis 2029)

Farrell was good on both ends for the majority of the 5-on-5 segments. Well-built with competitiveness on the defensive end, he slid his feet well and got his chest in front of the ball regularly. Farrell is a very smart and savvy defender who shoots gaps, gets tips, and reads eyes well off the ball. Once he got in the flow offensively, he was attacking off the catch, delivering bumps on his dribble penetration, and hitting open catch-and-shoot looks. Any overcommitment from the defense led to immediate swings or dump-offs to teammates, without hesitation. His ability to affect the game in multiple ways should serve him well as he continues to develop.

Ryan Yazdan (5’9 PG, Glenbrook North 2030)

Yazdan opened some eyes at the camp with his confidence off the dribble. He was fearless with the ball, hitting several threes with a quick release, getting to the mid-range against softer ball-screen coverages, and putting pressure on defenses. Playing off the ball for stretches, he was ready to shoot it or make decisive moves off the catch. Yazdan did a great job of applying ball pressure and blowing things up defensively, which led to a slew of turnovers. He was a productive piece on both ends for his team.

Verton Freeman (6’2 SG, St. Viator 2029)

One of the better dribble-drive players in the group, Freeman worked well in transition to get downhill with intent. He absorbed bumps and figured out ways to knife inside for shots around the rim. When he got two feet in the paint, he was willing to kick it out or find cutters/bigs along the baseline. For a sophomore, Freeman plays with good strength and force on both ends. He uses his body well to complement his explosiveness and beat guys to spots. Now at Viator, Freeman should be in for a breakout sophomore year.