This past college basketball year, I was fortunate enough to cover college basketball games as credentialed media for 39 different games. These games included games played in the Palestra and around the Philadelphia area, Madison Square Garden and Barclays Center, and the Prudential Center to name a few. During these 39 games I covered, I had the opportunity to watch a variety of NBA Draft prospects. Now with the national championship behind us, our focus at the Center Hub shifts to the NBA draft. With that said, here were the most impressive performances I witnessed live throughout the season!

My season started covering Penn twice at the Palestra with games against Maryland Eastern Shores as well as a Big Five matchup against St. Joseph’s. Additionally, Penn played at Finn Pavilion against Villanova. Against Penn, St. Joseph’s Rasheer Fleming impressed, using his 6’9″ height and 7’5″ wingspan to play passing lanes and block shots on defense while also hitting three 3’s offensively. Meanwhile, Villanova’s Eric Dixon, the nation’s leading scorer, scored 23 points against Penn after hitting four 3’s. Dixon, after participating in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament last season, will be a surefire NBA Draft combine invite this year after increasing his averages across the board. Dixon went from averaging 16.6 points per game to 23.3 points per game and also went from shooting 34.6% from three on 4.7 attempts per game into 40.7% from three on 7.2 attempts per game.

Another early season event I attended was the Jersey Jam where Princeton played Duquesne and Temple played Monmouth. During their game against Monmouth, Jamal Mashburn Jr.’s difficult shotmaking was on display on his way to dropping 25 points. Meanwhile, Monmouth’s Abdi Bashir (who recently transferred to Kansas State for next season) only scored 10 points and hit just two 3’s. Bashir led the nation in three pointers made per game this past season.

In Game 2 of Jersey Jam, Princeton’s Xaivian Lee had 23/7/9 against Duquesne. While I saw Lee play live five times this year, this was the game where he displayed his shotmaking the most. He made three 3’s in this game, but all three were impressive in terms of creating separation:

Empire Classic: Texas v. Syracuse, Texas Tech v. Saint Joseph’s, Texas v. Saint Joseph’s, and Texas Tech v. Syracuse November 21-22, 2024

Texas 70, Syracuse 66…. Texas 67, Saint Joseph’s 58

Texas Tech 77, Saint Joseph’s 78….. Texas Tech 79, Syracuse 74

Tre Johnson, Rasheer Fleming, JT Toppin, Darrion Williams, Donnie Freeman, Arthur Kaluma, Erik Reynolds II

While Texas won the Legends Classic and freshman Tre Johnson won MVP of the event, Arthur Kaluma probably should’ve won the award. While Johnson averaged 16.5 points per game during the two day event, he was wildly inefficient. Despite this, it was very evident to see why Johnson is a projected top 10 pick in this upcoming draft, as his tough shotmaking was on display. Johnson is a great shot creator for himself, but the shots he creates are more difficult than they have to be.

Johnson aside, the best prospect who played in the Legends Classic is likely St. Joseph’s Rasheer Fleming. Fleming looks gigantic in person, as he’s a towering 6’9″ with a long 7’5″ wingspan. The most promising aspect of Fleming’s improvements this year was that he shot 39% from three this year on 4.5 attempts per game. Offensively, Fleming hit 3s, cut to the basket for easy scores, and rolled to the basket in P&Rs. However, Fleming’s defensive instincts are extremely impressive. In St. Joseph’s two games against Texas Tech and Texas, Fleming blocked shots, played the passing lanes for steals, and remained sturdy playing in the post without fouling:

For Texas Tech, both Darrion Williams and JT Toppin were impressive for the Red Raiders. While Toppin is a likely first round draft pick in 2026, he is playing another year at Texas Tech. Against St. Joseph’s, Toppin had career highs in both rebounds (18) and offensive rebounds (12). Meanwhile, on the following night against Syracuse, Toppin had just 6 rebounds while Syracuse freshman Donnie Freeman had 13 boards. When I asked Freeman about Syracuse being able to be more physical than Texas Tech after Toppin had 18 rebounds the night before, Freeman said “I knew that was something that was going to keep me on the floor so I crashed the glass hard.” When I asked the same question to Syracuse big man Eddie Lampkin, he said “I’m not big on anybody being more physical than me.“

For Williams, he showed he can score in a variety of ways. He can put the ball on the floor and drive, he can hit pull ups, and he can finish at the rim. Williams also demonstrated his ability to be a pass-dribble-shoot wing while also playing with a high basketball IQ. Meanwhile, Donnie Freeman was a projected lottery pick coming into this season and the flashes showed why. With that said, Freeman didn’t put it together consistently enough. Aside from the 13 rebound game against Texas Tech, Freeman struggled offensively and was lost at times defensively. However, he did have a block on a JT Toppin push shot.

Saatva Empire Classic: Villanova v. Maryland November 24, 2024

Maryland 76, Villanova 75

Derik Queen, Eric Dixon

Obviously Queen has played his entire freshman season alongside JuJu Reese, but Queen really showcased his ability to play alongside another big in this game. Queen, a modern day “tweener”, plays somewhere between the four and the five. While Queen is closer in size to a power forward, he doesn’t possess the shooting capabilities of a forward, which likely makes him more of a center. However, in this game, Queen had 22/11/5 while Reese had 18/10. It’s worth noting that three of Queen’s five assists were to fellow big man, JuJu Reese. Queen’s passing abilities were really on display with his five assists as well:

I also had the opportunity to attend The Big East-Big 12 Challenge with a matchup between Villanova and at the time, #14 Cincinnati. Villanova’s Eric Dixon had 31 points but everything he did in that game will be reiterated throughout this article. For Cincinnati, their two most likely draft prospects, Simas Lukosius and Dillon Mitchell, were underwhelming.

On December 7, 2025, I attended a new staple in Philadelphia college hoops: The Big Five Classic. While Saint Joseph’s won the Big Five championship, Erik Reynolds II and Xzavyier Brown were the two best players in this tournament. Reynolds, a Portsmouth Invitational Tournament participant, scored 24 points, while Brown had 21 points and 6 assists. Reynolds, at just 6’2″ did an excellent job against La Salle finishing at the rim through traffic. Other impressive performers were Eric Dixon and Jamal Mashburn Jr.

I was also at Temple-Davidson in Liacouras Center, where the Owls became the 6th program ever to record 2,000 wins. As a Temple almnus, it was extremely cool to witness that history. In terms of the NBA draft, the most notable performance was Davidson’s Reed Bailey, who recorded 26 points and is now transferring to Indiana.

Never Forget Tribune: Rutgers v. Princeton December 21, 2025

Princeton 83, Rutgers 82

Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey, Xaivian Lee

It’s tough to play a game against Rutgers this past year and be the best player on the floor. But that’s exactly what Xaivian Lee did against the Scarlet Knights. While Dylan Harper scored 22 points and definitely flashed in moments, Lee was the one I came away most impressed with. Lee, a projected mid-to-late second round pick, is a walking paint touch. Typically, when one says a guy is a “walking paint touch”, one thinks of one percentile athletes like Amen Thompson or Ja Morant. Lee is not an athlete, but he uses his craft and deceleration ability to generate paint touches. It’s fascinating:

It’s worth noting Lee is currently in the transfer portal and has yet to declare for the draft; however, he did go through the process last season. Meanwhile, Dylan Harper had 22 points on 9-17 shooting. And some of his baskets were absolutely filthy:

Meanwhile, Ace Bailey was underwhelming in this game. It was the only game I had the opportunity to see Bailey in person, and he was at his best running off of screens. However, Bailey clearly struggles to finish in traffic at the rim and I’m old enough to remember when that was a major struggle for another elite forward prospect with Alabama’s Brandon Miller. Defensively, Bailey had a few nice possessions but struggled to navigate through screens.

When I attended Villanova-Depaul on January 4th, there weren’t many takeaways. Dixon had 25, but that’s just a night’s work for him. He should be a second round pick as a stretch big who can defend their position. One of the most fun games I’ve attended this year was Temple’s upset over Memphis on January 16th. While Temple’s Mashburn Jr. had 21 points, Memphis’ backcourt demonstrated why each of them are draft prospects. Tyrese Hunter racked up 16 points and 6 assists, while PJ Haggerty had 21/4/4 with 3 steals. Haggerty showcased his ability to get downhill, get to the rim and draw fouls. He shot 13 free throws in this game.

I also had the opportunity to see Columbia play twice, once at Jadwin Gym against Princeton, and once in the Palestra against Penn. Geronimo Rubio de la Rosa caught my eye, especially against Princeton. The 6’2″ Rubio de la Rosa shot nearly 40% from three over the last two seasons and averaged 17 points per game this past season.

Georgetown at Villanova January 20, 2025

Georgetown 64, Villanova 63

Thomas Sorber, Micah Peavy, and Eric Dixon

I’ve seen a lot of really high level draft prospects during this draft cycle, but the one I’ve came away most impressed with in all 40 games I’ve covered is Micah Peavy. This is the game that put Peavy on in the draft conversation for me. Not only did Peavy have 24 points, including 6 three pointers and a game-winning floater, but his switchability defensively was impressive. Peavy demonstrated he’s the epitome of a modern day 3-and-D wing in today’s NBA.

Peavy, at 6’7″, has great positional size. Throughout the game, he covered point guard Jhamir Brickus, wing Jordan Longino, and big man Eric Dixon. For the final 4:30 minutes of the game, when Dixon was held scoreless, Peavy was his primary defender.

Meanwhile, Eric Dixon showed the importance of becoming a legitimate three level scorer and adding that to his repertoire, as Dixon tested the NBA Draft waters last season. Dixon can now consistently do this:

And the threat of Dixon’s three now allows him to do this:

Finally, the highest touted draft prospect in this game was Thomas Sorber. Defensively, Sorber seems a little lost in drop defense at times. However, he contests shots well and knows when to help. Offensively, Sorber missed a couple bunnies and struggled to finish at the rim. It appeared these misses had more to do with needing to add strength than it did with his touch at the basket. Additionally, Sorber was used in DHO’s a couple of times. There was also this SICK pass:

On February 16th, I witnessed FAU beat Temple where FAU had five players in double figures, none of which were former draft prospect, Baba Miller. While Miller scored just six points, his all around game and connective passing remain intriguing.

Meanwhile, in Villanova’s game against Butler on March 1st, Eric Dixon dropped 34 points. Dixon shot 14-21 from the field and hit four 3’s. Dixon was able to make his presence felt against a team that lacks big depth. Many players over the past few years made decisions to go back to school just to end up lowering their draft value, but Dixon is an instance where going back to school was extremely beneficial.

Not only did Dixon become Villanova’s all-time leading scorer this season, but Erik Reynolds II accomplished the same feat for St. Joseph’s, and I had the opportunity to be in attendance for that game. Despite getting off to a slow start, Reynolds finished with 22 points after hitting four 3’s. Reynolds is a participant at the Portsmouth Invitational this week. Rasheer Fleming had 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 steals.

On March 8th, Penn traveled to Jadwin Gym to play Princeton, where Xaivian Lee had his second triple double of the season. Lee had 23/10/12 in Princeton’s 24 point win.

Big East Tournament, March 12-13, 2025

Marquette 89, Xavier 87

Kam Jones, Ryan Conwell, Dailyn Swain

While I saw Marquette’s Kam Jones in person twice this year, he was far more impressive in the Big East Tournament against Xavier than he was February 21, 2025 at Villanova. While Jones dropped 28 points against Xavier, he was more of a playmaker against Villanova, where Marquette lost 81-66. While it’s always been evident that Jones can score, he moved to point guard this year with Tyler Kolek off to the NBA. In the two games I saw Jones play, he combined for 13 assists. Here are some of the highlights:

Meanwhile, Conwell had a 38 point performance in MSG in this game. It was the most dominant performance I’ve seen a player have this year. Especially in the second half, where Conwell dropped 27 points. Conwell, now a Louisville commit after putting his name in the transfer portal, demonstrated his three point shooting ability combined with his finishing through contact and putting the ball on the floor. He’s able to shoot off the catch and off the dribble. Overall, here are some highlights:

Creighton 85, DePaul 81 (2OT)

Ryan Kalkbrenner

It was already established that Ryan Kalkbrenner was elite as a drop coverage big man defensively, but it was on full display in the Bluejays’ comeback against DePaul. These three clips below demonstrate Kalkbrenner’s ability to impact the opposing team’s offense while protecting the paint:

Additionally, it’s worth noting not only did Kalkbrenner stretch the floor and hit two threes, but he also put the ball on the floor while driving to the basket, which is an impressive development for the 7 footer.

UConn 73, Villanova 56

Liam McNeely, Alex Karaban, Eric Dixon, Wooga Poplar

I covered over a dozen Villanova games, and this was by far Wooga Poplar’s most impressive game. Poplar dropped 25 points and shot 67% from the field. Poplar was able to hit catch and shoot 3s, pull up jumpers, and demonstrated his athleticism at the rim. Meanwhile, Dan Hurley’s squad essentially eliminated Eric Dixon from Villanova’s game plan.

For UConn, Alex Karaban’s connective passing was on display as well as his ability to run off screens in catch and shoot situations. While Karaban doesn’t have the quickest foot speed, he finds ways to get open:

Meanwhile, Liam McNeely was a little overextended at UConn. Without a true playmaker, McNeely was tasked with being a point forward far too often, which led to him having the ball in his hands more than he’s comfortable with. With that said, McNeely’s 31.7% three point percentage is deceiving, as McNeely shot 42.4% on open catch and shoot threes. In a descaled role for an NBA team, McNeely’s efficiency will skyrocket while also being able to be a secondary or tertiary playmaker and ball handler on the wing.

St. John’s 78, Butler 57

Kadary Richmond, RJ Luis, Aaron Scott

I am going to analyze this game WITH the St. John’s-Villanova game I saw on February 12th. For that box score, click here. With this said, seeing St. John’s twice was very underwhelming, but it also might be because of the style of basketball they play. For starters, Zuby Ejiofor combined to score 6 points in these two games, which is concerning for his 2026 draft stock. Meanwhile, for a team who shot just 29% from three, St. John’s got a couple of excellent shooting performances from deep. Against Villanova, Aaron Scott hit five 3’s and he also hit three 3’s against Butler. RJ Luis hit multiple catch and shoot threes against Butler as well. However, the guy who was the most impressive to me was Kadary Richmond. Richmond, a 6’6″ ball handler, got to the rim almost at will, and while the 32 points combined in these two games doesn’t stand out in a box score, it’s the way he scored those points.

Richmond was hitting floats, finger rolls, pull up jumpers, and scored at least three AND-1 opportunities. See some of the film here:

In total, I saw roughly 30 NBA Draft prospects live throughout this college basketball season. Thank you to all the readers and supporters of myself and the Center Hub who helped make this season possible. Thank you for your continued support!