Scouting Notes: Grind Session Duel in the Desert
By Austin Green
The Grind Session’s annual Duel in the Desert took place this past weekend in Arizona (Jan 27-29).
It was a good event headlined by undefeated Link Academy (MO) beating Dream City Christian in an 87-83 thriller on opening night.
Dream City was fresh off an upset win over Prolific Prep (CA) the week before and they nearly took down another top-ranked team. The next day, Link had to earn another tough win as Bella Vista Prep (AZ) gave them a good fight.
There were multiple McDonald’s All-Americans and five-star recruits in Glendale, as well as some under-the-radar players who showed out. Here’s who we had our eyes on in the desert.
Click here for Cerebro’s stats/metrics from the 2022-23 Grind Session season: https://app.cerebrosports.com/event/1668102508710x618453713748140900
Ja’Kobe Walter | 6-6 Wing | Link Academy | Class of 2023
Ja’Kobe Walter should fit right in at Baylor.
The recently named McDonald’s All-American is a long, strong-framed athlete with an encouraging 3-point stroke. He has a well-rounded game, posting 18 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.5 steals per game in the desert.
Walter showed some versatile scoring ability in the two games, knocking down 45.5% of his 3s (5/11) and 100% of his free throws (9/9). He drove to the basket with aggression and finished through contact. He also had good patience and awareness to pump-fake shot-blockers in the paint to create finishing angles and draw fouls.
Unlike some other top prospects at the event, he didn’t dance too much with the ball or force things too often. He made good, quick decisions and played winning basketball on both ends of the court.
Defensively he has strong legs and quick feet for sliding with guards on the perimeter. His activity led to deflections and easy transition buckets for Link, who needed every point they could get vs. Dream City and Bella Vista.
With the game on the line vs. Dream City, Walter delivered with a strong drive and finish through contact. He showed good poise to knock down the free throw in a high-pressure situation on the road.
Walter is the type of switchable, versatile prospect that teams covet. Every pro team in the world wants 6-6 athletes who can defend multiple positions, make open shots, and put pressure on the rim.
His ceiling might ultimately be determined by how reliable his 3-point shot becomes. He needs to become more consistent with his form, but his stroke looks good when he sets his feet and shoots with balance. I’m buying him as a shooter long-term.
Cameron Carr | 6-5 Wing | Link Academy | Class of 2023
Although he’s not as highly touted as his 5-star teammates Walter and Elliot Cadeau, I thought Carr made a strong case for best player in the desert.
The numbers certainly back that up, with Carr posting the highest C-RAM of the event (13.2). He didn’t have as much on-ball responsibility as Walter so that might skew the metrics in his favor a bit, but nonetheless, Carr played his 3-and-D role perfectly.
Carr, a Tennessee commit, is a long and wiry wing prospect with a high motor and quick release on his 3-point shot. He scored 24 points in Link’s win vs. Dream City, knocking down timely threes and making big-time hustle plays on both ends of the court.
He made 9-of-14 3s in the two games in Glendale, including three triples in the 4th quarter of Link’s win over Dream City.
He set the tone on the first possession of the game by sprinting back in transition for a chase-down block to prevent a layup. With under 5 minutes left, he battled for an offensive rebound on a teammate’s missed free throw, drawing a foul on a crucial late-game possession. He also crashed the offensive glass for a putback dunk to slow some of Dream City’s momentum in the 3rd quarter.
Simply put, Carr made winning plays throughout the game. In a road game that was ultimately decided by 4 points, every possession mattered, and Carr clearly understood that with the way he competed.
Carr needs to get stronger to handle the physicality of the SEC and eventually the pro level, but I’m confident he’s going to easily out-perform recruiting rankings that currently have him in the 45-110 range for his class.
Elliot Cadeau | 6-1 PG | Link Academy | Class of 2024
The North Carolina commit is a consensus top-15 recruit in his class, and at times it was easy to see why. He’s quick and shifty with the ball, changing directions with impressive burst and stopping on a dime for pull-ups off the dribble. He gets great rotation on his jump shot, he’s fearless attacking the paint and he made a clutch floater in Link’s 68-62 win over Bella Vista.
He’s also a great passer who makes his teammates’ lives much easier. He threw on-target hit-aheads in transition and he consistently found 3-point shooters in the corners with simple swings or skip passes over the top of the defense. When his big guys rolled hard to the rim, Cadeau fed them for easy dunks. He finished the event ranked first in Cerebro’s Floor General Skills metric (82) after averaging 6.5 assists in 25 minutes per game.
On the downside, Cadeau only shot 6-of-22 from the field (27.3%) and 2-of-6 from the free throw line (33.3%). He struggled to create separation at times vs. Dream City, getting called for push-off fouls when he tried to get a defender off him.
All of that said, Cadeau is clearly very talented. If he can improve his finishing in the paint and refine his decision-making, he will be a dangerous offensive player for the Tar Heels.
Zayden High | 6-9 PF | AZ Compass | Class of 2023
It was hard to get a great feel for the AZ Compass prospects because they played two overmatched opponents in Glendale. High was the most productive of the group, averaging 22 points and 9 rebounds while shooting 62.5% from the field (15/24) and 86.7% from the free-throw line (13/15).
At 6-foot-9, he has good touch from mid-range and the perimeter. He cocks the ball back toward the top of his head too much, which likely contributes to some inconsistency, but he has the potential to shoot it.
He wasn’t as physical or explosive as some other bigs in the event, but he was active around the rim for tip-ins and a putback dunk vs. a small Albuquerque Prep front-court.
Against SFBA Trinity Prep’s 7-foot-1 big man Khaman Maker, High did a good job of going up strong with the ball to draw fouls.
It’s a little concerning to me that he didn’t block any shots during the two games, but he has posted better block numbers recently against stiffer competition. It might be nothing to worry about, but it’s something to monitor going forward as he gets ready to join North Carolina.
Marquis “Mookie” Cook | 6-7 Forward | AZ Compass | Class of 2023
Cook, an Oregon commit who was recently named a McDonald’s All-American, is a versatile 6-7 forward with a good feel for the game.
He had some of the best passing instincts at the event, averaging 4 assists per game. He threw good outlets to ignite fastbreaks, had some good hi-lo passes to the interior and drive-and-kicks to corner shooters. He threw alley-oops on target and made simple but encouraging live dribble passes with his off-hand.
His shooting stroke looks good from mid-range, but he has struggled from 3 this season. In 15 games in the Cerebro database, Cook has made just 2-of-21 attempts from behind the arc (9.5%). Considering he also made just 2-of-23 from 3 at the Nike EYBL Peach Jam in July, this should be a big emphasis for him in the off-season, along with improving his conditioning. He appears to have a good touch, so if he can improve his base and get more arc on his shot, hopefully, those numbers will improve.
AJ Johnson | 6-5 SG | SoCal Academy | Class of 2023
Texas commit AJ Johnson is an impressive quick-twitch athlete with an explosive first step and great leaping ability. His potential was as high as any player at the event, although he’ll need to clean up some aspects of his game to reach his ceiling.
He is wired to score. He occasionally drew two defenders and found the open man, but it was more common for him to look off an open teammate and dribble into a contested pull-up. Between the two games, he had 2 assists and 7 turnovers. On many possessions, Johnson launched a shot without a single pass occurring.
When he was decisive with the ball, Johnson got wherever he wanted on the court. Defenders couldn’t stay in front of him. When he attacked quickly going north-south with just one or two dribbles, he got to his spots at will.
Similarly, Johnson only made 2-of-10 3-point attempts because he made his own life more difficult. When he shot it off the catch, his stroke looked good. But too often he dribbled into tough contested stepbacks or pulled up off the dribble just 5 seconds into the shot clock.
Defensively he can be an impact player if he gets more disciplined on that side of the ball too. He gambles for steals which can put him out of position and allow some open shots to opponents. But when he was sound positionally, he was able to get blocks and deflections with his length, then get out in transition where his athleticism shines.
Other Standouts at the Duel in the Desert
David Tubek | 6-8 Forward | Dream City | Class of 2023
The strong-framed Tubek averaged 24 points per game over the weekend while shooting 70.8% from the field (17/24), 45.4 from 3 (5/11) and 81.8% on FTs (9/11). He came alive in the 4th quarter of Dream City’s narrow loss to Link, going toe-to-toe with the No. 1 ranked team in the country.
He made some good cuts off the ball and finished strong through contact. His shooting stroke isn’t the prettiest, but it’s going in at a high clip.
Tubek hasn’t been playing basketball for long and he’s unranked by several major recruiting sites. He could be one of the most underrated freshmen in the country entering next season when he plays at Memphis.
Alejandro Aviles | 6-9 PF | Dream City | Class of 2025
While Tubek took over late for Dream City in their loss to Link, they wouldn’t have been in the game if it wasn’t for Alejandro Aviles.
Aviles isn’t an explosive leaper, but he has great hands, a soft touch around the paint and a good feel for the game. He scored 21 vs. Link on 8-of-11 shooting, doing most of his damage on quick floaters and jumpers from 15-feet in. He knocked down his only 3-point attempt and made 4-of-5 at the free-throw line, suggesting he could extend his range in time.
Aviles made some impressive catches in traffic and got a couple of putbacks against the older, more athletic Link front-court. He showed good patience with pump-faking shot-blockers, and he had one beautiful pass to a cutter.
He made a couple of youthful turnovers in the final two minutes, but it was still an impressive performance overall for Aviles. After a couple of productive FIBA events with the Puerto Rican national team, colleges should have Aviles on their watchlist.
Cade Phillips | 6-9 Power Forward | Link Academy | Class of 2023
Phillips will be joining teammate Cameron Carr at Tennessee, giving the Vols an athletic and tough interior presence. He averaged 11 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game over the weekend.
Phillips has a no-BS style of game. He works hard on the glass, plays with physicality, sets good screens and rolls hard to the front of the rim. When he catches it, he’s trying to dunk everything. He averaged 3 offensive rebounds per game and made 8-of-9 from the free-throw line.
Defensively he communicated well calling out screens and played with high hands to prevent easy passing angles.
Tru Washington | 6-3 G | AZ Compass | Class of 2023
The unsigned Washington showed a well-rounded game in Glendale. He averaged 9.5 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals per game while shooting 44.4% from the 3-point line (4/9).
He’s a lefty who gets great rotation on his jump shot. He made some smooth spot-up 3s in transition, plus a couple of pull-up mid-range jumpers and floaters. Defensively he pressured the ball and helped out on the glass, which led to fastbreak opportunities for Compass.
Vyctorius Miller | 6-5 SG | AZ Compass | Class of 2023
Miller also showed some good versatility, averaging 9 points and 3.5 steals per game. He’s a long and active defender who had some explosive finishes in transition after forcing turnovers.
On his 3-point shot, he doesn’t get much rotation on the ball, but he clearly has good touch, knocking down 3-of-7 behind the arc. I’d expect his stroke to improve as he gets stronger. He also had good patience to slow down in transition to initiate contact.
Luke Bamgboye | 6-10 PF/C | Bella Vista | Class of 2024
Bamgboye is a long, athletic big who showed great fight against Link Academy. He put up 16 points, 12 rebounds (8 offensive), and 2 blocks in the narrow loss. He had a couple of strong dunks and a nice reverse layup to avoid a shot-blocker. He shoots from behind his head but has good touch, making 6-of-8 FTs and a mid-range jumper vs. Link.
Khaman Maker | 7-1 C | SFBA Trinity Prep | Class of 2024
Maker made his presence felt against AZ Compass with 12 points (6/10 FG), 6 rebounds, and 4 blocks. He’s thin right now but finished with impressive power. His jumper is inconsistent but he made one from about 10-feet out, in addition to a hook shot and a lob finish.
Garwey Dual | 6-5 G | SoCal Academy | Class of 2023
Dual is a quick and aggressive scorer who is particularly dangerous in transition. He made some clutch buckets in SoCal’s close win over Balboa Academy. He needs to get stronger and improve his outside shot, but he has a lot of potential.
Vincent Delano | 6-1 G | AZ Compass | Class of 2023
The Portland commit was the best shooter over the weekend, making 7-of-9 3-point attempts in just 21 total minutes on the court.
Arne Osojnik | 6-5 Wing | Dream City | Class of 2023
Osojnik was the 2nd or 3rd-best shooter at the event after Delano and Carr, knocking down 4-of-6 triples vs. Link. He scored 19 points against the No.1 team in the country and showed impressive poise in the 4th quarter. He made multiple shot-fake side-dribble 3s to keep Dream City in the game late. He is unsigned right now and should draw some interest from D-1 schools that need another shooter to space the floor.