Watched a lot of AAU ball this weekend, focusing primarily on kids that PSU has offered in the class of 2023. Pulled highlights for some of the players that Penn State seems to be in closest contact with.
First up is Amani Hansberry, playing with Team Durant in Orlando at the first session of EYBL.
Despite Team Durant only going 1-3, Hansberry had a very nice weekend individually, averaging over 13 points a game in just over 20 minutes per game.
Unfortunately for Penn State, it might have been too good of a weekend…
This will almost certainly cause Hansberry to pump the brakes a bit on any commitment, as it was beginning to look like PSU was getting close to landing a verbal from him.
As I mentioned in my profile of Hansberry, it’s been reported that PSU has been consistently in on him even while his national ranking was dropping by the major recruiting services, which can’t hurt their chances depending on what a recruit values. But when a program like Nova comes calling, you have to listen. There may be other schools who now throw their hat in the ring as well, this one could just be getting started.
Devin Royal is up next.
Royal was also in Orlando at EYBL, playing with All Ohio Red, who went 2-2 on the weekend. Official stats were missing for his one game, but I tracked him at 16 points per game on over 50% shooting from the field, including shooting over 90% from the foul line for the week. He was scoring at all three levels and making it look effortless at times, as you can see in the highlights.
It feels like he could go out and get 30 a game if you needed him to in this setting, but he lets the gams come to him to find matchups and angles he likes.
I have not seen reports of any new offers rolling in for him since his performance this past weekend, but surely some more high majors took notice and it’s just a matter of time. He remains the 2023 target at the top of my wish list for Penn State, but he’s another one (like Hansberry) who may have already surpassed the level of recruit that PSU can realistically land right now.
Sidenote: Lawrent Rice is another PSU offer playing for All Ohio Red and I was very impressed by him, but he’s already released a list of finalists and Penn State was not on it.
Sticking with forwards, we have to talk about Carey Booth, because everybody else certainly is.
The buzz around Booth was already building this spring, but this weekend officially put him on the map. The clips speak for themselves in this case: The 6’11” forward (and son of PSU great Calvin Booth) can do it all, from shot-blocking to step-back 3-point jumpers. His athleticism and length make him a day-1 impact maker at the D1 level, and all reports seem to indicate that he’s just scratching the surface of his potential.
Playing with KC Run GMC on the Under Armour circuit in Indy this weekend, Booth earned new high major offers from Cal, Iowa, Oklahoma State, Northwestern, and Wake Forest. I’ve seen speculation that Booth could jump into the top 50 in the class of ‘23 rankings, so no telling where his recruitment is headed.
The legacy thing probably doesn’t hurt PSU’s chance, but that legacy stuff plays a little better if the school is known for that sport. But it sure would be fun to see another shot-blocking Booth playing in the BJC.
If you look closely at the Booth clip, you can spot the next player I’ll talk about, and another one of the fastest rising players in the class of 2023.
JP Estrella should be another familiar name to anyone following Penn State’s recruiting this offseason.
The 6’10” forward from Maine is playing with Middlesex Magic this spring/summer on the UAA circuit, and Penn State is noted as one of the programs that have been in contact with him the most.
Estrella’s defense seems to be ahead of his offense at this point, as he is a terrific shot-blocker. But he does demonstrate solid scoring ability with his back to the basket and potential to be a face-up scorer as well. I really enjoy watching him play.
It was pretty exciting to see Estrella and Booth on the court together this past weekend. I don’t know that either kid ends up at Penn State the way they’re both trending, but PSU should hopefully be able to get a visit and some consideration for both. His play recently has earned him several new offers, including Notre Dame, Maryland, Wisconsin, and Marquette. Estrella is currently unranked by the major services, but that will not last.
Other Targets (Hope to have more video and individual profiles on some of these as the spring/summer progresses):
DeShawn Harris-Smith
The Team Takeover guard averaged 10 pts/gm this weekend. DHS has taken an unofficial to Penn State previously and has spoken about PSU as one of the programs most involved with his recruitment. The #43 ranked player in 2023 (per On3) also holds offers from Villanova, Georgetown, and Rutgers, and has scheduled an official visit to Nova later this month.
Kachi Nzeh
Playing with NY Rens in Orlando, Nzeh averaged 6.5 pts/gm. Penn State has been heavily involved with Nzeh, who also holds offers from Illinois, Miami, Iowa, Maryland, Seton Hall, and several others.
TJ Power
Another New England target Penn State is extremely interested in, Power averaged 16 pts/gm and nearly 8 rebs/gm playing with the BABC in the first EYBL session of the spring. On3 has him rated the 84th best player in his class, and in addition to PSU, he holds offers from some other high majors including Iowa, Wake Forest, Georgetown, Xavier, and Oklahoma.
Jahnathan Lamothe
AAU teammate of Amani Hansberry, playing together on Team Durant, Lamothe averaged 7.5 pts/gm in the first EYBL session. 247 rates him as a top 50 recruit in the class, and Penn State had him on campus for an unofficial visit back in the Fall. Lamothe has taken visits to LSU and more recently UCF, but also holds high major offers from Marquette, Illinois, Ohio State, Maryland, Creighton, and TCU.
Closing Thoughts:
Didn’t feel it necessary to point out that Justin Edwards had a great weekend. He’s a legitimate 5-star recruit and I’ll be shocked if he ends up somewhere besides Kentucky. Some day Penn State will land the top 10 in-state recruits, but not this year.
A couple of other names I was keeping an eye on were Jason Jackson out of Florida (Florida Rebels) and Jayden Ross out of Maryland (Team Melo). Ross is an interesting wing prospect while Jackson is maybe the most athletic guard in his entire class (search his dunks on Youtube). Both players are a bit overshadowed by higher-profile teammates on their AAU squads but I could see both of them breaking out as the grassroots season progresses and I’m curious to see where PSU stands with them if that happens.
I would also expect some new 2023 offers to go out this month. One name I think you could see is Khali Horton, a 6’8” wing originally from Erie (but now playing with Legacy Early College in South Carolina) who recently got a Twitter follow from Coach Fisher and had a stellar weekend on the Adidas circuit in Indy. He doesn’t hold any high-major offers yet, but I doubt that lasts.