NORWALK, Calif. — Some of the top travel teams in grassroots basketball met at Cerritos College for MADE Hoops’ West Mania event, kicking off the most important season in high school-aged hoops.
Ahead of travel basketball in the summer, West Mania pitted teams from the Nike EYBL, Adidas 3SSB, and Puma PRO16 circuits against each other over a single weekend.
The Sporting Tribune was in Norwalk to evaluate some of the best prospects in the nation, including a handful of California-based players.
AJ Dybantsa was the event’s best prospect, which came as no surprise given that the Prolific Prep (Napa, California) wing can be considered the nation’s top prospect. He has the tools to be a future no. 1 pick in the NBA Draft when he is eligible in 2026.
Dybantsa, who played for the Oakland Soldiers EYBL, plays above the rim with no issues, throwing down absurd dunks, including a between-the-legs jam off no dribbles in transition. Dybantsa continued to growing as a passer, proving that he can use his gravity as a scorer and a playmaker.
As a shooter, the 17-year-old wing projects as a volume shooter, rather than as an efficient one. The variation on his misses can be wild at times — there are shots where he won’t even hit the rim — but he won’t stop shooting.
There are clear three-level scoring flashes worth buying stock in, especially since he’s already effective at getting to his spots using his handle and physical tools.
Brandon McCoy Jr., a 2026 prospect from St. John Bosco High School (Belflower, California), might be the best player — not just the best guard — in his high school year. He already has functional off the ball with his athleticism, cutting behind defenses, filling lanes in transition, and crashing almost every rebound.
The 16-year-old has offers from UCLA, USC, Georgia Tech and Arizona among others.
McCoy, who played for Arizona Unity EYBL at West Mania, doesn’t need the ball to be productive. He shows NBA-level guard play and can finish against taller players bigs at the rim.
As a passer, he kept improving his control over the pace of a game and how he reads defenses beyond hunting his own shot.
He’ll need to take more jump shots in the future, but he’s willing to take jumpers. It’s just that he doesn’t often need to at this stage of his development.
Tyran Stokes, who was teammates with Dybantsa for the Oakland Soldiers, also is in contention for best 2026 prospect. Stokes has developed his physique despite being so young and is at his best when can get in transition.
Stokes can make jumpers off the dribble or step-backs in practice, but this hasn’t translated to in-game reps yet. Making these shots in game action would give him much more upside.
He can settle for jumpers too often, especially since his driving ability to the basket is solid. He is comfortable shooting off the bounce and off the catch, but he’s still striving for the best balance in his game.
Another 2026 name worth remembering is Jason Crowe Jr. from Team Why Not. Crowe last played for Lynwood High School, where he scored more than 2,000 points in his first two years. He has offers from UCLA and USC.
Crowe is an electric shot maker who can hit walk-up 3-pointers, tough pull-ups off the dribble and outside shots off movement. He’s not blessed with wide shoulders or massive height, but he’s quick off the dribble getting into the paint.
Crowe is a natural scorer. His reputation as a score-first player is fair, but he also has some instincts as a facilitator.
Brayden Burries, a 2025 guard who played for Team Strive For Greatness EYBL, was a Saturday standout at West Mania. The Eleanor Roosevelt High School (Eastvale, California) prospect is being recruited by Duke, UCLA, USC, Stanford and Arizona among others.
Burries, who led Strive For Greatness to a big win over the Oakland Soldiers, was tough to stop with his physical, hard-nosed slashing and tough finishes at the rim. He also made some pick-and-roll reads, while making self-created jumpers from the midrange and out to 3-pointers.
From that game, 2025 forward Christopher Nwuli also made a good impression. The four-star recruit flashed some range with his shot, which bodes well for him since he will play power forwarde and not center at the next level. Nwuli will be in the background being on the same travel team as Dybantsa and Stokes, but he’s a highly touted prospect for a reason.
Bryce James, the youngest son of LeBron James and a 2025 shooting guard, had a weekend to build on. It was a consistent stretch of games for James, who made catch-and-shoot 3-pointers, hit fadeaway jumpers and used his length to defend and rebound.
The next steps for James, who has offers from Duquesne and Ohio State, are to improve his physicality and demonstrate he can play consistent defense.
Outside of California, Hudson Greer continued his summer breakout after an excellent USA Basketball junior minicamp at the start of the month. The Texas-based wing, who played for JL3 Elite EYBL at West Mania, was making threes, attacking closeouts and making a two-way impact at the basket. He looked like a future NBA player.
Greer, who is very athletic, showed his jumping ability can offset his current lack of strength. He had a massive tip dunk Saturday night, but was making his presence felt on the glass all weekend.
His teammates Shelton Henderson and Sebastian Williams-Adams had solid showings, too.
Chris Cenac, the No. 1 player in Louisiana, played well for the YoungGameChangers team. Cenac is a legitimate playmaker and can push the ball out of defensive rebounds and drive to the rim out of face-ups in the post.
He has wiggle for a 6-foot-10 forward and then some pop finishing at the basket. All of that, combined with some flashes of a jumper, means he should be monitored.
There is room for Cenac’s to improve his defensive skills. He can take plays off, but at this level, he can still use his size to alter drives and close out possessions through rebounds.
