The Classes of 2028 and 2029 Shine on UAA’s Opening Weekend

Under Armour’s UAA circuit may not receive the same level of coverage as Nike or Adidas, but the programs on that circuit have assembled strong groups in the classes of 2028 and 2029. I made sure to watch the UAA opening weekend games on Synergy to get an early look at this talented crop.

The 2028 UAA class is headlined by Canadian prospect Isaiah Hamilton, who ranks eighth overall in the class of 2028 according to my consensus tool, with 247Sports ranking him as high as No. 2. Hamilton stood out at the U16 AmeriCup with the Canadian national team, shined on the UAA circuit last summer, and is now in his second season with Canada Elite, which is quickly becoming the top program for Canadian prospects looking to play AAU.

Hamilton continues to show why he is such an appealing long-term prospect. Few players in high school basketball possess his blend of aggressiveness, bounce, and shooting. He offers a high floor as both a spacer and finisher, continuing to shoot it well from three this weekend while also showing elite lob-finishing ability from the wing spot, including one half-court possession against Atlanta Express, where he threw a lob to himself off the backboard and finished it.

As a scorer, he can still settle at times for contested looks, and I’d like to see him get more flexible in his lower half, which would help him get downhill more consistently. That said, he is already an excellent finisher because of how easily he can rise up for dunks. There are few players in the 2028 class with as much natural upside as Hamilton, and if he establishes himself as the top player on the UAA circuit while also making a strong run with Team Canada at the FIBA U17 World Cup, he could find himself in the conversation for the top overall spot in the class. Hamilton already holds offers from Alabama, Oregon, Missouri, Villanova, Florida State, and numerous other Division I programs, and I’m sure that list will keep growing this summer.

Hamilton’s teammate, Isaiah Clarke, is another prospect worth monitoring. The 6-foot-8 forward is an excellent face-up mismatch hunter with a good feel for the game. He doesn’t yet shoot it at a high volume or percentage, but if Clarke can add real closeout gravity to his game, he could become a very good player at the next level.

Atlanta Express’ 16U squad also features a pair of top-30 recruits in the class of 2028 in Myles Hayes, the son of former NBA player Jarvis Hayes, and Quinton Wilson. Both showed off their talent this weekend, though each still has clear room for growth.

Hayes is a twitchy, bouncy, and creative 6-foot-5 ballhandler who can pile up points in a hurry. His jumper looked smoother than it did last summer, and his vision as a playmaker appeared improved as well. If Hayes can continue developing into a 6-foot-5 playmaker, shooter, and scorer, his ceiling could end up being very high.

His frame continues to fill out, and the biggest issue in his game right now is his finishing process. In the half-court, he can take off for layups inside the lane a bit too early, which leads to difficult angles. He has all the skills and physical tools to take better angles. It’s just a matter of continued development and reps to fine-tune his scoring process. Hayes already has offers from several SEC and ACC schools, including Georgia, Auburn, Florida State, Miami, and Georgia Tech.

Wilson is coming off a season at Overtime Elite that had both highs and lows, but I remain drawn to his overall talent. He has a natural ability to create separation from defenders and pull up from all over the floor. Wilson is still working toward greater consistency. At times, his shot has abandoned him, and his finishing at the rim still needs improvement, but he is a positive athlete, which should help him continue to grow in that area.

This weekend, Wilson knocked down threes at a high level, which was encouraging as he continues to chase that consistency. If he can put it all together, he will likely rise in the rankings. Wilson already has offers from Florida State, Georgia, Cal, San Francisco, and more.

The final highly regarded 2028 prospect I wanted to check in on is one of my personal favorites in the class: Texas native Xavier Young. Young is a top-10 consensus prospect according to my tool, and his developmental upside is significant. When you watch Young, it is immediately obvious that he doesn’t move like most centers. He is incredibly quick north-south, often scoring in transition on highlight dunks, while also showing strong instincts as a cutter from the perimeter.

Young’s lateral quickness is also impressive, and he looks capable of being used in a variety of defensive coverages. His hand activity and mobility allow him to play higher than most bigs, but he also has the shot-blocking ability to operate in deeper drop coverage. He is a violent rebounder with a hot motor for creating extra possessions on the offensive glass, and finding bigs who can impact the turnover battle on both ends, while finishing efficiently inside is difficult. Because of that, I’m extremely excited to follow Young’s development over the next couple of years.

The class of 2029 is still just beginning to emerge, but two Canadian prospects were already on my radar heading into the weekend. Guard Kaleb Banfield and big man Jeremy Gohier, both from Canada Elite’s 15U squad, each had strong weekends.

Banfield is a guard-wing hybrid who stands 6-foot-5, and I was impressed by both his connectivity and scoring ability. He handled scoring responsibilities while keeping the offense organized. His shot looks very clean on film, and he can absorb contact on drives. What stood out most to me, though, was his defensive activity. Banfield never stopped moving, yet he also consistently seemed to be in the right place at the right time.

Gohier stands a towering 7-foot-5, so that alone makes him worth monitoring. His footspeed isn’t great right now, but he still doesn’t look fully comfortable in his body, so I would be surprised if that didn’t improve to some degree. Even now, he already appears more mobile than some other centers of his size, so Gohier has a real chance to be very good. At this stage, he mainly needs to improve his overall speed of play, but if that comes along, the ceiling is very high.

Draydne McDaniel, one of the favorites for the top spot in the 2029 rankings, was also in attendance and playing up an age group for ProOne’s 16U squad. He looked like he may already be ahead of many of his peers, knocking down shots, controlling the pace, keeping teammates involved, and competing defensively. He finishes at the rim at a very high level and was also a force on the defensive glass, pulling down 12 rebounds in Friday’s game against Progeny. It is still very early, and McDaniel played sparingly last season at Prolific Prep, but assuming he returns there, I’d expect him to take on a much larger role next season.

Opening weekend on the UAA circuit did not yield many firm conclusions, but I remain intrigued by the talent pool at the younger levels. There is a lot of long-term upside here, and I expect impressive summers from a number of these young prospects.