HS Fall Invite: Top Underclassmen

Fall league basketball has taken itself to new heights, especially on the West Coast. Since the COVID pandemic, many players throughout the nation were left without anywhere to play during the fall and winter of 2020.  While many states were shut down under state and county mandated precautions at that time, states such as Arizona were still wide open, enabling a floodgate of hoops to take place.  Fast forward five years and fall basketball has become a fixture on the west coast and LA’s finest event took place this week: The HS Fall Invite.

Held at gyms throughout the City of Angels, the HS Fall Invite blended many of SoCal’s finest against some of the best prep schools on the west coast. Elite Hoops Association founder Julius Von Hanzlik, event operator Gabe Hekmatniaz and NXT Up Hoops did an amazing job of getting people in the building, too. With over 100 D-1 coaches and  countless media lining the baselines, the HS Fall invite not only provided a platform for players to receive media exposure, but also to obtain D-1 Scholarships.

Having already profiled the top performers in the 2026 class as well as the top rising juniors, here are the top 2028 and 2029 prospects that we saw in Los Angeles: 

Evan Willis, 6’8, SF, Santa Monica Crossroads HS (Calif.), 2028

It is amazing how a change of scenery can make a world of difference. Playing at Mater Dei last season, Willis made the move to Crossroads and is quickly showing college coaches and scouts alike that he’s a five star recruit for the class of 2028 with his early play. The sophomore is a freak athlete who impacts the game on both ends with his athleticism, is an above average 3-point shooter, and knows how to score the rock with limited dribbles. Evan picked up offers from N.C. State, TCU, and Virginia Tech after his play this past weekend and is definitely looking like a top 25 players in the class of 2028.

Shalen Sheppard, 6’9, PF, Brentwood H.S. (Calif.), 2028

As far as sheer offensive skill is concerned, there aren’t many forwards in the class of 2028 to match the bag of Sheppard.  The new age power forward is unstoppable from the mid-post, is a reliable 3-point shooter, and constantly had his head on a swivel to make plays for others.  You aren’t going to see any jaw dropping dunks just yet out of the 15-year old, but his remarkable skill for such a young player make him a five star fixture for the class of 2028. Sheppard was the Cal-Hi Sports State Freshman of the Year last season and is reportedly transferring to Crossroads to team up with Evan Willis. That has been the rumor the past two weeks but as of Wendesday Sheppard had not officially enrolled. That would give coach Anthony Davis a dynamic duo, but we’ll wait to see how the eligibility process works out since both are transfers.  

Mamadou Issa Sow, 6’10, C, Bella Vista Prep (Ariz.), 2029

Walking into the high school ranks with a considerable amount of buzz surrounding him, Mamadou Issa Sow showed that he could hang with the older competition at the HS Fall Invite. The freshman is a game changer on the defensive end, playing with a motor and making use of his length both with creating deflections and as a shot blocker.  Offensively, Issa Sow is still a work in progress, but showed promises of nice touch facing the basket.  The Co-MVP of the Pangos All West Frosh/Soph Camp is certainly building momentum leading up to the EYBL Scholastic season.

Jayden Cecil, 6’4, PG/SG, Utah Prep, 2028

A skilled guard by the way of Australia, Cecil is perfectly capable of playing either backcourt spot equally well for Utah Prep. The sophomore makes very sound decisions when picking his spots, has really nice touch once he gets in the lane, and is a constant threat from the 3-point line  Cecil is undoubtedly a top-50 player in the class of 2028 nationally (especially once more people lay eyes on him), and already holds offers from Cal and Arizona State .

Phillip Reed, 6’2, PG, Palisades Charter (Cal.), 2029

Extremely polished for a freshman, Reed showed that he could hold his own against nationally ranked CIA Bella Vista (Ariz.) at the HS Fall Invite. The lead guard already knows where his sweet spots are on the floor, changes speeds at an elite level, and is constantly surveying the floor to find open shooters. The Co-MVP of the Pangos All West Frosh/Soph Camp and already holds a high major offer from Cal.

Jordan Mize, 6’5, SG, Sierra Canyon HS (Cal.), 2028

If you were building a prototypical shooting guard physically, Mize checks all the boxes. Possessing long arms and solid athleticism, the lefty is able to score at all three levels with limited dribbles and plays within himself. Still ranked outside the top 75, many are still sleeping on the Sacramento native, but that shouldn’t be the case for long playing on center stage at Sierra Canyon as seen by the fact that USC immediately offered him after the event. 

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