On Sunday night in Upper St. Clair, hoopers from the WPIAL and the City League gathered at The Scoring Factory 17u tryouts.
I was in attendance scouting the players, and here are some of the top guys that I noticed during the event.
Wallace was the best player in the gym. Has a college-ready body and has clearly hit the weight room hard in his first two years of HS. Wallace wants the ball in a good way — led his team and kept his head up on every possession looking to make the best play possible for the team. Showed off some scoring ability, but didn’t shoot the ball as well as he could have. I was definitely impressed by his defense too. Hungry player!
Jackson is a smooth point guard who was hitting mid-range jumpers over taller defenders throughout the scrimmages. I like his handle and the way that he kept his head up when leading the break. Had a few nice bounce passes. Father played at RMU.
This was the first time I’ve seen Robbins play in-person, and I was impressed. He’s got a long frame (7-foot-4 wingspan) and pretty soft touch around the rim. His best skill on Sunday night? Shot-blocking. Protected the rim at an elite level in all scrimmage action. Excited to watch him this season at USC.
Santicola is a lefty wing who came into his own as a playmaker throughout the night. He shot the ball well in drills and became more and more aggressive as the scrimmages went on, driving to the rack and filling in lanes in transition to get easy buckets. One of the loudest in the gym as well which was great. I’m excited to watch him grow this season for Moon.
Lucas caught my eye with steady play. The 6-foot-1 guard brought energy all night and made several heads-up plays. Had a few steals and transition buckets and hit his open threes. He’s a guy you want on your team.
For the City League and WPIAL Hoops scene, this is some of the deepest talent i’ve seen in a while! Lots of solid ball players throughout ’25, ’26, ’27 classes!