The Pangos All-Midwest Camp, the third stop on the Pangos Frosh-Soph fall tour, is known for gritty defense and hard-nosed play and the 2026 edition lived up to its reputation once again. There was a spirited comeback in the Cream of the Crop Top 30 All-Star Game and it ended in spectacular fashion. Camp co-MOPs Zahari Threatt and Robert Smith Jr., both of Chicago, make an impact on both ends of the floor.
The Pangos All-Midwest Fr/Soph Camp has a terrific tradition of fantastic Cream of the Crop All-Star Games over the years. The talent level varies year over year, as more of the talent moves away from inner-city Chicago, but what doesn’t change is the grit and work ethic of players from the greater Windy City.
Following a “sudden-death” overtime Cream of the Crop Top 30 All-Star Game in 2025, this year’s game reserved for the camp’s top players looked like it was going to be a ho-hum blowout. The White jersey-wearing club went up big in the first half as its lead grew to nearly 20 points. The Black jersey-wearing club started to pick up the effort, trailing 39-31 at halftime.
The White club built its lead behind good interior defense and spirited team play and were even jumping up on the bench when a teammate made a good play. The Black club eventually got the memo, and pick up its intensity. They cut their deficit to make the intense game interesting, as the interior defense was as good as we’ve seen at any of the camp stops in recent years. Eventually the perimeter defense matched and the Black club cut its deficit to 63-59 before 6-foot-5 2029 guard Evan Lemons of St. Laurence (Burbank, Ill.) nailed a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to one point. With 1:30 to go, the Black club eventually tied the game at 69-69 on an conventional 3-point play by 6-foot-7 2029 Prentiss Gates of West Side Leadership Academy (Gary, Ind.).
The Black team looked to take the lead, but 6-foot 2029 (sophomore) point guard Keiwon Gulley of Bloom (Chicago Heights, Ill.) slowed their attack with two steals in the final minute, including one with 34 seconds remaining. After a Gulley turnover on a backcourt violation, the Black club finally got the look it was looking for and 6-foot-9 2029 Demetrius Young Jr. of Big MU Global Sports Academy (Grand Prairie, Texas) made the most of his opportunity. He calmly nailed a 3-pointer on the left wing to give the comeback kids a 72-69 lead and they were able to hold on to the victory by the same final score.
2026 @FCPPangos All-Midwest Frosh/Soph Camp Notes: really liked what I saw from 6-7 2029 Zahari Threatt (De La Salle/Chicago IL). Active & athletic F runs floor well and can finish through traffic. Physical rebounder & defender with legit HM potential !
@NBNMagazine https://t.co/QiZVBQvpWO— Dinos Trigonis (@trigonis30) October 17, 2026
The White club got the ball to Gulley on the final possession, but his 3-point attempt was off. He was able to get his own rebound on the scrum, but wasn’t able to get a clean look as the defense was the story of Sunday afternoon. The unofficial stats show 10 blocked shots and there was many more contested in the interior.
Among 197 campers from 14 different stats, plus Canada, the talent level of the players in the Cream of the Crop Top 30 Game was clearly different than that of the Top 60 Game, with a few exceptions. That opened the eyes of some of the campers who realized what aspects of the game they need to improve on.
After hitting three 3-pointers, including two down the stretch, Young was named Co-MVP of the Top 30 game, finishing with nine points, four rebounds and two blocks. The co-MVP for the White club in a losing effort was Gulley, which finished with 10 points and three steals. For Gully, it was the second consecutive year he was named Cream of the Crop Top 30 game MVP after scoring 21 points in last year’s affair.
Dedication Pays Off
Young’s closing of camp showed that dedication to the craft pays off. His teammates were happy for his shot-making, but didn’t know the journey he took to get to that moment. Young, a Chicago native now in the Lone Star State, went to the Midwest and South Fr/So camps in 2025 and was a Top 60 selection at both stops. He has gradually improved as a shot maker and his defensive timing has improved over the course of a year as well. Young, who carries a 3.5 GPA, even improved over the course of the three camp games this weekend.
“I wanted to show I was one of the better players here at this camp,” Young said. “During the camp games, I was trying to get my teammates involved. In the last game there was alot of talent, so if I had a shot I was trying to make them.
“On that last one (3-pointer), I knew if I hit it, we’d go up. I was on the wing alone.”
Besides Young, also playing well for the winning black club was 6-foot-8 2030 (freshman) Louis Johnson of Bloom Township (Chicago Heights, Ill.), as he played good interior defense and finished with seven points. Also doing damage on the inside was Gates with nine points, six rebounds and three blocked shots. The team’s leading scorer was 6-foot-2 2030 guard D.J. Moore of Marist (Chicago, Ill.) with 12 points.
Matching the interior stretch for the White club was “Bad” Corey Brown Jr., a 6-foot-8 no non-sense 2029 power forward from Gary Lighthouse (Gary, Ind.), who finished with 12 points. Camp Director Dinos Trigonis coined Brown’s nickname as a testament to the scouting heyday of the late grassroots legend Howie Garfinkel of 5-Star Camp fame, who referenced physically imposing interior prospects of yesteryear “Bad Leroy Brown”. Evans added 11 points.
Trigonis assigned that the MVP of the Cream of the Crop Top 60 game would be rewarded with a move up to the Top 30 Game. That player ended up being 6-foot-7 wing forward Ryan Whitt of Phillips Academy (Chicago). Whitt used his physical downhill style to score 15 points and five rebounds in Black Club’s 73-62 victory. He also showed he belonged in the top all-star.
Other prospects considered for a move up where 6-foot 2029 guard Roman Taylor of Tipton Rosemark Academy (Millington, Tenn.), who had 17 points in the Top 60 game, along with cat quick Kaden McClellan, a 5-foot-9 2029 guard from Bloom Township (Chicago Heights, Ill.), and 6-foot-3 2029 guard Kumasi Jones Jr. of Phillips Academy (Chicago), who had 16 points for the White jersey-wearing club
Honest Assesment For Campers
It was refreshing to see the camp’s top players understand where they currently are in their development after the conclusion of the Top 30 game, as many of them realized the intensity of the game and its talent level, and whether or not they made an impact. For his overall camp play on both ends of the floor, 6-foot-6 2029 Zahari Threatt of De La Salle (Chicago) was named camp co-Most Outstanding Player. He runs hard, finishes with authority, rebounds hards with good hands and can facilitate as a point forward. His high school coach Gary Decesare likens him to a right-handed and young version of former NBA Player Lamar Odom.
2026 @FCPPangos All-Midwest Frosh/Soph Camp Notes: fresh off an impressive outing at last weekend’s USA Basketball JNT Mini-Camp @ Colo Springs CO, 6-3 2030 Robert Smith Jr. (Marist/Chicago IL). Son of retired & legendary Simeon coach Robert Smith Sr. is a quick lead guard with length, talent & excellent long-term upside. @NBNMagazine
— Dinos Trigonis (@trigonis30) October 17, 2026
“My goal coming into this camp was to dominate,” Threatt said. “I wanted to get my team ready, talk to my teammates and play hard. My strength is getting to the rim. To be honest, my jump shot has not improved and it’s something I’m working on.”
The camp’s other co-MOP was the best all-around perimeter player: 6-foot-3 2030 Robert Smith Jr. of Marist (Chicago). Smith is a combo guard who good passing skill who uses his size to get to his spots and can get in the key at will. There is very few aspects of the game he can’t do well.
Just as there was few aspects of this Pangos All-Midwest Fr/So camp that didn’t go well.
Smith was coming off a terrific performance at the USA Basketball Junior Mini-Camp and showed why he’s one of the best 2030 guards in the country.
Others at this camp were clearly able to assess where they stood because of the level and intensity of play.
Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of Ballislife.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. Don’t forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores
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