COLORADO SPRINGS – It was no surprise that even in a crowd of 94 of the nation’s top high-school basketball players, DeRon Rippey Jr. stood out.
The senior guard led a team of upperclassmen past the freshman and sophomore group, 28-24, in a 10-minute scrimmage in front of scouts from 30 NBA teams at the USA Basketball fall training camp. Rippey led the way as the standout player on the court for the championship game and was a vocal leader all weekend. “It means a lot to come out here and wear USA across our chest and I’m just trying to show that I’m a complete, two-way player and progression to my game,” Rippey told Hoops HQ.
Who showed out and who were surprises in the younger group? Hoops HQ takes a look at the top performers and catches up with some of the top prospects on where they stand with their recruitment.
DeRon Rippey Jr. recaps official visits
Rippey has been a priority for a bunch of high-major programs since this summer. The 6-foot-2 point guard is one of the best on-ball defenders in his class but has elevated his offensive game, specifically his three-point shot and his shot selection off the dribble. “I’m just trying to show all the scouts here and everyone really that I’m a two-way player and a floor general who can win,” Rippey said.
He’s taken official visits to Miami, Texas, Syracuse and Kentucky and has upcoming visits to Duke, NC State and Tennessee. “Kentucky was great and it was good to get in the gym and see the team practice,” Rippey said. “Coach Pope is just telling me I can come in and be that lead guard and it was cool just to see all the history of Kentucky.”
All seven schools have traveled to New York for in-home visits and have been to practice, with Duke and Kentucky flying in the very first day coaches were allowed to be on the road during the live period in the fall. “I have a great relationship with the Duke coaching staff and they have a great history of getting guards to the league and that’s where I want to be, so I’m just looking forward to seeing the campus and getting a better feel for the team.”
Taylen Kinney, Mr. 6-7, trying to get one other player to join him at Kansas
Kinney might be known in the basketball world as a five-star point guard playing for Overtime Elite, but to the rest of the world he’s known as Mr. 6-7 and the creator of the viral meme. “I thought it would have died down a while ago,” Kinney said. “I was in the airport and someone said, ‘Rate this drink’ and I said, ‘It’s like a six-seven’ and I did the hand gesture and it just went crazy after that.”
Kinney committed to Kansas last month and the Jayhawks now have the No. 2-ranked recruiting class in the country led by Kinney, Trent Perry and Davion Adkins. There’s still one player that Kinney is trying to recruit to join them. “Hopefully we get Tyran (Stokes),” Kinney said. “I’ve known him since elementary school and played with him in third grade so yeah, we would love to get him to join us at Kansas.”
Bruce Branch III and Nasir Anderson break down the move to Prolific Prep
Branch and Anderson were two of the top players out of the 2027 high-school class and NBA scouts have already seen what they can do together on the court at the Border League in Las Vegas earlier this month. The duo made the move to Prolific Prep (Fla.) and were two of the most vocal players on the court at the USA Basketball training camp. “It’s amazing playing with (Branch) and just having a player of his caliber on the floor at all times,” Anderson said. “He’s an elite shot maker and plays incredible defense who knows how to move his feet and rebounds outside of his space.”
Prolific Prep also has five-star senior guard Caleb Holt, who has been out with a wrist injury but will be joining the team in November. “Practices are crazy,” Branch said. “We all push each other to get better and our coach just tells us, ‘Win today’ and we approach practice that way and just go hard every single day.” Anderson has been compared to a mini Anthony Edwards and Kyrie Irving with the way he moves and can get downhill. Branch has a little bit of a young Jayson Tatum to him with his two-way versatility and size on the perimeter.
Cameron Williams previews his visits to Arizona and USC
With his tools as a mobile big and skills on the block, Williams is a big priority for his final six schools. The 6-foot-9 forward has already visited Purdue, SMU, Texas and Duke and has an upcoming visit to Arizona this weekend, followed by USC the following week. He already canceled his official visit to Kentucky and says he’ll have a better idea of where each school stands once his visits are complete. “The recruiting process has been a little stressful, I’m not going to lie,” Williams said. “I’m just looking for a team that will push me and get me to the next level.”
Williams lives 90 minutes from Tucson and says he’s looking forward to visiting the hometown school. “They’ve been showing a lot of love to me and my family and I like their offensive system that they run,” Williams said. “They can develop me and I’ll be a primary spot in the offense, so that’s what they’re saying to me.”
Dylan Mingo eyeing early signing period commitment
Mingo was the best player on the court during the NBPA Top 100 Camp over the summer but has been plagued with injuries. He sat out the USA Basketball training camp with an upper ankle sprain but was active on the sidelines and engaging with coaches. Mingo has been busy this fall and has taken several official visits and still has three upcoming campus trips planned. “The recruiting process is going well and I’m just trying to get a better picture of these schools and teams now that they’re practicing,” Mingo said.
He’s already visited UConn, Penn State, Baylor, Miami and Washington and has an upcoming visit to NC State this weekend. “I plan on making my decision anywhere from Nov. 17 to Dec. 5,” Mingo said.
Mingo will play his high-school season with Long Island Lutheran (N.Y.) and plans on being back on the court when the season begins in December.
AJ Williams and Evan Willis are players to watch in the 2028 class
Williams was the No. 1-ranked sophomore coming into camp and lived up to the early hype with how well he played last weekend. His favorite player is Jayson Tatum and he recently took an unofficial visit to Duke, where he had the chance to meet with Mike Krzyzewski and Tatum, who was recently named the Blue Devils’ chief basketball officer. “I walked in and Coach K was sitting there and knew my name and that was crazy,” Williams said. “I watch a lot of Jayson Tatum, so just to get to talk to him and see how he moves and operates was great.”
Williams also took an unofficial visit to Auburn this fall and his dad played at Vanderbilt. The 6-foot-5 wing has ideal positional size already at just 16 years old and a natural feel for the game.
Willis was the biggest surprise of the weekend and jumped out immediately for what he does on the defensive side of the court. He has elite athleticism that comes from all the years he spent on the football field prior to focusing on basketball full-time just two years ago. “Football was my first love and I didn’t really like basketball at the start of everything, honestly,” Willis said. “I hit a growth spurt and everyone started taking me out at my knees so I gave basketball a chance and here we are.”
Willis, a 6-foot-8 wing, comes from a basketball family. His mom played at USC and his dad played 10 years overseas, but they let Willis find his own path to basketball. His athleticism is off the charts, as evidenced by several plays over the weekend where his head was at the rim. The sophomore already has early offers from USC, Cal, Missouri and UNLV, with many more likely to pour in after his strong showing at camp.
