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2023 KYDA Invitational: Day One Standouts (April 15, 2023)

04/15/2023, 11:45pm EDT

By Josh Verlin

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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SCRANTON — The third annual KYDA Invitational began play Saturday in the Electric City, with a number of sneaker-backed grassroots programs coming to the multi-venue event over the course of the weekend. There was some terrific talent gathered in the gyms at the University of Scranton, which played host to the likes of the NY Renaissance (Nike), WeR1 (Under Armour), K-Low Elite and Wiz Kids (Adidas), among other regional programs, including the host NEPA Elite.

Here’s who stood out in games I watched on Saturday, focusing mostly on 16U and 17U games on the featured court at Scranton. (With a number of four-star and five-star prospects in the gym, these standouts focus on production more than potential; if I wrote about every impressive prospect, we’d be here a while).

Devin Booker (2025 | K-Low Elite 16U)
The hyper-athletic Cristo Rey wing looked good across two games today, starting off with getting his jumper going early in a loss to WeR1’s 16s, then by staying aggressive throughout the rest of that game and in one against the NY Rens’ 16s. Booker is still somewhat raw at 6-4 but you can see the progress he’s making both in his ability to hit shots off the bounce and attack the rim; he’s got great defensive instincts too, blocking three shots against the Rens.

Naas Cunningham (above) is the No. 6 player in the 247 Composite for 2024. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Naasir Cunningham (2024 | NY Rens 17U)
Cunningham has been a can’t-miss prospect since his early days at Gill St. Bernard (N.J.); now with Overtime Elite, the 6-8 wing continues to polish his game. He’s become a real playmaker, looking to pass whenever he’s got the ball in his hands in transition, though he’s also got a scoring mentality when he catches on the perimeter or has a driving lane. There aren’t many in the country who can leap with Cunningham, and he’s also a strong outside shooter. Had 18 points + five boards in a win over K-Low’s 17s.

Ian Jackson (2024 | Wiz Kids 17U)
The North Carolina commit’s flight didn’t get to Scranton in time for him to play in the Wiz Kids’ first game of the day, but he wasted no time showing why a crowd came out to see him for the second, throwing down a 360-degree dunk — okay, that was in warmups. But once things got underway, the 6-4 guard and No. 3 prospect in the 247 Composite Rankings for 2024 showed why he’s going to be a Tar Heel, displaying his hyper-quick foot speed to generally get to wherever he wanted on the court, and he made some fantastic passes, including a bullet-speed full-court leak-out.

Johnny Keenan (2025 | NY Rens EYBL 16U)
The slight 5-9 Keenan doesn’t quite look like he belongs on the court with a whole bunch of high-major Division I prospects — until the game begins. A no-fear knockdown shooter with a strong handle and great change-of-speed, Keenan was 7-of-8 from the floor (4-5 3PT) for a team-high 18 points in the Rens’ win over K-Low Elite, adding in a trio of rebounds and assists. Keenan, who goes to Iona Prep (N.Y.), knew how to pass to make up for his height, throwing some great lob entries over defenders and right on the money.

Luke Kennevan (above) stuffed the stat sheet in a win Saturday morning. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Luke Kennevan (2025 | East Coast Power 16U)
Perhaps the best individual performance of the day — certainly from a stat-sheet-stuffing perspective — was the one Kennevan put together in a crushing win over the Rens United MHC 16U squad: 17 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, plus a couple steals. The Camden Catholic (N.J.) sophomore knocked down his first three 3-pointers, shooting 7-of-9 overall, but was most impressive in his ability to feed teammates on the fast break, making the right play over and over, then did it even more in the half-court, attacking the rim as soon as he had a mismatch and leading an ECP squad that had 20 assists on 25 buckets in the win.

Elijah Moore (2024 | Wiz Kidz 17U)
The Syracuse commit was cooking, first in a win over NEPA Elite (caught some of the second half and watched Moore go off), then throughout all of a five-point win over WeR1 to cap off the first day. The 6-4 guard from Cardinal Hayes (N.Y.) buried five triples en route to at least a 23-point outing, showcasing a terrific ability to catch-and-shoot or pull-up from just about anywhere, and then showed his athleticism with a powerful driving dunk that brought an ‘oooooh’ from just about everybody in the gym. Ever bit the modern combo guard who can do a bit of everything.

Malachi Palmer (2024 | NY Rens 17U)
A Central PA native who’s now playing at Mt. Zion Prep (Md.), Palmer didn’t quite have his scoring touch in a win over K-Low Elite, but it was everything else he did that got him on this list. The 6-5 wing has really put on some muscle over the last 12 months, making him a physical presence on the wing, and with his shot not falling, he stuck with his playmaking, coming up with at least five assists in the Rens’ win, bringing the ball upcourt and getting into the lane to break down the defense, and was physical on the glass as well.

Qin Pang (2024 | NY Rens 17U)
Lots to like about the way Pang played in the Rens’ win over K-Low; the 6-9, 230-pound forward had 14 points and seven rebounds, and did so in a variety of ways. He’s got a gorgeous, high-arcing jumper on the catch-and-shoot, and he also showed his footwork and finishing abilities at and under the rim, including a smooth reverse layup on a baseline drive. Every bit the modern combo forward/big man, he’s unsurprisingly got a whole host of high-majors on him, including Michigan, Missouri, Rutgers and more.

Javoy Thompson (above) was knocking down shots in multiple games on Saturday afternoon. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Javoy Thompson (2023 | WeR1 17U)
Thompson was a late addition to the WeR1 roster and it turned out to be a positive one, as the 6-6 wing got buckets in both of his games on Saturday afternoon. Thompson’s got great rise on his jumper, which allows him to get his shoulders square no matter where he’s firing from, and he hit numerous 3-pointers and mid-range jumpers in both games; he also rebounded well and kept the ball moving offensively, even if he wasn’t coming up with many assists. A year of prep school isn’t out of the cards for Thompson, who goes to Redemption Christian (N.Y.) in Albany but is from the Bronx

Tommy Vaughn (2025 | WeR1 16U)
A 6-foot-tall combo guard out of the Sanford School (Del.), Vaughn has some serious bounce, and he’s not afraid to attack the rim through traffic and force defenders to foul him to stop him from getting to the rim and finishing with authority. Vaughn scored 15 points in WeR1’s win over K-Low Elite, hitting a 3-pointer and a few buckets in the paint, taking advantage of transition opportunities whenever he could. Although he’s listed as an off-guard, Vaughn played with the ball in his hands and showed point guard instincts in the pick-and-roll, and he’ll likely have to transition to that role to garner Division I scholarships down the line.

Jacob Wallace (2025 | WeR1 16U)
A 5-11 point guard out of DMV-area powerhouse DeMatha (Md.), Wallace has a great feel for the game, racking up eight assists for WeR1 in its win over K-Low Elite. Wallace made his best impact as an on-ball defender, especially useful with a 24-second shot clock, as he made it tough for K-Low to get into its sets and get an easy shot on a number of possessions, and his five steals were a reward for how often he was able to be a bother on that end. Would like to see a little more of Wallace’s scoring touch, as he only had five points, but he did plenty else to deserve mention here.

Darren Williams (2024 | K-Low Elite 17U)
It felt like Williams was single-handedly carrying K-Low’s 17s for stretches in both of their games on Saturday, the 6-2 left-hander from Archbishop Ryan playing with a non-stop motor and doing his best to get shots on an afternoon where K-Low at times struggled to find looks. Williams scored 14 points in the win over WeR1 and was even more impressive with 17 points and four boards against the Renaissance, hitting a number of step-back 3-pointers and getting to the rim against a Rens squad with a lot of perimeter length.

Keni Williams (2025 | K-Low Elite 16U)
“Bird,” as he’s known, had a solid game in K-Low’s win over WeR1 but really turned it on against the Rens, scoring 21 points as there wasn’t much the Rens could do to stop Williams from getting into the defense and (usually) to the rim, though the 5-11 lefty also hit a few pull-up jumpers and got to the line well, not afraid of contact or throwing his body around (7-7 FT). Quick with the ball and with his first step, Williams has a strong handle and usually has more assists, though he was focused on his scoring today.