It’s finally here. C3 Scouting’s reactions to the Prep Hoops Iowa Freshman Showcase.
C3 Scouting made the near seven-hour drive to the Prep Hoops Iowa Freshman Showcase in Des Moines, Iowa, on August 9 at Kingdom Hoops.
The showcase brought some of the top 2030 and 2031 prospects in Iowa together under one roof.
The level of play and skill was very impressive for such young prospects. Both the level of play and how many of them could play at a high skill level and IQ was somewhat of a surprise. Basketball in Iowa is in good hands from a standpoint of the number of good prospects with upside and already-developed skill coming up into the high school ranks. That’s just based on one showcase as well.
Coming up with three all-showcase teams was a very difficult exercise because there were many good players who played well.
*There are a few prospects left off that were not on the roster that I was given*
All-Showcase First Team
Adrian Carter - 5’8” 2030 point guard, Cedar Falls HS, Martin Bros.
Carter was the top pure point guard and playmaker at the showcase. He’s a left-handed lead guard and floor general that controls the pace of the game and has mastered change of pace, speed, and change of direction at a young age. He had instances of slowing pace and running half-court action. He also passed up-court at the first pass to start a quick break. He showed change of speed and impressive burst at times to get himself free from multiple defenders. Carter has a full offensive package to work with. He’s very advanced with the ball and his handle and can manipulate defenders with jabs and shoulder shakes to get their feet moving. He showed the ability to get free from defenders and create large separation for free looks at the basket. He was good at finishing through traffic at the rim and showed decent vertical pop when he got there. He’s a distributor, scorer, and shot-maker from three levels and contains a nice float-game and touch. Adrian Carter is already polished and skilled as a dynamic, yet true point guard that will be considered one of the top point guard prospects in the region going forward.
Evan Weiss - 6’0” 2030 guard, Ames HS, Kingdom Hoops
Weiss is a hooper and really caught my attention quickly. He has a thin, upside frame with long limbs. He brought the ball up for his team and was in downhill attack mode and constantly putting pressure on the defense. He wasn’t out there to just stand on the perimeter and swing the ball around—when he had the rock he was driving to score or dish the ball out when multiple defenders collapsed on him. Weiss was heavily assertive and a master at getting downhill with a quick and decisive initial separation move. His ability to finish with both hands and his finishing ability with his left hand may have been his most impressive skill. He got the ball up high on the glass with soft touch with his left hand. He had an effective crossover that he was able to perform on the move as he was attacking. With his downhill aggression Weiss drew contact and got fouled a lot and was one of the leaders in free-throw attempts and makes. He showed the ability to stop and pop a pull-up midrange jumper as well. He was an active playmaking passer that racked up assists because he brought more than one defender his way because of his ability to get all the way to the rack. He was tops in scoring and tops in assists by my accord. Weiss will be one of the top players in Iowa going forward. And I think I can say that after seeing him only for one day. He has the killer’s mentality, skill, and ability to finish plays for that to ring true. If he gets up to around 6-foot-5, he becomes a valuable and widely-recruited prospect and highly-productive high school player in Iowa. Weiss will be one I’ll be following as a top prospect in the Midwest.