The fall basketball market is becoming saturated across the country. With shoe-sponsored circuits, independent tournaments, and potential college visits virtually every weekend, the “off-season” really doesn’t offer much free time to high school players, so they have to be selective about what events to attend. Playing in team events virtually every weekend since the high school season concluded, some players needed an opportunity to showcase their talents in a different setting.
Enter the Stellar Hoops Elite 60.
Held at Charlotte’s Harding High School, director Wayne Davis puts on two separate one-day, invite-only events just after the school year jumps off. Focusing largely on underclassmen and players who are flying under the radar, the Elite 60 2026 spring event brought both to the table.
Players such as Michigan State swingman Coen Carr (who shut down the 2023 Ballislife All American Game dunk contest), future first-round pick/Duke swingman Isaiah Evans, top-5 2027 DeMarcus Henry, Miami physical monster Somto Cyril, and top-10 2027 LJ Smith are just a few to have graced the court before they blew up. With players from 35 different states over the two-day event, there was no shortage of players who exhibited the potential to be in that next wave as well, as we recently saw in Charlotte.
Related: Stellar Hoops Spring Elite 60 Standouts!
Kaharri Coleman, 6’4″, PG/SG, West Charlotte HS (North Car.), 2028
The most highly touted player at the Stellar Hoops Elite 60 lived up to his five-star reputation, showing the ridiculous skill set that has made him one of the best combo guards in the country. An absolute blur in transition, Kaharri Coleman was a straight-up game changer with his insane finishes at the rim, ability to get into the paint at will, and potential as a two-way combo guard.
Fresh off of winning MVP of the NCHSAA state title game at Dub-C, Coleman is definitely putting in that work to solidify himself as a potential McDonald’s All-American for the class of 2028.
Chase Smith, 6’8″, PF, Queens Grant HS (North Car.), 2028
The most powerful big man that the event had to offer also showed that he had an intriguing skill set facing the basket. Chase Smith showed his inside-out game with the ability to shoot it from the 3-point line, finished through contact when exploiting mismatches down low, and was more explosive than you’d think, finishing above the rim.
A consensus top-50 player by most services, Smith’s blend of perimeter skill and physicality earned him offers from USC, Auburn, Mississippi State, and a host of others.
Eddie Rios III, 6’1″, PG/SG, Schoolhouse Prep (Flor.), 2030
The son of former grassroots/Miami legend Edwin “Eddie” Rios is following in his father’s footsteps as an elite prospect out of the 305. The lead guard is an electric shooter with effortless range, knows how to get his shot off against older competition, and was a good facilitator for a camp setting.
It’s hard to believe that the super-refined guard is just an eighth grader, but his combination of lineage and skill set will make him one to remember nationally for the rising freshman class.
Checking out blend of elite underclassmen and emerging sleepers at @StellarHoops Elite 60 in Charlotte. Event has had likes of DeMarcus Henry, Isaiah Evans, Kaharri Coleman, Will Stevens, Coen Carr, LJ Smith, and more before they had stars next to names. pic.twitter.com/2A5n6Kbdoq
— Rodger Bohn (@rodgerbohn) May 31, 2026
Gabriel Gates, 6’8″, PF/C, Schoolhouse Prep (Flor.), 2030
Considered to be one of the best big men in the class of 2030, Gabriel Gates showed the natural tools that you’d hope for out of an emerging big at the Elite 60. He’s a freak athlete who can really move, plays with a motor, and showcased a flurry of straight-line attacks to the rim.
Having already played varsity basketball as an eighth grader at Miami’s Schoolhouse Prep, Gates has the physical gifts to be an elite prospect at the next level in whichever (he is apparently a big-time football recruit as well) he opts for at the next level.
Zion Wilkins, 5’11”, PG, Hillcrest Prep (Ariz.), 2027
Making the cross-country journey, Zion Wilkins just got it done at a high level at the Elite 60. Constantly in attack mode, Wilkins was elite out of pick-and-roll play, had virtually every finish in the book at the rim, and created more for others than you typically see in a camp setting.
Playing at prestigious Arizona power Hillcrest Prep, Wilkins will be the catalyst for one of the top teams in The Valley.
Braden Suggs, 6’2″, PG, Ardrey Kell HS (North Car.), 2027
As far as camp performance at the event was concerned, there wasn’t anyone better on the opening day than Braden Suggs. He shot the ball well from beyond the arc, utilized his strong frame on finishes when he got going downhill, and showed potential on the defensive end.
Running with Team Accelerate on the Under Armour circuit, Suggs is a North Carolina sleeper that you could be hearing about during the scholastic live period.
Editor’s Pick
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