Team CP3 EYBL 16U: Top Prospects
Scouting the top prospects from Team CP3 EYBL 16U at Nike EYBL Session I
Session I of the Nike EYBL Circuit took place in Atlanta, Georgia, on April 24th-26th.
DraftStack is viewing and scouting all the games, with sole emphasis on the 16U division.
While reviewing the film, I was particularly impressed by the Team CP3 EYBL 16U team, which has a talented roster featuring already established high-end prospects at the national level.
Draftstack has a breakdown of the top four prospects and gives our thoughts on how they project going into the future.
Team CP3 EYBL 16U went 4-0 in Atlanta with a 88-55 win over Florida Rebels, 56-49 over PSA Cardinals, 78-57 over AOT, and a 68-55 win over All Ohio in the final game. I was able to view all four games to get a clear picture of what happened at Nike EYBL Session I.
I didn’t want this exercise to dwell on the prospect’s high school season and stats because the players have different roles on their high school teams and face differing competition levels. So, the analysis will be how the prospects stack up physically, athletically, and production-wise against the top competition that is provided by the EYBL.
Let’s go into the four prospects that I think have profiles that distinguish themselves and that also possess the potential to be NBA players.
Mekhi Allen (NC), 6’6” 2028 shooting guard, Queen’s Grant Academy, Team CP3 EYBL
I’m higher on Allen than the national rankings industry consensus. The only negative thought that I’ll put into words on here on Allen is that he’s consistently listed at 6’7” but my eye puts him a little lower at 6’6” — I could be wrong but that’s what I’m seeing.
Now we start the praises for the Draftstack future nationally-ranked prospect — and there’s many areas of his game and profile worthy of praise, which the 45-second video from EYBL Session I below will show.
I’m higher on Allen than the national rankings industry consensus. The only negative thought that I’ll put into words on here on Allen is that he’s consistently listed at 6’7”, but my eye puts him a little lower at 6’6”—I could be wrong, but that’s what I’m seeing.
Allen’s physical profile is perfectly positioned to continue ascending the competition ladder. His 6’6” height with what looks to be a positive wingspan at the two-guard spot is more than satisfactory. Even though he didn’t connect from three at an elite level in the four games, he had one of the best looking shooting strokes and shooting rhythms at Session I. His misses were on target, and it looked like he was adjusting or conscious of his shot depth unnecessarily. His pure shooting stroke and shooting ability was reflected by his performance from the free-throw line, where he went 8-9 for 88.9%. At Session I, he scored 10.8 points per game, and I see that improving throughout the offseason because I have confidence in his shotmaking.
Allen’s defensive performance at EYBL Session I is a main reason—complimented with his offensive qualities—as to why I have him on my national 2028 rankings board. He was both a containment defender, and he also caused turnovers by deflections or by stealing passes in the air. He was given credit for seven total steals for 1.8 steals per game—and if you added his total deflections to that number, it would more accurately depict his defensive impact.
Allen has offers from Georgia, Virginia Tech, Mississippi State, Cincinnati, East Carolina, North Carolina A&T, Kennesaw State, Campbell, UNC Charlotte, Queens University of Charlotte, and Drexel.
I think that Allen has a solid shot at the NBA—and if he polishes up his frame with more muscle and functional strength, it will help his game in all areas and allow him to show periods of on-court dominance. The added strength and planned physical maturity will make him a more explosive and confident athlete.
Bentley Lusakueno (GA), 6’10” 2028 forward, Woodward Academy, Team CP3 EYBL
Lusakueno is a high-upside prospect and a top 10 2028 prospect in the United States because of his top percentile length and skillset. He sports a long wingspan that easily clears 7’ in length.
He has a lesser-mans Kevin Durant type of profile with similarities in his length and ability to play on the perimeter and knockdown jump-shots. He can create a little offensive isolation, but it has limitations, and it’s nowhere near the handle and shake of the future Hall of Famer Durant.
Lusakueno shot the ball at an elite level in Atlanta, with shooting splits of 56.8/58.3/88.9. His three-point shotmaking was a factor in Team CP3 handling the competition. He led the team in scoring with 16.3 points per game in the four games, and he was 7/12 from three.
He is not a quick-twitch athlete with immediate acceleration. He can build good momentum, but he doesn’t reach it as quickly as a faster guard would. He has heavy knees, and they take some time to make a cycle, but he still can get to a solid top-end speed and run the wing hard with his long, ground-covering strides. If Lusakueno was a slightly better athlete and more fluid and easy mover on the court, he’d be a lock as a top three prospect in the 2028 class no matter who you ask.
Given his choppy defensive feet, he can get beat and misdirected off of the drive, but his long wingspan comes into play at the rim, where Lusakueno blocks a high percentage of his block opportunities. He has excellent timing and is able to block shots without fouling. He does bring excellent defensive activity as well. In the half-court he can cover a lot of ground and space off of the ball with his size and length. He’s actively trying to move around with the pass, and he acts as help and a last line of defense at the rim.
Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kansas State, Miami, Missouri, Oregon, Rice, and Vanderbilt have extended offers to Lusakueno.
Lusakueno is anticipated to become an NBA prospect, but he must enhance his athleticism and movement in the coming years to become an impactful player who sees the floor early in his career. For Lusakueno, developing his foot speed and mastering the ability to defend quickness on the perimeter and in transition is crucial for him to see the floor.
My prediction is that Lusakueno becomes a very good offensive player as a scorer and shotmaker in the NBA with 20.0 points per game upside. On defense, he will make some statistical impact and be a valuable space-covering defender, but his inability to lockdown on a tough matchup and get individual defensive stops is a concern.
Mason Collins (DE), 6’6” 2028 shooting guard, The Tatnall School, Team CP3 EYBL
In terms of offensive statistical production and efficiency, Collins did not perform near that of a top 15 national prospect in the 2028 class at EYBL Session I. He scored 8.3 points per game on a dismal 29.3% from the field and 20% from three. Collin’s shot obviously wasn’t falling, but he still provided value and winning plays with 8.0 rebounds per game, 4.3 assists per game, and 1.5 steals per game.
Collins is not a twitchy athlete, but he also doesn’t move poorly. Enough with the negatives—and while lower on Collins than the consensus—there are qualities I see in his size and on-court play that justify him being a top 15 2028 prospect.
His 6’6” positional size as an off-ball guard is what NBA scouts are looking for. He possesses long arms and a symmetrical build, showcasing solid basketball size on both halves of his body. He’s considered an off-the-ball projection, but when he gets a rebound or a pitch ahead up the court, he can handle the ball quite cleanly on the go and is a great passer and distributor with both his left and right hand. He made some impressive left-handed passes across the court while keeping the ball in his left hand while coming off of the dribble.
Defensively, he is great and brings value with winning plays as a team defender and individual defender. His frame, positioning, instincts on and off the ball, and rebounding ability make him a factor when trying to keep an offense from scoring and then gaining possession and limiting second-chance opportunities. I don’t see elite verticality, but he can still get up and high-point the ball over shorter guards, and he does a very good job at shielding opponents and has good hands to secure the ball when he gets a touch on it. He comes up with loose balls on the floor often just by him having strong hands and optimal hand-eye coordination.
Collins holds offers from South Carolina, Virginia, and Villanova.
Kaharri Coleman (NC), 6’3” 2028 point guard, West Charlotte High School, Team CP3 EYBL
Coleman is a complete point guard that wins often by going downhill when he has pace at the rim. He zig-zags through traffic in full-court and half-court transition to get all the way to the rim, and he finishes a high percentage of his at-the-rim attempts. He also has the ability to pull-up from midrange and extended, and he shot the three well on low volume in Atlanta when he was squared up with the hoop. Overall he was 55.6% from two and 42.9% from three, scoring 13.6 points per game.
He has explosiveness in his lower body, and he shows it in transition at times when he leaps off of one foot with momentum carrying him all the way to the rim, where he proceeds to hammer down a hard one-handed dunk. I don’t see elite speed with the ball, but he’s quick enough and has the upper body to muscle himself deep into the lane with a sustained drive to the hoop.
His handle isn’t at an elite level, and the ball is slow from ground to hand. I’d like to see him tighten up and quicken his handle because it will make him quicker with the ball as an attacker. It would lessen the time it takes for him to get off his passes as well.
Defensively, he competes hard on the ball and he disrupts the opponent’s path and space when he decides he has proper positioning and situation to do so. He’ll stay in front of the ball-handler with sudden and powerful lateral defensive movements, using his upper body strength to deter the offensive player as well.
Coleman has offers from Alabama, Cincinnati, Florida State, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, East Carolina, UNC Charlotte, and College of Charleston.
I can see Coleman developing into an NBA point guard with his average length, matured frame, downhill attacking style, and his defense. His defense, especially on the ball, is bordering on an elite level. Coleman’s aggressive playstyle and demeanor both ways, will keep him advancing up the basketball hierarchy.