A Couple of Hoops Recruiting Notes
AAU program Team Hardwork based out of San Antonio is hosting a two-day scrimmage-based tourney format with 4-5 other teams. The games were live streamed for fans and college coaches today.If you read my Class of 2022 breakdown a couple of weeks ago, you know that Team Hardwork has emerged as one of the top 3-4 AAU programs in the state. Texas A&M 2021 commit Manny Obaseki has joined Team Hardwork for the summer. In addition, the program also has Top 100 national 2022 point guard Austin Nunez whose dad runs the Team Hardwork program. Nunez was also the very first call the A&M coaches made at midnight when the 2022 contact period opened in mid-June. For reference, the midnight call A&M made last year was to Hassan Diarra who eventually signed with A&M and will be a freshman this fall. A&M has also offered Team Hardwork post Vincent Iwuchukwu who is a Top 30 national 2022 prospect. They also have Top 25 national 2021 prospect Jerrell Colbert who has already committed to LSU.So I watched a couple of games that were broadcast live on YouTube. Tomorrow's games will be broadcast live as well starting at 3:00 PM. Here is the YouTube URL presented on the Silver Wave Media page for those hardcore hoops fans - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Vk1UK6tpYw&t=1175s . You can find the schedule and roster w/ numbers here:https://twitter.com/LupeNunezSA/status/1278389562511953923?s=20OK, with those formalities out of the way, here are my brief thoughts of the players I watched:Manny ObasekiThe most impressive aspect to Manny is his body and his physical development for his age. He is a loose, natural athlete and his movements are not only smooth but explosive when needed. At between 6-foot-3 and 6-foot-4 with his quickness and explosiveness, he's one of the most dynamic, natural athletes I've watched play AAU ball in several years. Because of his size and athleticism, he can comfortably play point guard to a wing. His strength right now is attacking the rim, his passing, and his attention to defense (which is usually an after-thought at these AAU events). There were several 4-star prospects and one 5-star recruit, and a strong argument can be made that Manny was the best player in the building. He will make an immediate impact on the A&M program in the fall of 2021.Austin Nunez He was the primary point guard on the Team Hardwork 17 team. But, while he was the primary ball handler to initiate an offensive set, the 2022 prospect from San Antonio made everything his shot from beyond the arc. The book on him last year...an efficient point guard with an emerging perimeter shot. Well, if Wednesday is any indication, that shot has not only emerged but it's a big weapon. He also has a quick, efficient stroke that is tough to defend given the range he consistently showed. I now know why Nunez was the first 2022 prospect the entire A&M coaching staff called him at midnight on the first day of 2022 contact. I saw several basketball pundits tweet last night that after watching him at this event, he'll definitely move up in their national rankings. He would be a great get for the A&M staff, and it's clear the staff sees him as a top priority in the 2022 class.Jerrell Colbert Unfortunately for A&M hoops fans, the LSU 2021 commit looked very good. He's an athletic, slim 6-foot-10 prospect that is very comfortable playing inside-out, hitting a couple of 3-pointers and being very productive around the basket. Some services rate him a 5-star, and I'm not going to necessarily disagree with that. He definitely looks like a Top 30 national prospect. He'll be a load for future A&M teams to defend.Vince IwuchukwuThe 2022 6-11 prospect from San Antonio actually played on the Team Hardwork 16's team since Colbert played most of the time on the 17's team. Tremendously long and athletic, he's still a bit raw but he dominated in the paint making a wide array of post-up, short turnaround jumpers, short runners, and made a great baseline move and effectively attacked the rim and got a 3-point play out of it. Here he is in this video (yellow shoes). Go to the 1:30 mark and you'll see that baseline drive and another bucket in about 60 seconds. Remember, he still has two years of high school left, so he could be a real monster in the paint in college. He could very well be a 5-star prospect this time next year.There were some other very good prospects out there, but I wanted to stick to those already offered by A&M. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to post them here.