Evaluations of Kentucky Targets From EYBL Session III - Part One

Jacob Polacheck and Jack Pilgrim were down in Memphis, Tennessee during the live evaluation period for Nike EYBL Session II following around the Kentucky staff and checking in on many of the Wildcats’ top recruiting targets. Then, over Memorial Day weekend, I was able to make the trip to Kansas City, Kansas for Nike EYBL Session III. Of the 18 prospects that have been offered so far in the Class of 2027, 13 of them compete on the EYBL Circuit.

While Jacob and Jack excel at securing interviews, digging up scoop, and providing in-depth recruiting updates I serve as the basketball nerd feverishly taking notes and writing up player evaluations with pen and paper in the gym. Now that I have had a couple of days to pool my notes together it is time to release some in-depth evaluations on the prospects that Kentucky has offered in the Class of 2027 as well as a few other top prospect in the younger classes. This is part one of a three part series that will run in the coming days featuring evaluations from Nike EYBL Session III in Kansas City.

***Prospects are listed in order of their Rivals Industry Ranking.***

CJ Rosser

Simply based on what I have seen at a national level this spring, CJ Rosser would be my #1 overall prospect. He is a smooth, fluid athlete at 6’9” that projects as a prototypical skilled 4-man at the next level. Rosser is a scorer in a similar vein as some of the top forwards we saw dominate college basketball this past season from the historic Class of 2025. EYBL Session III in Kansas City was certainly his best yet from an efficiency standpoint. He averaged 21.5 points per game while shooting 49.2% from the field and making seven three-point shots in four games.

Like many high school prospects, he will need to get stronger, but the skill level translates right away to the highest levels of college basketball. There is also a lot to like about how his physical tools translate on the defensive end. Rosser averaged 2.0 steals and 3.0 blocks per game in Kansas City and his impact defensively has been a consistent theme throughout EYBL play.

King Gibson

There is an extra gear that this 6’4” point guard possesses that even the other top guards in the class don’t have. In terms of pure downhill explosiveness, especially with his height, he is at the top of the class. Gibson commands a ton of attention when the ball is in his hands because of that explosive driving ability. If you don’t help aggressively, he will be laying it up on you, but as that help comes, he has shown the ability to make the right play as a passer. His ability to process the moving parts of a defense and make the right play, even while moving at top speed, is very impressive.

Gibson had his worst shooting weekend of the three spring EYBL sessions in Kansas City, but still managed to average 18.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game. I admittedly came away liking both Beckham Black and Cayden Daughtry a bit more, but Gibson’s positional size and explosiveness are tough to pass up.

Marcus Spears Jr.

Spears Jr. played some of his best basketball at EYBL Session III in Kansas City. Not only was he one of the top scorers of the weekend averaging 22.8 points per game, including a 33-point performance on Monday, but he also averaged 8.8 rebounds per game and shot 5-6 from three-point range. Adding any sort of consistency as a three-point shooter would take his game to a whole other level. However, as it stands, he really relies on his athletic and physical tools to dominate opponents off of the bounce. His ability to do that consistently at the EYBL level is impressive and shows that he can likely do some of that at the high-major level as a freshman.

There are some fair questions to ask though about his real skill level. Does he actually handle it enough to be a driver at the highest levels? Will defenses be able to sag off and cut off his driving lanes? Are the athletic and physical tools still as special at the high-major college level? He is elite in transition, definitely can rebound the basket, and is a positional matchup problem for some other 4’s, but I am a bit curious as to how it all translates.

Beckham Black

It obviously should come as no surprise that a five-star, Top 10 prospect played like one of the best players in the gym at EYBL Session III in Kansas City. However, Black was an absolutely dominant force in the backcourt. He led AB Elite 17u to a perfect 4-0 record while averaging 20.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game. He is the most polished point guard in the Class of 2027.

Black can score it from the perimeter if you give him space, attack the rim if you press up on him, and make any pass from any spot on the floor. The playmaking chops are truly elite and translate as both a scorer and facilitator. Playing with pace isn’t something that always comes naturally to these elite athletes who can dominate their peers from a young age. Black already plays with the poise and pace of a starting point guard at the high-major level. That is what stood out above all else throughout the weekend when watching him play.

Moussa Kamissoko

Luckily, I watched Kamissoko’s first game of the weekend on Friday because his Session III got cut short early on in game two. However, he made his presence felt in that one viewing. I was not very familiar with Kamissoko before seeing him play on Friday in Kansas City. Getting to see him without any preconceived notions made it even more meaningful that he very quickly became one of my favorite players in the Class of 2027. In a gym full of elite physical and athletic specimens Kamissoko still stands out as special. He is so long, so bouncy, and so explosively athletic.

The 6’8” wing has true guard-like skills on the perimeter. In the game I watched he scored 22 points while connecting on 2-4 shots from beyond the arc. Kamissoko is shooting 38.7% from three-point range on 31 attempts in nine EYBL games this spring. His rebounding ability and versatility as a defender provides some upside to play the stretch-4 spot as well though. There was so much to like about his two-way ability and it was quickly very clear why he is considered a Top 10 prospect in the country.