BREAKING NEWS

GASO JUCO/Prep Showcase: Top 2026 Performers

Continuing our pre-season hoops coverage, I made the journey to Dallas to take in the GASO JUCO/Prep Showcase. Held at the gorgeous Duncanville Fieldhouse, the JUCO/Prep Showcase blended over 50 JUCO’s and prep schools from throughout the country under one roof with courts that made things eeasily accessible to watch multiple games at once. Blue Zertuche, Michael Timmons, and the rest of the GASO staff made things seamless. 

Ballislife FAB 50 candidates Dynamic Prep (Texas) and Oak Cliff Faith Family (Texas) headline the group of prep teams with both coming off stellar 2024-25 campaigns. Dynamic Prep, led by consensus top-3 2027 Marcus Spears Jr., was runner-up in the Chipotle Nationals and will be competing in Overtime Elite this season. Oak Cliff Faith Family opted to leave the Texas UIL last season and won the EIBC National Championship last year, and join the EYBL Scholastic League for the 2025-26 season. Countless other prep and charter schools from within the region made the journey to Duncanville, culminating with a loaded two day event:

Here are the top high school seniors we evaluated from the 2025 GASO JUCO/Prep Showcase:

Photo courtesy of @jayshotsmedia

Dakari Spear, 6’4, SG, Dynamic Prep (Texas)

The best overall shooting guard that the event had to offer regardless of class was Dakari Spear, a recent Texas Tech commit. He totally played within himself on a loaded Dynamic Prep squad, had great elevation on his jump shot, and had no problem creating separation off the bounce to get back to his jumper. His ability to score with limited dribbles within the flow of the offense should give him an opportunity to see minutes right away for the Red Raiders.

Gavin Placide, 6’10, PF, Oak Cliff Faith Family (Texas)

The more interior oriented of the Placide twins was Gavin, as massive new age big man. Capable of playing either big man spot, the Colorado native showed the ability to contain defensively on the perimeter, had countless explosive dunks off lobs/offensive rebounds, and can be pretty unstoppable in the paint when his motor starts going.  The combination of raw offensive talent, athleticism, and physical stature that he offers make him a really nice get for Wake Forest.

Kade Speckman, 6’9, PF, South Central Prep (Okla.)

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the event was Kade Speckman, a 6-foot-9 do it all forward out of Oklahoma. The new age forward made a number of tough catch/finishes in pick and roll play, played above the rim vs. the insane length that Dynamic Prep offered, and was a threat to shoot it from 3-point range with his feet set. Holding nearly a dozen D1 offers and already having taken official visits, Speckman will be an intriguing name to watch in mid-major recruiting circles.

Aidan Chronister, 6’7, SF, New School (Ark.)

One of the best shooters in the nation, Aidan Chronister was forced to take on a little bit of a different role with New School than he will be asked to fill on a loaded Missouri team next season. He showed the ability to create for others more than he typically did in other settings, can score with limited dribbles, and is perfectly comfortable shooting the ball on the move coming off screens. The four star recruit appeared much more confident (as seen by his numerous attempts to posterize people at the rim) and definitely showed his all-around game today against elite competition at GASO.

Kaleb Jackson, 6’5, PG, Kingdom Collegiate Academy (Texas)

A player whom I was not familiar with entering the event, I walked away realizing that Weber State got themselves a steal in Kaleb Jackson. Standing every bit of 6-foot-5+, Jackson really is a point guard. He is a crafty finisher at the rack, utilizes his size to see over the top of the defense to make high level passes to shooters, and will surprise you and dunk on you at the rim if you aren’t careful. Of all of the committed players that I saw today, Kaleb Jackson is certainly biggest steal and much credit to Weber State for seeing the talent that many didn’t early on.

Kamden McGilveary, 6’0, PG, Dynamic Prep (Texas)

The fastest end to end player the GASO Prep Showcase offered was undoubtedly Kamden McGilveary, the catalyst for Dynamic Prep’s offensive arsenal. The uber athletic lead guard looked to apply pressure on the defense any time that he had the ball, made some nice reads out of ball screens, and got the crowd hyped with his surprisingly powerful dunks on the break.  Kam holds no shortage of D1 offers, but by all accounts, is still listening to all suitors and will have plenty of eyes on him playing in OTE.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *