Image Courtesy: Salt Lake Community College Athletics
With this post, we’re going to have a first look into a series of posts I (Dylan Wilson) am doing regarding lower levels of a collegiate athletics. I will look at the top 15 JuCo basketball players according to jucorecruiting.com first, then I will look at NAIA transfers and top guys, as well as NCAA Division 3 and 2. I can admit, Carter knows a lot more about Division 1 athletics than me, but I just love the grind of the lower levels, where guys are constantly fighting to move up to places like Division 1 institutions. If I give a player comparison, it may be inaccurate, so just a warning.
Image Courtesy: Xavier Edmonds on X
1: Xavier Edmonds, TCU Commit
The number one JuCo player according to jucorecruiting.com is Xavier Edmonds. Edmonds comes from Salt Lake CC in Salt Lake City, UT by way of California. Xavier is a 6’8 Power Forward committed to TCU. At SLCC, he played 53 games over two seasons, starting 45. During his time there, he averaged 16.8 points, and 8 rebounds a night, with over 2 blocks a night as well. This past season, he averaged 21 points per game, showing he can score at an elite level. Looking at his highlights, he reminds me a little bit of a Derik Queen, but that might just be me. He can get to the basketball on his own, he can stretch the floor at decent level and can get his own rebounds to get putbacks. I expect to see a lot of Edmonds at TCU this season, especially being the only big coming in with their recruiting class.
Image Courtesy: University of Washington
2: Mady Traore, Washington Commit
The number 2 JuCo player is Mady Traore, out of Frank Phillips College in Borger, TX. The 6’11 Center originally played at New Mexico State and the University of Maryland, and is now committed to play at the University of Washington. At FPC, he averaged 13 points and 8 rebounds a game. Though his 3 ball was not the most efficient this past season, he has a jumper that can be trusted if developed. The most impressive thing I saw from his game was his ability to soar towards the hoop. Traore can fly for his size and dunk the ball over defenders. If his game has developed and matured since he last played Division 1 basketball, he should be just fine at UW this year. Washington is bringing in a pretty good class this year, but I hope Mady can see the court more than he did his first two seasons playing collegiate basketball. From what I’ve seen, Coach Sprinkle at Washington truly believes in his skillset.
Image Courtesy: 247 Sports
3: Abdul Bashir, Auburn Commit
The number 3 guy, arguably number one is Omaha native 6’7 Combo Guard/SF Abdul Bashir. Abdul is an Auburn commit coming from Casper College in Casper, WY. This season in 31 games, he averaged 27 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists per game on good efficiency shooting over 40% from the field and 37% from 3. In two seasons at CC, he has tallied over 1400 points. 247 sports has him listed as a Small Forward, but I definitely see him as a combo guard. Bruce Pearl has done a really good job with craft and shifty guards at Auburn, so I think Abdul will be a really good bench piece for them. As much of a bias that I have against Auburn as an Arkansas fan, I believe Abdul can be an important piece for Auburn and help with the push for another tournament run. This guy can really score from anywhere and however he wants. He can breakdown defenders and drive to the hoop or he can shoot from deep, it really doesn’t matter. He can play at his own pace then speed things up which is really important for guys, and this guy is just a straight hooper.
Image Courtesy: South Plains College
4: Arterio Morris, most recently at South Plains College
Number 4 is 6’3 Combo Guard Arterio Morris out of South Plains College. Arterio is a former 5 star recruit out of high school who originally played for Texas. Now I don’t really know much about Arterio’s current situation and what’s next for him. There’s no news on where he will for sure be playing next season and there isn’t any recent social media activity on Instagram. This year he played 23 games at SPC in Levelland, TX where he averaged 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists a game. His efficiency wasn’t perfect and he only started 9 games, but we’ve seen how he played in high school, and he honestly wasn’t terrible his freshman year at Texas. I believe if his unfortunate circumstances at Kansas didn’t occur, he could have really made a jump. I hope Arterio can finish out his last year or so of college basketball on a good note. Also, if you see this Arterio, my bad for the picture.
Image Courtesy: Albuquerque Journal
5: Antonio Chol, New Mexico Commit
Number 5 is Garden City Community College (Garden City, KS) 6’9 Power Forward, Antonio Chol. Chol, from Buffalo, NY spent his first two seasons of college basketball at Rutgers, playing only 11 games. Now, his next destination is the University of New Mexico. At GCCC, he showed out. He played 3o games averaging 19.5 points and 7.6 rebounds a game on 47% from the field, just under 40% from 3, and 83% from the free throw line. This guy can play. For his size he can break down defenders and shoot over them whether it be on dribble pull ups or fade aways. I think he can be an immediate impact player for the Lobos. Though he was considered a PF out of high school by 247 Sports, he is for sure a guard now. I think this new chance back at the Division 1 level and New Mexico being a talented program, I could see Antonio being a dark horse draft guy, at least I think his game could translate.
Image Courtesy: Oregon State University
6: Keziah Ekissi, Oregon State Commit
The number 6 JuCo player in the country is the 6’3 Guard Frenchman Keziah Ekissi. Keziah played at Howard College in Big Spring, TX this past season where he averaged 12.3 points per game on 45% from the field and 43% from 3 but is now committed to Oregon State. He looks like a strong guard with a great knack for passing alongside the ability to knock down the three ball. Before playing JuCo, he played in the U21 pro ranks for Cholet in France. I love European players, and one reason is their experience and advanced skillset. With a year under his belt in an American style of play, he should be able to make an immediate impact. Even though his 12 points per game isn’t as much as the guys ranked above him, one thing Keziah brings is elite experience at such a young age. I can see him playing 2-3 years at the Division 1 level before being a pick in the NBA draft. After watching this guys highlights, I love his game and I hope to keep up with him for the rest of his career. Beautiful game, seriously.
Image Courtesy: Nevada Men’s Basketball
7: Vaughn Weems, Nevada Commit
The 7th best JuCo player is the 2nd leading JuCo scorer, 6’5 Guard Vaughn Weems from Federal Way, WA and most recently playing at North Idaho College in Coeur d’Alene, ID. Vaughn is an all around 2-way player. At NIC he averaged 26.7 points and 8 rebounds per game. He also averaged 3 steals. This guy should be a good all-around player for Nevada after playing two seasons at NIC. Weems is a multidimensional player able to do whatever a team needs him to do, and I expect him to play the 2 or 3 off of the bench, if he doesn’t get himself the starting job by the end of the season.
Image Courtesy: Isaac Taveras on X
8: Isaac Taveras, Southern Miss Commit
Number 8 is the 6’5 Guard, Isaac Taveras. The Santo Domingo, DR native most recently played at South Plains College, yes the same South Plains as Arterio Morris. SPC went 32-3 this past season and Taveras, also a former Division 1 player played a big part in their success. Taveras averaged 16 points and 8 rebounds a game this year. Taveras is a crafty guard who originally played at Fresno State where he played 22 games and didn’t do too bad averaging a little under 4.8 points. He should be able to contribute at Southern Miss.
Image Courtesy: EuroBasket
9: William Beugre-Kassi, most recently at Indian Hill CC
The 9th ranked JuCo hooper is 6’8 Wing, William Beugre-Kassi from France who most recently played 2 seasons at Indian Hills Community College (Ottumwa, IA). He averaged 9.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. He is a high flying wing who has a developing left handed jumper. He uses quick crossovers and strong drives to dunk the ball with ferocity. With interests from multiple division 1 schools and still uncommitted, I imagine William can develop into a starting wing at the mid-major level in the near future.
Image Courtesy: College of Charleston Athletics
10: Chol Machot, College of Charleston Commit
The 10th ranked JuCo player is the 7’0 Center out of Florida SouthWestern State (Fort Myers, FL) by way of Melbourne, Australia. The redshirt freshman and former Mississippi State commit averaged 11.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks a game in 27 games. His efficiency and versatility is the most impressive part of his game as he shoots over 60% from the field and 36.6% from 3. He is long but quick and can drive or cut to the basket and get the easy dunk, or he can even catch and shoot on pick and pops with signs of developing off the dribble shooting. I can see him coming in as a possible starter or the first big off of the bench.
Image Courtesy: On3.com
11: Ade Popoola, Tulsa Commit
Ade Popoola, a 6’5 Guard from St. Louis and most recently playing at Moberly Area CC (Moberly, MO) for the past 2 seasons is the 11th ranked JuCo prospect in the nation. Averaging 18.6 points and 9.8 rebounds per game, he has proven that he is worth a Division 1 scholarship. Ade can score from area, whether he is finding his own shot from 3, driving to the basket, or coming off hand offs and catch and shoot 3. He is also very efficient, shooting 49% from the field, 46.5% from 3, and 82% from the foul line. I believe that even if he doesn’t become a star player, his game will translate well no matter what and his floor is a 7-8th man off the bench, but I find that highly unlikely with his ability to score in so many ways.
Image Courtesy: On3.com
12: Isaac Garrett, Oakland Commit
Isaac Garrett, a 6’9 PF originally from Pleasant Grove, UT and playing just an hour and a half south for the last two seasons at Snow College in Ephraim. Isaac averaged 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 2.4 stocks a night with good efficiency from the field shooting 53%. Oakland doesn’t have a pretty recruiting class but Isaac is a bright spot in the that regards. He reminds me of a less athletic (no offense to Isaac) Grant Nelson, but with better post of game. Isaac shot alright from 3 his first season, shooting 34% but he upped the volume of shots this past season, though falling to 20% from behind the arc. If he can work on his shooting consistency, he can be a problem at Oakland, especially after a year at the Division 1 level.
Image Courtesy: Wichita State Athletics
13: Dre Kindell, Wichita State Commit
Dre Kindell, a 6’0 Guard from Cincinnati, OH who played the last two seasons at Barton CC in Barton County, KS is ranked as the 13th best JuCo player in the nation. He averaged 15.8 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds a game on 42% shooting from the field. His game reminds me of Trey Burke’s at least when Dre does his mid range pull-ups. I think that is my favorite part of his game. I really hope he can contribute next season. His playmaking will be what makes him great though, as you don’t see a lot of guys averaging 5 assists in the college ranks. He uses his quickness and handles to speed by defenders to either get a mid range jumper, layup, or he can quickly dump the ball inside for a nice assist. From what I’ve seen, he makes the players around him better and that is the most important thing in the long run. Like I said with Keziah Ekissi, I would love to keep up with this guys career. I love guards who really love to play-make and share the ball.
Image Courtesy: Emondrek Erkins-Ford on X
14: Emondrek Erkins-Ford, Jacksonville State Commit
Ranking 14th in the nation is the Chicago native and 6’9 Forward, Emondrek Erkins-Ford, from Eastern Florida State College (Cocoa, FL). Emondrek is a good back-to-the-basket forward who can post up and get a bucket. He uses pump fakes in the paint to get his opponents to jump, allowing for an easier basket at the rim. He has spent the last two seasons at EFSC, and most recently averaged 15.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1.8 blocks a game. To me, he seems like a gritty player who will do what he needs to do. He plays strong and gets to the rim if he isn’t posting up, but he can also look to guard multiple positions on the court. For a team like Jax State, I can see him making an impact early on.
Image Courtesy: JuCo Roundup on X
15: Kedar Bodie, North Alabama Commit
Rounding out the top 5 is Augusta, GA native and R-So from Bishop State CC in Mobile, AL. Bodie, a 6’3 Combo Guard averaged 21 points per game this past season while playing only 18 minutes a game. He has been quite efficient in his scoring, shooting 45% from the field and 34.5% from three. He averages 6.5 rebounds, 2.1 steals, and 1.1 blocks a game which speaks just as loud has his great scoring ability. He can score by creating his own shots or he can score off ball as well. I hope I am not hyping him up too much, but the way he plays can be very useful at a high level in Division 1. We will wait to see his first season at UNA, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he shocks a lot of people his first season. I choose not to talk down about players or disrespect their game, but when I say I like someone’s game and think it will translate, I mean it.
Final Thoughts
Well, now that I’ve gone over the top 15 JuCo prospects this year, I guess I have to choose my favorite player. I think it’s a tough decision, but it’s for sure between Keziah Ekissi and Kedar Bodie. These two guys represent the play styles and origins I love the most. I love raw European players who come over and show flashes but take time to adjust to the American game and I also love gritty JuCo guys who make it to a higher level. Both of these guys have the potential to be really good.
I hope y’all go check out these guys highlights, but also go support them as well. JuCo basketball is one of the rawest forms of hoops there is. You got former 5 stars, former mid-major hoopers, guys from overseas, and guys who were tuff but never got the attention from scouts and coaches they deserved. Thank y’all.