The action only got warmer in snowy Springfield, as the final four Hoophall Classic games of the day were ripe with top talent. Here's what I saw:

Game 1: Sierra Canyon 75-Columbus 58

Sierra Canyon slowly pulled away in this one, ultimately winning by 17.

Both years I've been here, there's been a top guard prospect who plays his butt off, elevating an already good reputation. That guard in 2025 was Darryn Peterson. That guard in 2026 is Brandon McCoy (#7 SR).

McCoy put on a show in Blake Arena as one of the top uncommitted prospects in the nation, putting up 24 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists on 9-14 shooting. The combo guard was a menace primarily on offense, having his way with Columbus defenders as he hit tough jumpers and attacked the rim. I think very few high schoolers are as explosive as he is and very few have his finishing ability. Even in the secondary facets of his game – like perimeter defense and passing – he looked better than your average top 100 prospect. I'm offering the highest of praises to Mr. McCoy.

Maximo Adams (#23 SR/North Carolina) was player no. 2 in Sierra Canyon's attack, and the forward showcased all his offensive tools against an undermanned Columbus unit. He's a true multi-level scorer, showing the Springfield crowd multiple threes, fadeaways and post baskets. When he wasn't making shots, he was a solid defender on some of Columbus' best players.

The other Sierra Canyon player I'll give a shoutout to is Brannon Martinsen (#207 SR), a very physical, high-energy wing. There are definitely some holes in his game, but he does his best to make up for them with IQ and intensity.

Columbus was led by Caleb Gaskins (#16 SR/Miami (FL)) and Caydin Gaskins, the senior-freshman pairing of brothers who both come from the same mold: big, physical wings.

The former, Caleb, led Columbus in scoring with 20, showcasing a pretty stroke from deep and an effective downhill game. The latter did the same, and I expect Caydin to be a top name once the 2029 rankings drop. Both faltered occasionally on defense against what I believe are two of the best scorers in the 2026 class.

Felipe Quinones (#88 SR/Florida Atlantic) and Cello Jackson (#123 SR/Memphis) were the other ranked players in a six-man Columbus rotation, with both having their moments. Quinones faded a bit as the Gaskins brothers succeeded, but he did use his length for a couple nice plays on both ends. Jackson was the lead guard for Columbus, a slasher with solid vision.

Game 2: Archbishop Stepinac 56-IMG Academy 53

For this next game, how about one of the best prep schools in the nation vs. one of the only high schools a casual college basketball fan can identify? Like I said, talent abound in this night session. Stepinac held on to win by 3.

With Adonis Ratliff (#63 SR/USC) barely playing, Archbishop Stepinac was led by the guard-wing duo of Jasiah Jervis (#36 SR/Michigan State) and Darius Ratliff (#54 SR/USC). Both players made their marks on this one, showing why they're high-level prospects.

Jervis is an interesting case study. In the first half, he had a lot of usage to varied success, mainly scoring points through drives. As the game went on and his makes turned to misses, Jervis settled into a game manager role, calling out sets and keeping the ball moving. I assume this is more of the role he'll play in Tom Izzo's offense, and I was glad to see both sides of the point guard.

Ratliff has a unique blend of length and strength that makes it clear why Eric Musselman wanted him. The forward put up 17 points off 3 made threes, having no trouble scoring in the post either. He's an offensive weapon who can hold his own on defense against brawnier players. Sounds like a good player to me. As a bonus, he sets pretty good screens.

Joshua Rivera (#76 JR) was another key Stepinac piece, a lanky shooter with a nice shot fake and good wall-up defense. He's pretty good at slithering his way into a play, finding the ball when it shouldn't find him. Hassan Koureissi (#242 SR/Fordham) hit a huge lead-taking four-point play at the end of the game, and his scoring pedigree should make him an offensive option from Day 1 for the Rams.

The Ascenders of IMG Academy were led by Chase Foster (#44 SR/Pittsburgh), a 6-foot-9 wing with an interior-focused game. Foster is a good athlete that gets downhill well, and his strength shut down quite a few Stepinac takes.

Jermal Jones (#87 SR/Pittsburgh) will remain teammates with Foster in college, and the two Ascenders complement each other well. Jones is a lead guard who's a little more perimeter-centric than most other guard prospects, and I think his motor is his strength. The 6-foot-4 Jones plays much taller, never quitting on a play and going 100% in any defensive situation. If Jeff Capel hangs on as coach, he's going to have a fan-favorite point guard.

Brief words on the zillion other top prospects IMG had: Aziz Olajuwon (#66 SR/Stanford) had a rough day (4 points, 6 rebounds, 1-8 FG) but remained high-energy. 7-foot-1 Maxime Meyer (#102 SR/Duke) is a gamer who battles hard down low, but he just didn't have a lot of production to show for it. TBD if that continues in Durham. Bamba Touray (#2 SO) is one of the most powerful sophomores I've seen in a minute, but still has to play more controlled and with better positioning.

Finally, Omer Ziyaettin is a junior guard who played in six games for Fenerbahce's senior team? We're doing this in high school too??? He was the short shooter for this IMG squad, and if he ever goes to college and has a role on a tournament team, I'm fairly certain he'll be a household name. He just has that aura.

Game 3: Inglewood 81-Notre Dame (West Haven) 80

As a UFC fan, there are times when the promotion puts together fights that are relatively meaningless on paper, but still get high billing because they're pretty much guaranteed to be fan-favorites. That's what this matchup and its placement in a primetime slot felt like, and it absolutely delivered.

With respect to everyone else on the floor, this was a two-player game. Jason Crowe Jr. (#9 SR/Missouri) for Inglewood. Abdou Toure (#35 SR/Arkansas) for Notre Dame. The two combined for 79 of the 161 points scored. Crowe Jr. had 48: an event record. Toure had 31. Crowe Jr. suffered a leg injury with 2:40 to go and came back to score three more points. Insane.

I do want to preface that my reports on these two should be taken with a few grains of salt, as they will have vastly different roles in the SEC. The intangibles should carry over though.

Crowe Jr. is a walking bucket, plain and simple. At 6-foot-4, he bodied up guards by driving to the rim, making the game look way too easy. If a bigger Notre Dame wing hopped on him, easy elbow jumper. When he felt like it, his very quick release got him open threes before a defender could even think about contesting. He had active hands when he stuck on a guard, leading to six steals. Can't say much about his passing, but everything else looked outstanding.

There's obviously his New England ties, but I still didn't expect the crowd to cheer 10x larger for Toure than any other player all week. Every time this guy was in something resembling a fast break, the crowd held its breath. He has insane athleticism and finishing to go with some of the best block timing I've ever seen out of a high schooler. His defensive recovery with his first step made Inglewood players miss shots even on the rare occasion they had him beat. Without a consistent three-point shot, you do wonder how his finishing translates in a much, much more athletic SEC, but it's already at such a high level that I feel he'll do fairly well. Again, didn't pass much in halfcourt, but everything else looked outstanding.

Before I move on, I do want to shout out some of the supporting cast. Notre Dame's Landon Krygier (Sacred Heart) is a bouncy offensive-minded forward with a very good outside game. He had 18. George Ganim was a pleasant surprise as a 5-foot-11 point guard, consistently converting on tougher reads when I thought he would make the basic ones. Inglewood's Matthew Gibbs-Martinez, despite a seven-inch height disadvantage, was the only person left to stop Toure on the fastbreak multiple times, and he jumped with him every time. That takes some serious heart.

Pretty much the entirety of both these rosters are ranked and/or have D1 offers. With so much talent, I'm going to hit the key points with these guys so as not to make this notebook crazy long.

Link was led by the guard/big duo of Carlos Medlock Jr. (#73 SR/Michigan State) and Tristan Reed (#80 SR/Mississippi State). Medlock Jr. is a good scoring guard with a multi-level game, finishing with 25 points. At six-foot even, he impressed me with his crafty finishing and aggressive perimeter defense. He'll be quite the scorer to complement the facilitating Jervis in East Lansing.

Reed is a powerful big with a surprising amount of polish to his interior game. He's a good paint presence as well on defense, affecting shots with his wide frame even when he can't get to them.

Davion Thompson (#24 JR) is an explosive slasher with grit on both ends. Trent Perry (#104 SR/Kansas) is a guy I like as a role piece for the Jayhawks, an athletic wing whose offensive intangibles haven't kept pace with his defensive ones yet. Tajh Ariza (#18 SR/Oregon) didn't do much here, only showing up for a bit of scoring pop in the first half.

For Montverde, I think the Golden Flashes got a steal in Dhani Miller (#263 SR/Kent State). The point guard put up 15 points, showcasing an all-around game against one of the best prep schools in the country.

In addition to a great shot, I thought Miller's handle was excellent, breaking down Link defenders with good wiggle in isolation. He can get a little trigger-happy on both ends, but Rob Senderoff should calm him down a bit.

Oneal Delancy (#49 JR) joins Medlock Jr. as one of the best shooters I saw today. He's a lanky offensive guard who can also finish at the rim. Derek Daniels (#96 JR) is a big man I was impressed with last year, and he looked solid again with his powerful game down low. Joe Philon (#46 SR) was a jack-of-all-trades with great length and a nose for the ball.

See you tomorrow!