LAS VEGAS -- The first night of the last evaluation period couldn’t have gone any better for Dinos Trigonis, Gary Charles, Grant Rice, and the rest of the Las Vegas Fab 48 staff. Whether it was top-10 junior Stephen Zimmerman closing the gap at the top of the 2015 rankings with his outstanding all-around play or No. 5 senior Emmanuel Mudiay dazzling all comers with his point guard wizardry, Wednesday's performances were high level.
Here's a look at the players who had college coaches chirping on Day 1 in Las Vegas.
Best Point Guard
Emmanuel Mudiay (Dallas/Prime Prep)
2014, PG, 6-foot-5, 190 pounds
Status: Claims offers from Kentucky, Texas, Baylor, Kansas, SMU, St. John's, NC State, Arizona, Louisville, Oklahoma State and St. John’s
Mudiay was the best all-around player Wednesday, and he is putting himself in the conversation for the best PG prospect in the country. He is not known as a shooter, but he drained a number of 3-pointers in this one. The most impressive aspect of his game, however, is his explosive burst in transition and the innate ability to locate open teammates while being heavily defended. There is not a player in this class that has his size, skill, and overall feel at the lead guard position.
Best All-Around Post Player
Stephen Zimmerman (Las Vegas/Bishop Gorman)
2015, C, 6-foot-11, 215 pounds
Status: Claims offers from most of the Pac-12, UNLV, Kentucky, Indiana and Kansas, among others.
Zimmerman is currently ranked No. 7 in the Top 10 in the ESPN 60, but he has shown in the past couple of months that his combination of size, athleticism, and skill could warrant a No. 1 overall ranking. He has a terrific first step, a soft shooting touch out to 20-feet and is a lethal shot-blocker. Not to mention his passing prowess is high-level for a player his size.
Best Post Scorer
Jahlil Okafor (Chicago/Whitney Young)
2014, C, 6-foot-10, 260 pounds
Status: Duke appears to be the favorite, but that hasn't stopped Michigan State, Illinois, Baylor, Arizona, Baylor, Kentucky and Kansas from recruiting him.
Okafor is a large specimen with very good length and magnetic hands. His post skills (finishes with either hand) and footwork are advanced, and the nation’s top senior recruit has a great feel around the paint area when operating.
Most Skilled Wing-type
Brekkott Chapman (Roy, Utah/Roy)
2014, WF/PF, 6-foot-8, 210 pounds
Status: Gonzaga, UCLA, BYU, Utah and Utah State are all heavily involved.
Although Chapman needs to gain a considerable amount of strength, his skill level as a combo forward may be the best in the West. This smooth operator has very good ball skills and his savvy is off the charts. Things come easy for him as he has a hint of Lamar Odom to his game. It’s astounding that Chapman is not being more heavily pursued.
Best Scorer
Tyler Dorsey (Los Angeles/St. John Bosco)
2015, SG, 6-foot-4, 175 pounds
Status: Claims offers from the Pac-12 while Louisville, Duke and Kentucky are showing strong interest.
Dorsey is a natural scorer from the 2-spot. He has a very good burst in the open court and can score at all three levels. He is especially effective when driving against pressure and pulling up for jump shots, which is smooth and has ideal lift on it.
Strength and Skill
Stanley Johnson (Santa Ana, Calif./Mater Dei)
2014, WF, 6-foot-5, 220 pounds
Status: Will make official visits to Kentucky (Midnight Madness), Kansas (Midnight Madness), Arizona (Red/White Game), Oregon and Florida and he’ll take unofficials to USC and UCLA.
Johnson is a chiseled wing with a burly frame. He can power his way to the basket and score through contact, but he does have a tendency to ward defenders off with his left arm. The most impressive improvement in Johnson's game is his shooting touch. He can drop shots in at all three levels, and he handed out some nice assists as well.
Diamond in the Rough
Charles Matthews (Chicago/St. Rita)
2015, CG, 6-foot-5, 175 pounds
Mathews has the prototypical frame for the Division I level with pterodactyl-type length and major bounce. His first step is explosive as he blew by several Mater Dei defenders at will. In addition, Matthews showed some signs of being able to run the point, dropping off a couple of high-level assists. His skills are still evolving and his upside is immense.
Best Shooter
Malik Newman (Jackson, Miss./Callaway)
2015, SG, 6-foot-3, 175 pounds
Status: Alabama, Arizona, Kentucky, Mississippi State, UCLA and UNC are recruiting him the hardest.
Newman had his jump shot cooking against Belmont Shore, knocking down eight treys in the contest. He sets up his shot with quick dribble moves and gets nice lift on his shot. He has a nice burst off the dribble, but needs to improve his ability to finish with his left hand in traffic. Although there have been reports of Newman exhibiting a point guard acumen, overall he shows all signs of being more of a scoring guard.
Biggest Surprise
Jalon Miller (Mesquite, Texas/Seagoville)
2015, SG, 6-foot-6, 210 pounds
There is usually a prospect or two who come out of nowhere to shine at events like this, and the Fab 48 was no exception due to the emergence of Miller. The lengthy wing has a terrific looking jump shot and nailed numerous 3-pointers throughout the game. In addition, he exploded off the dribble a few times and did an admirable job defensively, despite being undersized in the post.
Las Vegas Fab 48 Notes
No. 2 senior Cliff Alexander, a 6-foot-7 power forward out of Chicago Currie, hammered home a few dunks when given space, but his footwork needs polishing as he struggled at times to finish in traffic.
Last season UConn commit Daniel Hamilton (Bellflower, Calif./St. John Bosco) exhibited his all-around game, specifically his passing prowess. His versatile game made him one of the more attractive wings in the country. However, this summer Hamilton has become too one-dimensional, looking to score on every possession.
Steve Herve (Los Angeles/Renaissance Academy), a 6-foot-6 senior, is a physical prospect with decent hands who displayed an improved post game and a knack for finishing through contact.
Senior PF Diontae Jones (Las Vegas/Clark) showed the ability to play point forward as he kept teammates engaged with a couple of dimes off the dribble.
One of the better post prospects in the country is 6-foot-10 Jabari Craig (Scarborough, Ont./Tucker). He is extremely raw in terms of footwork and skills, but he sprints in transition and is very long and bouncy.