The high school season is now in full swing. Marshall County Hoopfest had a solid level of talent on display, with a mixing of public and prep schools. Here’s a rundown of some of the top prospects.
Zac Foster 6’3 165 PG/SG – Woodward Academy 2025 (Clemson)
Foster showed some ball-handling, he’s not the type to get to the rim much off the dribble but uses his handle to create for himself as he likes to pull-up off the dribble. He can shoot the 3 and has a midrange jumper. He keeps his dribble alive well with contact and knew his options passing off the dribble mid-attack. He scored 16 points in the loss to Huntsville. He played hard in Woodward’s second game against Cathedral, but they didn’t come away with the win, losing 71-59 with Foster scoring 19 points (7-15 FG, 1-5 3PT) and grabbing 6 rebounds in the game.
Deke Cooper 6’6 180 SF – Woodward Academy 2025
Cooper was very good against Huntsville with 26 points and 11 rebounds. He’s physical and very athletic. He had some aggressive dunk attempts and landed a behind-the-back dunk in traffic on one play. His shot was a bit flat at times, but he connected on a few. He has room to expand his perimeter game, but he was very productive. Cooper played some tough defense and drew some fouls against Cathedral, but he wasn’t quite as productive or efficient offensively with 10 points (1-7 FG, 8-10 FT) and 7 rebounds.
Simon Walker 6’4 175 SG – Huntsville 2025 (Auburn)
Walker started slow against Woodward Academy but finished with 21 points. He has a strong upper body and did a heavy majority of his offensive damage from the perimeter with multiple 3PT attempts, some from NBA 3PT range. He doesn’t have a lot of creativity in his game or explosive athleticism but he’s constantly moving offensively, and his whole team is always in motion. Walker finished with 20 points (7-20 FG, 6-19 3PT), 6 rebounds, and 5 assists to no turnovers in Huntsville’s second game against Norcross.
Chris Cenac 7’0 230 PF – Link Academy 2025 (Houston)
Cenac posted an efficient double-double in the 82-56 win against La Lumiere with 15 points (7-8 FG) and 10 rebounds. He has a good body that will get stronger, and he plays with aggression. He’s best in the high post, but he can expand his offensive game as he has a tendency to duck and force himself to the basket at times. He also lost the ball on a few drives, sometimes with little defensive pressure. He flashed some touch facing up, but the consistency can improve. His mobility and athleticism was hard for opponents to match on a few jams. Cenac helped Link take down Legacy Early College 58-39 with 7 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 blocks.
Jerry Easter 6’5 185 PG/SG – Link Academy 2025 (USC)
Easter was big against his former school, La Lumiere, with 16 points (7-8 FG, 2-2 3PT). He handled the ball against pressure and played within the flow, not forcing his impact. He passed out 10 assists to only 1 turnover. Defensively he came away with 3 steals and defended full court. He brought it again the next day against Legacy Early with 19 points (8-12 FG, 3-5 3PT), 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 steals. His consistent 3PT shooting is very encouraging for his development.
Amare Bynum 6’9 210 PF – Link Academy 2025 (Ohio State)
Bynum (pictured) was the man in Link’s first game. He’s real dangerous around the rim, as he’s bouncy, aggressive, and built for contact. A lot of his scoring came from passes and offensive rebounds, taking a power dribble and dunking or using a jump hook/floater. He did step out and knock down 2 of his 3 3PT attempts over the two games but he’s best in the paint. He ended up with 19 points (8-11 FG) and 6 (3 offensive) rebounds against La Lumiere. Bynum followed up with 10 points (4-10 FG, 1-2 3PT), 8 (offensive) rebounds, and 2 assists to 4 turnovers against Legacy Early College.
Jalen Haralson 6’7 215 PG/SG – La Lumiere 2025 (Notre Dame)
Haralson scored 9 points (4-8 FG, 1-3 3PT) in the loss to Link Academy. He did a good job handling the ball, but I thought he could’ve looked to get to the rim more, picking up his dribble early at times. He was good defensively, doing a solid job on Chris Cenac, playing physical despite giving up some size and defending guards on the perimeter at other times throughout the game. He followed up with a strong performance against Veritas Academy, winning 64-54. Haralson got to the rim a lot and finished well through contact, putting up points when his team needed it. He finished with 24 points (9-16, 3-5 3PT), 9 rebounds, and passed well with 4 assists to 1 turnover.
Darius Adams 6’5 185 PG/SG – La Lumiere 2025 (UConn)
He wasn’t real efficient against Link, but Adams displayed his offensive ability with 18 points on 6-17 shooting. He showed his plus shooting range, going 3-8 from 3PT. He favors his right hand when driving but still penetrated well off the dribble and handled contact well. He’s smooth taking it to the rim but I’m not sure how well he will finish in the paint at the next levels with his lack of strength and athletic pop. Adams also had 7 rebounds and 3 assists to 4 turnovers in the game against Link Academy. His second game against Veritas consisted of 19 points (7-17 FG). He missed all 3 of his 3 3PT attempts but did a nice job taking it to the rim and drawing fouls, making 5 of his 7 free throws.
Melvin Bell 6’4 195 SG – La Lumiere 2025 (San Jose State)
Bell had no problem scoring against Link’s size down low. He drove to the basket and showed patience to not go up with quick shots, instead using pivots and fakes while handling contact to finish. He didn’t grab a rebound but scored well with 19 points on 7-8 shooting and made all 5 free throws attempts. His performance against Veritas was the complete opposite, going scoreless on 7 shot attempts, grabbing 7 rebounds, and committing 4 turnovers.
Jaron Saulsberry 6’6 170 SG – Norcross 2026
Saulsberry had some good moments. He started the event with 22 points and 4 rebounds to beat Cathedral 75-62. He has some length and solid strength. He hit a few shots from the perimeter (2-5 3PT) but didn’t show a lot of offense in the half-court. He was good defensively and showed some athleticism in the open floor. Saulsberry scored 13 points on 5-12 shooting against Huntsville.
Griffin Starks 6’7 185 PF – Newport 2027
Starks posted a quiet 10 points in the 65-54 win against McCallie. He followed up with a 17-point (7-12 FG, 2-3 3PT) and 9 (4 offensive) rebound performance against Daviess County to win 66-61. He’s agile and has good length, combined with good coordination. He can improve his half-court game and find easier ways to score. He’s not a bad athlete, finishing with a few dunks, but he missed quite a few dunk attempts over his two games. Overall, consistency can improve but the sophomore shows good potential.
