UA Next Combine-West Top 5 Players

Malik Thomas, Tyler Powell, Chris Page, Michael Mitchell & Glenn Taylor

Yesterday we posted an early list of players who stood out in the skills and drills portion of the UA Next Combine Series at Bishop Montgomery HS in LA.  As you would expect, when the games tipped off later in the afternoon not only did some of the players we had featured earlier justify their early ink, additional guys emerged with standout performances.  When we mentioned Malik Thomas (6’3/ CG/2021/Alta Loma, CA) we suspected that the powerful and skilled Thomas had a chance to have a big day, but what didn’t know was that he would go on to establish himself as the top kid at the event.  There’s no need to repeat what we said about Thomas earlier, just know, the kid can go!

We also mentioned Tyler Powell (6’4/WF/2021/Los Angeles, CA) yesterday in terms of his size, strength and athleticism, but the more we watched Powel both power his way to the cup and knock down treys and mid-range jumpers during the games, the more it was clear he deserved the #2 spot on the day. We could not have been more impressed with Powell!  We didn’t see him in the skills and drills, so we missed the immense talent of Chris Page (6’4/WF/2021/Gardena, CA).  Page is a long and range wing who can easily slide over and run the off guard or even run the point in a pinch.  He’s extremely athletic, has good body control and finishes often and in traffic.  Page is also physical, tough and makes difficult plays look easy. From what we saw, not only is Page a good-looking D-I prospect going forward, he did enough to hold down our #3 spot.

We caught him earlier in the day and noticed that Michael Mitchell (6’1/PG/2021/Los Gatos, CA) had game.  However, his play later in the afternoon confirmed his top 5 talent. Possessing an elite skill set, Mitchell is quick, handles the rock well and does a nice job of crating enough space to get his shot off.  He already has nice size for an 8^th grade PG and easily projects as a D-I athlete.  Loved his game!  Rounding out our top 5 is Glenn Taylor (6’4/CG/2021/Las Vegas, CA), a long and athletic combo guard who is able to play both spots equally well. What we liked most about Taylor was his elite motor, energy level on both ends of the court and his willingness to give up his body to dive on the floor to secure 50-50 ball!s He also rebounds and slides his feet well while defending smaller guards.  Taylor is another nice looking prospect.  Stay tuned as we feature the rest of our top 10 players at the combine.