Holiday hoops season is officially here and there is no better national tip off than the Tarkanian Classic. Held throughout Las Vegas, the Tarkanian Classic brought over 250 teams together throughout Sin City in three separate events: The Prep Showcase, high school bracket play, and the first year Junior College Showcase. Given the amount of talent across the board, media and scouts alike came about, too.
Over 100 credentialed members of the media, 100 D1 college coaches, and a dozen NBA teams were in attendance for the second day of the Tarkanian Classic’s Prep Showcase. Companies Spalding, Nike, Crocs, Gatorade, BallerTV, and the Orleans Casino jumped in as title sponsors. Event co-Directors Dinos Trigonis and Grant Rice and staff did a resounding job for providing everyone in attendance with schedule updates and accurate rosters, a rarity in today’s wild west of grassroots events.
All in all, the Tarkanian Classic’s Prep Showcase lived up to its reputation as one of the nation’s truly premier events, both on and off the court, with no shortage of talent putting ten toes down on the hardwood.
While there are countless players one could focus on throughout Ballislife’s extensive coverage of the event, we opted to take a deeper dive into some of the senior stars who stood out on day two of the Tarkanian Classic’s prep schowcase for this piece.
Anthony Felesi finished with 35 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a Utah Prep win last night at the @TarkClassic. He’s leading all players in points (27 PPG) in the EYBL Scholastic League. Head coach Jeff Capel and Pitt got a good one in the 6’5” do-it-all guard. pic.twitter.com/k3n47amjlR
— Krysten Peek (@krystenpeek) December 18, 2025
Anthony Felesi, 6’5, SG, Utah Prep (Utah), 2026
The most dominant performance of half of a game undoubtedly went to Anthony Felesi, as onlookers were in awe of his effortless 24 point showing in the opening half against DRIVE Academy (Finland). He finished the game with a splendid 35 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. The super skilled combo guard was unstoppable slashing to the rim with straight line drives, thrived in transition, and was outstanding cutting in opportune times. Pitt got themselves a good one who has taken the next step in his progress with AJ Dybantsa’s departure to BYU.
Toni Bryant, 6’9, PF, Zephyrhills Christian (Florida), 2026
Riding high off of his matchup with felllow five star Arafan Diane in the opening night of Tark, Toni Bryant continued to build his case for a McDonald’s All American Game selection on day two. The agile new age big man was a pogo stick around the rim, was outstanding from mid-range facing up, and showed his ridiculous touch as a finisher in traffic in the paint. Bryant’s 24 points in a win over Wilson Academy showed why he’s such a crucial part of a Missouri recruiting class (along with top-5 guard Jason Crowe and big time sharpshooter Aidan Chronister) that is presently sitting amongst the very best in the nation.
Taylen Kinney, 6’3, PG, OTE RWE (Georgia), 2026
“Mr. 67” is in the mix for the top point guard in the class of 2026 nationally and made his case at the Tarkanian Classic. The NIL star was methodical playing the game at his own pace, really knew how to draw fouls, and got to his sweet spot with his mid-range jump shot. The Kansas recruit’s numbers backed it up as well, dropping 23 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals in RWE’s win over FAB 50 No. 24 Dream City Christian EYBL.
Junior County, 6’5, SG, Wasatch Academy (Utah), 2026
A player who you don’t have to run a single play for, Junior County showed why he is an immediate ‘plug and play’ guy at the Tarkanian Classic.The two-way guard was absolutely relentless on both ends against Dynamic Prep, guarded multiple positions, and was able to put points on the board with a limited amount of dribbles. One of the fastest rising players in the class of 2026 this past spring and summer, County found a perfect home playing at UCONN for esteemed coach Dan Hurley.
Trevon Carter-Givens, 6’10, C, So Cal Academy (California), 2026
One of the highest long term upside big men of the event, Trevon Carter-Givens really is beginning to realize how special of a prospect that he can be for So Cal Academy. The freakishly long post-grad big is a game changer at the rim on both ends of the floor, can really hit cutters passing from the high post, and has improved every single time that I have seen him over the past year. If he continues on this route, Trevon has a chance to make an impact in the ACC for Will Wade at NC State sooner than people expect.
Austin Goosby, 6’6, SG, Dynamic Prep (Texas), 2026
The latest five star recruit to join Dynamic Prep is Austin Goosby, an early season transfer from Melissa High School (Texas). The elite swingman is still finding his footing at his new home, but showed everyone in attendance the tantalizing tools that should make him a McDonald’s All American. The lanky senior utilized his length on the defensive end, had an ideal physical profile for a wing, and was simply automatic in a variety of ways from mid-range. While it is impossible to put up monster numbers on such a loaded squad, the 13 points that he scored in a 70-61 win over FAB 50 No. 15 Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) within the flow of the offense showed why he’s the top senior in Texas.
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