NBA DRAFT WATCH: ON THE SCENE TEAM (WEEKEND OF FRI. 01. 28. TO SUN 01. 30.)

Bryce Hamilton (UNLV) went wild this weekend scoring 45 points
(Photo Credit: Twitter/@bham_10)

* On The Scene Team is comprised by some of the top performers across the country during the most recent weekend in college basketball

* The 'On The Scene Team' will be comprised of six (6) players and projectable NBA prospects of varying ranges .. An Honorable Mention team taking note of other promising performances will highlight a number of other players

*Games considered and referenced were played on the dates of/from Friday, January 28th thru Sunday, January 30th

 

ON THE SCENE TEAM

• BRYCE HAMILTON, SAN DIEGO STATE

Bryce Hamilton got the weekend kicked off with arguably the best performance in college basketball this season, thus far. Leading his Runnin' Rebel regime on the road against a Colorado State squad that entered the game 16-1 and undefeated at home, Hamilton had his way with the Rams en route to leading UNLV to a convincing 88-74 win. Pouring up 45 points (the 2nd most in D-1 this season, 3rd most in UNLV history), he was efficient in his exemplary offensive effort, shooting 13-22 from the field, while drilling 8/14 from 3, and adding another 11/14 from the free throw line. The 6'4, 205 pound senior wing was successful in multiple ways when finding the bottom of the net: coming off-ball screens, taking advantage of a couple catch and shoot opportunities, reading the rotation of the defense and relocating to an open space. In addition to his 3-point prowess, the lefty was also able to break the defense down off the dribble and attack the rack to reach the line in drawing multiple fouls. Not only was Hamilton nearly unstoppable in scoring the ball, he also contributed 7 rebounds and 5 assists against just one turnover, becoming the first D-1 player to put up 45 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists since Trae Young at Oklahoma in 2018. A top 100 recruit in the country entering UNLV, the 2-time all conference performer is now averaging 21.0 ppg and has eclipsed the 1500 point mark (1516) for his college career.

• KELON BROOKS, KENTUCKY

Numerous players had plenty of eyes on them entering the highly anticipated between Kansas and Kentucky, pitting arguably the two most ballyhooed, blue blood basketball programs against one another in the midst of successful season, so far, for both. Not to say Brooks lacked any attention entering the contest, but on the Wildcats roster Oscar Tshiebwe, TyTy Washington, Kellan Grady, Sahvir Wheeler, all garner a considerable amount of their own traction, while Kansas came in with a possible Player of the Year in Ocha Agbaji, as well as prospects Christian Braun, Remy Martin, David McCormack, and Justin Wilson. Yet it was Kelon Brooks (11.1 pts, 4.5 reb, 49.4 fg, 75.5 ft, 114.6 offensive rating, 94.1 defensive rating) who brought the spotlight upon himself in one of the biggest games of college basketball this season with his special performance. Beginning the evening with a put-back dunk off a missed jumper to make the score 5-4 in favor of Kansas, with 18:25 left in the 1st half, Brooks brought his 'A' game as the rare experienced Wildcat whose been with the programs for multiple year, his play on the road proved to be pivotal. Playing within the orchestration of the offense and flow of the game, the 6'7 205 pound junior forward helped Kentucky jump out to a 20 point first half lead, putting points on the board through a few different actions. Following his initial points of the game, Brooks was able to grab another offensive rebound which led to him converting on a contested layup. He would follow that with scoring on an in-between jump shot from just inside the free throw line, receiving an opportunistic feed from Sahvir Wheeler following a loose ball that led to an easy dunk, and scoring on another from find from Wheeler, an alley-oop to make the score 51-31 at half. Brooks also accounted for his lone assists of the game during the first 20 minutes when he found Oscar Tshiebwe in the paint for 2 when he passed out of the double team sent his way by Kansas. 

• MIKE MILES, TCU

Coming into the game against the matchup off fresh off a 73-50 loss to Texas on Tuesday, the TCU needed a revitalization of sorts for what has been largely a successful season for the Horned Frogs. Mike Miles made sure of that with a major performance against a ranked opponent in LSU who possess plenty of talent at different spots. Controlling the tempo of the game and playing with the poise of a veteran point guard, the mighty Miles had one of his best floor games in now his second, season being a true sophomore. While the Tigers athletic and rangy defense was able to limit Big 12 All-Freshman team performer to 0/3 from 3, that didn't deter the 6'1 guard from creating his own and taking advantage of other scoring opportunities. Miles was able to break down the defense off the dribble without difficulty, making some shots set up with reading the flow of the opponent and utilizing his skill and shot making ability to put points on the board. Where the emerging prospect made the biggest impression upon me in evaluating his play was taking tremendous care of the ball, limiting his turnovers, while still successfully setting up his teammates. The young yet experienced star for TCU put forth a critical performance in a crucial game, that yielded a feel of a March Madness-like atmosphere. One that can help propel the Horned Frogs to a potential tournament bid, come Selection Sunday. He also very well likely increased his draft profile and range, putting himself and his team on the scene Saturday.

• AJ HOGGARD, MICHIGAN STATE

Despite the fact that Michigan State starts a perfectly capable and deserving point guard in Tyson Walker, the performance AJ Hoggard delivered off the bench on Saturday against the in-state rival Michigan Wolverines was as good as any floor general in the country this weekend. The 6'3, 220 pound sophomore from the second he entered the game was steady and sure handling the attitude and latitude of Michigan's heavy dose of full court and 3/4 court pressure. Consistently making the right reads and finding the first teammate to make themselves available, Hoggard was able to adjust to the Wolverine's trace and trap scheme by passing ahead of the defense on a few occasions for an open basket. Additionally, he displayed his dexterity as a ball-handler utilizing his awareness of angles to make the defense have to adjust to him when shifting directions and gears to get into middle of the defense and make plays for his teammates or take advantage of a scoring opportunity in the paint himself. Finishing with 11 points, 2 rebounds, 10/1 assist to turnover ratio, with 1 block and a steal, shooting 4/6 from the field and 3/5 from the free throw line, Hoggard looked like he was from Hogwarts in the Spartans 83-67 win over the Wolverines, Saturday.

• CHRISTIAN KOLOKO, ARIZONA 

In a tightly contested game from the opening tip that actually saw underdog, Arizona State jump out to an early lead in the opening minutes, Christian Koloko was crucial to the Wildcats coming away with a win against their in-state opponent. While the Sun Devils defense was able to swarm Arizona and their offense limiting a normally highly efficient and effective Koloko to just 3/7 from the field, that wasn't able to keep him from having a high impact on the ultimate outcome of the overall game which was a dogged, defensive dominated matchup. Though keeping the 7'1 center from the Sierra Canyon prep program in check from the field, Arizona State was farm from successful in being able to keep Koloko off the offensive glass and off the free throw line. Credit the big man for remaining aggressive and in attack on both ends as he gathered an additional 8 rebound on the defensive end (for a total of 13), and balanced that with 5 blocks and swiped away 3 steals as Arizona held Arizona State to 56 points on 33% from the field and forced 17 turnovers. To the Wildcats credit there are numerous talented prospects on their roster that have stepped up throughout the season to see them sit where they are in the standings, but make no mistake about it, if it weren't for Koloko on Saturday Arizona would've suffered just its 3rd loss of the season and 2nd in PAC 12 play, to a team whose record is now 6-12.

• VINCE WILLIAMS, VCU 

'We run Richmond,' was the statement made by VCU following their 64-62 road win at Richmond, a university that is just 5 mile apart. That bold and loud statement was made possible by the valiant effort put forth by Vince Williams as he drilled a pull up 3-point shot from out past the top of the key with 25.3 seconds left to push the score to 64-61. While that moment was the last major momentum swing in the highly spirited game, Williams made more the a handful of plays in the game to even allow the Rams to have the opportunity to come up with a win at the end. Totaling 37 minutes in total, the 6'6, 210 pound senior wing was sensational throughout as he produced 22 points, 10 rebounds, 8/2 assists to turnovers, 2 blocks, and 1 steal, shooting 9/13 from the field, and 3/6 on 3's. An All-Atlantic 10 honoree last season, Vince Williams is having another all-conference worthy season as a senior as he is currently averaging 12.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.2 blocks, while shooting 55.0 from 2, 38.7 for 3, and 75.9 at the free throw line. He and VCU are seeking to return to the tournament again this year, now currently sitting at 13-6 on the season and 6-2 in the A-10. 

HONORABLE MENTION

STILL TO COME ...