Sports

Five Standout Prospects from EYBL’s Opening Weekend

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By
Ben Pfeifer
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Ben Pfeifer Sports Editor

Ben Pfeifer graduated from the University of Missouri with degrees in Psychology and Journalism. He has worked in basketball scouting covering the NBA and the draft for over a half-decade, working for various outlets. Now, he covers the NBA, the draft and high school basketball.

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Published28 Apr 2025

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The Nike EYBL circuit opened up this past weekend in Phoenix. Nearly all of high school basketball’s best prospect took the floor, hoping to boost their stock heading into next season. Because of the high competition level, EYBL presents one of the better scouting opportunities for these young prospects. Let’s break down performances from five prospects who impressed me throughout the weekend.

Jordan Smith, Guard, Team Takeover (2026)

Guard defenders as dominant as Jordan Smith are rare at the high school level. Few guards, especially ones who their teams heavily rely on offensively, play with the intensity and energy that Smith does. He’s a game wrecker defending the ball, sliding his feet and changing directions to cut off drive and bump weaker players off of their spots.

Smith is an excellent off-ball defender, functioning as a genuine paint protector as a 6-foot-2 guard. Phenomenal vertical explosion, especially off of two feet, allows Smith to rotate down and block shots at the basket. He’s a dominant defender at the high school level with the ability to erase matchups on the ball and make high level rotations as a team defender.

He’s no offensive slouch either — Smith averaged 22.3 points per game on an elite 64.5% true shooting clip across his first three EYBL games. While Smith might lack the high-end ing feel or creation requisite of a future primary initiator, his powerful driving, mid-range creation and transition attack make him an elite offensive player at the AAU level.

Christian Collins, Wing, Team WhyNot (2026)

Collins looked every bit of a top-five recruit throughout his first EYBL weekend, kicking the weekend off with a 28 point performance against NY Lightning. For a 6-foot-8 wing, Collins drives with exceptional burst and explosiveness, easily creating advantages off of the dribble. Most high school defenders lack the tools to stick with Collins’s attacks downhill.

He’ll need to sharpen his decision making — Collins logged four assists and 10 turnovers across three games. Basic playmaking decisions and es from drives are within Collins’s wheelhouse, but his ball control in traffic can improve. Collins flashes catch-and-shoot ability and mid-range touch as well, adding to his offensive repertoire.

His physical tools present massive defensive upside as well; Collins has the size, length and explosion requisite of high-end wing defenders. Collins defends the ball with great fluidity and hip mobility, offering quite a bit of defensive versatility. We’ll monitor how Collins fares as a high-usage primary creator throughout the summer, as his potential sits as high as any prospect in the 2026 high school class.

Trevon Carter-Givens, Big, Team WhyNot (2026)

It’s impossible not to notice Carter-Givens on tape. Standing at 6-foot-9 with a gargantuan 7-foot-5 wingspan, Carter-Givens towers over opponents. Beyond his excellent physical tools, Carter-Givens’s high motor helps him wreck offensive gameplans. He logged four blocks and three steals across two games last weekend, though I counted quite a few more blocks than he was credited.

Carter-Givens pairs elite tools, activity and instincts to excel on defense. He’s always rotating and contesting shots at the basket, blocking off the rim with his size and length. Team WhyNot routinely switched Carter-Givens out to the perimeter, where he slid his feet with smaller players to generate stpos and force turnovers.

Despite seeing few designed touches on offense, Carter-Givens impacts the game by crashing the glass and creating second chances for his teammates. A few flashes of connective ing and ball skills rounded out an impressive weekend, making Carter-Givens one of the class’s more intriguing long-term big man prospects.

Tarris Bouie, Wing, Team Thad (2026)

Despite his slighter frame, Bouie’s defensive energy and motor stands out immediately. He’s a fast, frenetic defender who covers ground at lightning speed. Bouie flashed his off-ball defensive ability, rotating down to block shots and hounding opposing offensive players on the ball.

Bouie didn’t let his slighter frame deter him on defense, as his physicality popped off of the tape. HE had no reservations absorbing from drivers and creating that himself on offense. That physicality, off-ball activity and length makes Bouie an intriguing defensive wing prospect to monitor.

Across his three EYBL games, Bouie led Team Thad in scoring (16.7 points per game), leaking out in transition to capitalize on sleeping defenses. Flashes of mid-range touch and pull-up shotmaking help round out his offensive profile, though he’ll need to add more muscle to best capitalize on his physical nature.

Cayden Daughtry, Guard, Florida Rebels (2027)

Daughtry starred for his Florida Rebels squad despite playing up an age group. Daughtry, who turned 16-years-old earlier this month, led the Rebels in scoring across their three games (18.3 points per game, 55.1% true shooting), spurred by a 27-point explosion against Team Thad.

For most of his time on the court, Daughtry was the shortest, smaller player on either team. That didn’t bother him on the offensive end, as Daughtry excelled inside the arc. He shot a staggering 27 free-throws across those three games (85.2%) and converted 52.6% of his 2-point shots. His quickness, touch and ball skills were evident, even against older competition.

Bigger, stronger opponents took advantage of Daughtry’s size on defense and he wasn’t always able to score against athletic defenders. Still, Daughtry’s skill, touch and smooth floor processing let him excel against older players. That’s a strong indicator for prospect development, making Daughtry a promising player to monitor.

All Stats per Synergy Sports