HoopHall Invitational Standouts - Friday, Jan. 16th

As the top ranked high school and prep programs, descended upon Springfield, Massachusetts, for the weekend of the annual HoopHall Invitational & Classic events, the advantage of being able to see several under the radar, yet highly skilled, prospective young athletes, over the course of Friday evening at the Western New England University, could not have been a better exposé of talent, that some of the best ranked preparatory programs, in the nation are harboring on their rosters, beyond some of the well known names.

Our Northeastern based contributor, Eron Lord, was present on site, to take note, of the action between Oak Hill Academy against Montverde, as well as the contest between Brewster Academy and Oak Hill Faith Family. Below are his takeaways on the standout athletes from these two games.

LJ Smith || CG || 6’4” || Oak Hill Academy (VA) || C/O 2027 || Ohio State Commit

Smith displayed his ability to shoot the ball from all over the floor, making shots from behind the arc off of movement as well as spotting up. When the defense began to close out on his jumpshots aggressively, he was able to attack the closeout and get to his pull up jumper or get to the rim and get fouled. He finished the game shooting 4-8 from three to go along with 19 points. 

Dhani Miller || G || 6’3”|| Montverde Academy (FL) || C/O 2026 || Kent State Signee

Miller was the floor general for his team this game, keeping the offense flowing and maintaining a good balance between attacking and making plays for his teammates. When he grabbed rebounds on the defensive end he was consistently looking for his teammates for hit-ahead passes resulting in easy transition opportunities. When he did attack the rim he showed toughness, including one difficult finish through contact. He finished the game with a team-high 6 assists, and did not miss a shot inside the three point line. 

Javion Tyndale || G || 5’9”|| Montverde Academy (FL) || C/O 2027

Tyndale showed off his speed on both ends of the floor, pestering defenders with good lateral agility and quick hands as well as running the break and cutting to the rim on offense. His quickness proved difficult for the opposing team to handle and he was able to blow by his defender, causing the defense to collapse for easy kick outs. 

Darien Moore || G || 6’2”|| Brewster Academy (NH) || C/O 2026 || Seton Hall Commit

Moore was efficient from beyond the arc in this game, making his presence felt by making his first two threes on his teams’ first two possessions of the game. He remained hot the rest of the game from beyond the arc, capitalizing his catch and shoot opportunities and going 5-6 from three overall for the game. Defensively, he showed active hands when defending players bigger than him, and finished the game with 3 steals. 

Antonio Pemberton || PG || 6’1”|| Brewster Academy (NH) || C/O 2027 

Pemberton had his full offensive arsenal on display, making a variety of jumpers off the dribble and off of the catch, as well as using his floater to beat contests. He was able to manipulate the defense in pick and roll situations, allowing him to get to his spots or kick out to shooters. He made a great skip pass to the opposite corner with his left hand out of the pick and roll. He also showed active hands defensively, getting multiple steals. He lead all players with 6 assists in the game. 

Josiah Rose || G || 6’3”|| Faith Family Academy (TX) || C/O 2028

Rose was aggressive in using his strong frame to absorb contact and attack the rim, getting to the line consistently. He was strong at the point of attack defensively, guarding multiple positions on the perimeter. He was the primary initiator for his team and got his teammates easy looks. 

Written By: Eron Lord