I spent the weekend of April 12-13 in Kansas City for the first session of the UAA Circuit. There was a noticeable uptick in talent on the UAA Circuit this year, and this is part one of my recap highlighting the 2026 class.
Texas Impact Goes 4-0
Texas Impact completed a flawless record, and what was more impressive to me is they don’t have a true big man on the roster. I’m going to highlight four players that stood out to me. A compilation of rising seniors helped get the job done. Austin Senters led the team in scoring, as he was aggressive with the ball in his hands. Making pull-up middies, scoring off offensive rebounds, and making the open corner three-ball. Brayden Jones is a combo that effectively drew fouls and got to the free-throw line. His efficiency as a scorer and ball mover was on display. Devan Kirk does the things that don’t pop out in a traditional box score. He defended every position, deflected passes, and was in the right position as a help-side defender. In the last game of the weekend, he got it going offensively, making multiple shots off the bounce. Lastly, Sawyer Dotson displayed his 3-point shooting prowess. He holds a quick trigger and is great connecting on shots off the catch and movement. I thought he protected the rim fairly well, too, by walling up and jumping vertically on attempts in the paint.
Illinois Wolves Go 4-0
The Illinois Wolves had a fairly dominant performance in Kansas City. Led by Rashaun Porter, a powerful, athletic forward who played above the rim all weekend. He skies for rebounds, finishes, and uses his strength to gain space on drives. Porter generates a lot of attention from the defenses, and it led to some high-level passes in traffic. Rykan Woo was knocking down triples and doing a good job balancing scoring & facilitating. Atticus Richmond was an inside-out scoring threat, making deep threes but also navigating well in tight spaces to get a shot off in traffic. Ethan Hillsman showcased his versatility and high energy, which allowed him to be where the ball was.
Mountain Stars Go 4-0I liked what I saw from Carter Basquez, a tall PG at 6’6 with a slim frame. Carter plays the right way and makes smart decisions with the ball in his hands. He has touch from various areas on the court and utilizes his size on finishes and jumpers. Carter played a key role in Mountain Stars going 4-0. Another to note is Djare Silimana. Athletic, strongly built big man who honed the paint. Played with a high level of physicality and showed touch coming off the left shoulder. Eric Fiedler, I was impressed with his combo of size, touch, and shooting range. Six-foot-8 with a good basketball frame, Fiedler played within his strengths and made timely shots.
2026 UAA Stock Risers
Joe Philon, 6’8 SF – Skills Center Elite: Philon is one of the best defensive players I’ve seen in the class. Can legitimately guard 1-5 in the high school space as his anticipation skills, in conjunction with his long arms and being a quick twitch athlete, allow him to cover ground and make plays all over the court. His offensive game is coming along too. Philon started getting in a groove with his perimeter shooting and is getting more arch on his pull-up jumpers. Still has some ways to go as an offensive creator, but Philon is turning into a complete player. He’s arguably the best player in UAA.
Gage Mayfield, 6’7 SF – Pro One: Another prospect that’s in contention for top player in UAA is Mayfield. He’s someone who has the chance to explode on the national scene this summer. With good positional size and high-level vertical pop,, he showed an intriguing offensive skillset. Mayfield knocked down threes, showed off his live-dribble passing game, and made athletic plays on both ends.
Fred Smith Jr., 6’7 PF – P7 Elite: A skilled lefty with a broad, strong frame. A physical driver who’s an inside/out scoring threat. Smith grabbed rebounds and pushed it up the floor, passed well out of double teams, and was a handful in the short roll as a playmaker and scorer. He impressed me with his offensive versatility.
Jacob Lanier, 6’5 CG – Gulf Coast BlueChips: Had him a hell of a weekend as his BlueChips team went 3-1. Effectively playing on and off the ball, Lanier created space for shots utilizing step-backs and good footwork. He shot over 40 percent from three, and made the right basketball plays.
Quinn Costello, 6’10 PF – Middlesex Magic: Someone at his size that moves well and shoots it like Costello does brings a lot to the table. He showed versatility as a shooter, too, which is unique for someone 6’10. Not just a spot-up threat, but a movement shooter and someone capable of attacking a closeout and shooting it off the bounce. Costello will need to play through physicality better, but he’s someone I’ll bet on and see a lot of upside with him.
UAA Session 1 Standouts
Jayden Hodge, 6’5 Wing – Shoreshots: A high IQ wing with a strong frame, Hodge knows how to get to his spots to be in scoring position for himself, or move to spots to create spacing for others. I like his patience when operating off the bounce and being able to attack angles, which allows Hodge to attempt quality shots.
Chris Washington Jr., 6’8 SF/PF – B-Maze Elite: There’s tons of upside with Washington as he holds good positional size, long arms, combined with big-time vertical pop. He puts it all together in spurts, but when it’s happening, he hugely impacts the game. Blocking and changing shots at the rim, shooting triples over the outstretched arm of the defender, put-back dunks, and locking up on the perimeter, Washington was getting it done in Kansas City. A versatile, high upside prospect that’s best basketball is ahead of him.
Collin Paul, 6’6 Wing – SOH Elite: A big guard prospect that can create space off the bounce, Paul played with a blend of physicality and finesse that was impressive. Finishes well with either hand and showed a level of shot creation that you don’t see often with a guy his size.
Ryan Moesch, 6’0 PG – Middlesex Magic: A shifty guard that plays with a lot of confidence. Athletic for size, quick twitched, and can score it versus translatable height and athleticism. He’s the key cog for the Magic’s offense.
