SWIPA League Evaluator | Talent Scout 

Russell 'Coach V' Vanlandingham 

Former 20 Year College Coach & Coordinator

(NCAA D1, D2, D3 & NAIA Experience)

‘SWIPA LEAGUE’ DFW TOURNAMENT

JULY 5TH, 6TH EVENT RECAP                                                             

Presented by Triangle2 Events SWIPA League Tourneys Is Changing The Game When It Comes to Gaining Exposure and Increasing Recruitment For Dedicated Players and Competitive Teams. SWIPA Was Founded With Today’s Player In Mind, The League Provides A Platform Where Athletes Can Reach Their Maximum Potential And Ultimately Achieve Their Dream Of Playing College Basketball.  As The Lead Evaluator of SWIPA Tournaments on the Boy’s Side Evaluations are Written Through the Lens of a College Coach and Coordinator Assessing Skill, Will, Talent and Consistent Play Throughout SWIPA Tournaments.  

Having Said that, Let’s Recap the DFW SWIPA Tournament Dominated by ‘Future Prospects’ In 15U & 14U Divisions Capped Off By What Arguably Was The Best Game of the Weekend Sunday Evening With 15U IFN Cypress Beating a Very Solid 14U GME Squad In a Close Championship Game That Came Down To a Few Possessions Late In the Game.  Before Getting to the Rising Stars In the Younger Divisions Here Are Some of the 17U SWIPA Standouts Starting With The Championship Southern Players Club Team Out of the DFW Area Led By 6 '7 Playmaker 2026 Kai Johnson, 6' 6 Small Forward Uyiosa Owemmenzie & PG Jarius Gardner Who Led all Weekend In The DFW Tourney with his Steady Play, Court Savvy and Consistent Effort on the Defensive End of the Floor. Another Team With Several College Level Recruits Was The IFN Cypress Squad Led by 6 '6 SF William Randle That Gives 110% Every Time He Steps On The Floor. New Addition To The 17U IFN Cypress Team 6 '4 Combo Guard Daniel Mitchell Has Tools You Can’t Teach and Is College Ready Tough Which Will Continue to Increase His Level of Interest Heading Into the HS Season. Some Underrated Standouts That Showcased College Level Talent & Toughness Were 6 '2 Combo Guard Brian Dorgbetor from DC Kings, 6' 5 Stretch 4 Jesse Mikus from SB Elite, and PG Tookie Johnson from JWE Elite.   

In the End The Weekend Belonged to the Young Guns With SWIPA Standouts on IFN Cypress 15U Group That Took Home The Championship In That Division Led By Starting PG Elijah Olatunbosun Who Didn’t Fill Up Stat Sheets But Consistently Led Throughout The Tournament Showcasing Leadership Traits Leading His Team To The 15U Championship in the DFW Tourney.  Other ‘Future Prospect’ Standouts on the IFN Cypress 15U Squad Were 2028 6 '5 Big Bra’lon Cage & 2028 6' 4 Playmaker Kingsten Davis On a IFN Cypress Filled With Super Soph’s That Have Time and The Talent It Takes To Play at the Next Level if they Continue To Grow Their Game. Even Though The 14U GME Team Fell a Few Possessions Short vs IFN Cypress In The Title Game These Young Fella’s Might Have Been The Best Top To Bottom Team In The Tourney If You Factor Age, Upside, And Multiple Players With D1 Level Potential.   

DFW SWIPA ‘TOP 10’ STANDOUTS

  1. 6’7 Wing / Playmaker 2026 Kai Johnson  | SPC 17U Possibly The Top Prospect In DFW Was 6 '7 Wing Kai Johnson.  Has The Size, Skill Set, and The Basketball IQ That Translates To The D1 Level.  Plays With Great Pace, Sees the Floor Well and Is Able To Take it off The Bounce and Shoot over the Top of the D at 6 '7. Showed Signs of Moving Up MM Boards When He Was Pursuing Boards And Locked In on the Defensive End.  Regardless, Kai’s To Talented with a High Ceiling and Tools You Can’t Teach.  No Brainer For LM Programs But Has Time Still On His Side and I Project Kai Will Play His Way Into Several Options at the MM Level Before It’s All Said and Done. D1 ALERT  Projected Levels: LM/MM D1

  2. 6’6 Small Forward 2026 Uyiosa Owemmenze | SPC 17U Remember When I Stated Above All Evaluations Written Through a Recruiting Coordinator’s Lens So I Look Closely What Players Do Consistently That Lead To ‘WINS’ Uyiosa Made Winning Plays Without the Ball In His Hands From Start To Finish In DFW.  Has The Size, Motor and Mindset It Takes To Make The Transition To The Next Level Which Will Bode Well For Him Moving Forward. Playing alongside Some Very Talented Offensive Players on Southern Players Club 17U Team, Uyiosa Might Have Been The MVP of The Weekend for the Team That Won The Title In The 17U Division By Consistently Defending, Rebounding, Rim Running and Making a Lot of Winning Plays On Both Ends of the Floor That May Not Show Up On Stat Sheets. Athletic Strong SF That Could Use 2 Years at a JC To Secure His Highest Potential Offer Projected Levels: D1 JUCO / NCAA D2+ (D1 Level Potential If He Goes the JC Route) 

  3. 6’0 Point Guard 2026 Jarius Gardner | SPC 17U Rounding Out the Top 3 Prospects on Southern Players Club DFW Team That Won The 17U Championship Game In the July SWIPA Tourney Is PG Jarius Gardner.  Physical Guard with a College Ready Body, Uses Angles On Offenses To Get Downhill And Does a Great Job of Drawing Contact and Shielding Off Bigger Guards By Playing Through Contact.  Stays In Attack Mode and Makes The Right Play When Drawing 2nd Line Defenders.  A Pure Pass 1st PG That Keeps The D Honest With His Ability To Knock Down Timely 3pt Shots, But Is At His Best Getting In The Paint and Making Plays.  Made Several Big Time Passes and Plays In Close Games To Lead His Team To a Perfect 5-0 Record On the Weekend. Very Efficient Lead Guard Set To Rise In the Ranks In The Metroplex His Sr Season Projected Levels: NAIA / NCAA D2

  4. 6’7 Forward 2026 William Randle | IFN (Houston) Like I Said In The DFW Tourney Recap I Don’t Want To Sound Like A Broken Record with Big Will But This is The 4th Evaluation Up Close and Personal of William Randle: 2 SWIPA Tourneys & 2 UCExposure Camps and College Coaches Know Me and Know When I Put My Name On a Player This Early He Has To Sell Me In 2 Areas: Consistent College Level Toughness & Consistent Effort On The Defensive End.  Well I’m Sold, He Has a Motor That Never Stops, Is an Elite Rebounder and Defender And More Importantly He Not Only Soaks Up Coaching He Ups His Level of Play Even More When Challenged. If  You Don’t Get Will On Your Radar Early You Won’t Get William Late!  It’s Only a Matter of Time Before Interest Starts To Turn To Offers at the Scholarship Levels. Projected Levels: D1 JUCO / NCAA D2+

  5. 6’5 Playmaker/ Stretch 4 2026 Jesse Mikus | SB Elite Jesse Needs the Right System To Move Onto Scholarship Level Boards, but He Has The Tools and The Talent To Secure Scholarship Level Offers When It’s All Said And Done.  NAIA/NCAA D2 Programs That Run a Lot of Ball Screen Action w/ the Trail 4 or Look for For SF’s That Can Space The Floor With Their 4 Than Jesse Is One To Get On Your Radar and Get On Early. Tough Matchup When Setting Ball Screens With Guard Skills To Take Bigger Forwards off the Bounce and The Ability to Knock Down a High % of Shots Beyond The Arc In Pick and Pop Situations. Really Liked How He Competed Throughout The Tournament As Well, When Most Players Pick and Choose When They Will Bring It In These Tourneys Based On the Team They Are Playing, Jesse Did The Opposite and Competed Throughout Which Is Why He Stood Out As One of the Top 10 Players in DFW! Projected Levels: Top 25 NAIA / NCAA D2+

  6. 6’4 Shooting Guard 2026 Elijah Smothers | JWE Elite This is My 3rd Evaluation of Elijah and He Gets Better Every Time I See Him.  Initially I Assessed He Was a College Ready Scholarship Level Shooter In the SA Tournament, But 3 Evaluations Later And Elijah Is Much More Than a Knock Down Shooter. He Makes Winning Plays Without the Ball In His Hand, Has a High Motor, and Communicates Consistently Throughout The Game That Makes Everyone Around Him Better.  On Top of That, You Can Tell He Loves To Play And Puts In Work When No One is Watching.  Everyone Says They Want To Play College Basketball, But You Must LOVE The Grind and the Process It Takes To Go from Elite Varsity Level Player To College Level Recruit and Elijah Has Showcased That This Last Tournament In DFW.  NAIA’s and D2 Programs That Shoot a Lot of 3’s Should Be All Over This Kid.  His Stock Will Continue To Rise…  Projected Levels: NAIA / NCAA D2

  7. 6’2 Point Guard 2026 Tookie Johnson | JWE Elite New Addition To The JWE Elite Team In DFW Was Tookie Johnson, One of the Most Consistent Point Guards In The Tournament.  Scores It Well Enough To Play Off the Ball at the College Level and Has the Court Savvy and Vision It Takes To Run a Team at the PG Position.  More of a Combo Than a True PG But Regardless of the Position, Tookie is a College Level Prospect That Played Consistent Throughout the DFW Tournament On Both Ends of the Floor. Doesn’t Let Pressure Speed Him Up, Has a Quick First Step To Get By The Initial Defender And Get In The Paint, and Makes Good Decisions With the Ball In His Hands.  Just a High IQ High Assist / Low Turnover Guard That Can Both the 1 and 2 at the Next Level. Underrated Sleeper In West TX That Coaches Need To Add To Their List of 2026 to Track This Season. Projected Levels: JUCO / NAIA+

  8. 6’4 Combo Guard 2026 Daniel Mitchell | IFN Cypress Daniel Showed Signs of Scoring it at all 3 Levels, Has the Versatility Athleticism and Length to Guard the 1-3 Spots, and Is Tough To Stop In Transition When He Is Attacking Downhill. Has The Look & Natural Talent To Secure Offers at the Higher Levels (D2+/LM D1) and Plenty of Time To Continue To Grow His Game. Would be a Great FIT in a Program That Extends Their Defensive Pressure, Switches Screens and Pushes It To Score Off Missed Shots.  Intriguing Wing That Can Play His Way Into a D1 Level Offer if He Puts Up Big Numbers This Year at Cy Lakes and Leads Them on a Deep Playoff Run. The Key Moving Forward for Daniel To Move Onto D1 Boards Is Embrace Being a Lockdown Defender As He Has Everything You Need To Guard Multiple Positions and Shut Down The Opposing Team's Best Player. Scholarship Level Offensive Player and Rebounder from The Guard Position Set To Have a Big Sr Season. Projected Levels: NCAA D2 / LM D1

  9. 6’2 Combo Guard 2026 Roman Washington | SB Elite Roman Plays With Great Pace, Understands How To Play and Has a High Basketball IQ.  Versatile Big Guard That Finishes In Transition, Excels In the Open Court and Does a Great Job at Changing Speeds In the HC and Making Plays off the Bounce.  Roman Just Needs to Stay and Play In Attack Mode For Longer Stretches as the Talent is There To Make More Plays On Both Ends. Has College Level Potential And His Recruitment and Level of Recruitment Will Be Up To How He Performs In the First Semester at L.D. Bell. They Have Some Solid Pieces Returning in a Very Tough District, So If Roman Steps Up as the Leader and Not Just one of the Leading Scorers His Stock Will Rise Quick and he Will Start to Draw More Interest from Scholarship Level Programs.  Projected Levels: NCAA D3+ / NAIA

  10. 6’0 Combo Guard 2026 Brian Dorgbetor | DC Kings 17U Brian’s Motor Never Stopped and He Was One of the Better Guards In the 17U Division at Creating His Own Shot and Making Plays Off The Bounce.  It Seemed Like He Stayed In The Paint and Nothing Looked Forced or Out of Control.  He Did a Good Job of Making Plays Without Over Handling It By Attacking North To South and Finishing at the Rim.  Absorbed Contact and had Several And 1’s With His Physicality and The Way He Went Right At the Defender Instead of Altering Shots. Really Tough On Ball Defender As Well That Set theTone of the Possession By Picking Up Full Court and Turning His Man Making it Tough for Opposing Guards To Bring the Ball Up.  Krum has a Rich History of Basketball Players Moving onto the College Level and I Can Certainly See Brian Being the Next One in Line When It’s All Said and Done Projected Levels: JUCO / NAIA + 

FUTURE PROSPECTS TO GET ON YOUR RADAR   

  1. 6’5 Point Forward 2029 Kenneth Gabriel Jr | 14U GME Possibly The Player With the Highest Ceiling in the Entire Tournament Was 2029 Kenneth Gabriel Jr.  At 6’5 He Has the Skill Set To Push The Ball of Missed Shots and Make PG Plays.  In The HC, He Does a Great Job of Reading The Defense and Taking Advantage of the Matchup Whether It’s Taking a Big Man Out On the Perimeter or Posting Up a Smaller Wing. Has So Much Time To Grow His Game and Has the Look and Game of a Player That Will End Up With D1 Offers When It’s All Said and Done.  Really Impressed With This Kid, Stay Humble and Hungry Young Fella and Your Recruitment Will Take care of itself. Projected Levels: LM/MM D1 

  2. 5’10 Point Guard 2028 Elijah Olatunbosum | 15U IFN Cypress Elijah Does What PG’s Should Do, Could Do, But Most Don’t and That Will Benefit Elijah In the Long Run As He Continues To Develop Leadership Habits That Have Nothing To Do With Hitting Shots, but Everything To Do With Gaining Genuine Exposure. When Evaluating PG’s I Look Closely at 2 Things, 1: Do They Stay Engaged In The Game Possession by Possession (Know Time, Possession & Score) 2: Verbal (Vocal) and Nonverbal Communication (Body Language) As a Former College Coach at Various Levels Those Two Traits Determine Your Recruitment and Level of Recruitment If You Play the PG Position. Elijah Did Both Throughout the Tourney and It Resulted In 2 Big Wins That Were One and Two Possession Close Games. Played Consistent Throughout The Weekend When It Came To Leading from Start To Finish.  Projected Levels: NAIA / NCAA D2 (With 2 Years To Grow His Game That Level Can Increase) 

  3. 6’2 Shooting Guard 2028 Walter Checko | SPC 15U Walter Didn’t Necessarily Pass the Eye Test, But He Passed the ‘Flat Out Can Play’ Test in the DFW Tourney.  While Others Looked The Part on his Squad, Walter Produced and Played Consistently On Both Ends of the Floor.  This Kid Can Score It at All 3 Levels, Does a Good Job of Getting Downhill and Finishing Plays In Traffic and When Left Open He Has The Shot Mechanics That Indicate He’s 40+ % 3pt Shooter.  Stayed and Played In Attack Mode, Has The Size and Skill Set To Have a Breakthrough Season, and Has a High Basketball IQ.  Nothing Flashy About Walter, Just Produces, Efficient Offensive Player That Competes On The Defensive End. This Kid has a Bright Future Projected Level: High Academic NCAA D2 

  4. 6’3 Combo Guard 2028 Kingsten Davis | 15U IFN Cypress Versatile Wing That Can Guard the 1-3 Positions, and Can Play The 1-4 Spots On The Offensive End.  Has The Length, Motor, and Athleticism To Be a Key Player On Varsity This Year And Start To Attract Attention From College Coaches In The 2028 Class. Although, He Has The Physical Talent and Traits You Can’t Teach, He Doesn’t Rely On Ability Alone Which is What Stood Out To Me In The DFW Tourney.  Active Defender, Pursues Rebounds from the Guard Position, and Is Tough To Stop In Transition When He is Attacking Downhill.  Kingsten is a Consistent 3pt Shot Away from being an Elite Varsity Level Player, But Has Time on his Side To Continue To Improve In all Facets and The Talent To do Big Things This Year at Grand Oaks HS. Projected Levels: D1 JUCO / NCAA D2+

  5. 6’5 Small Forward 2028 Bra’lon Cage | 15U IFN Cypress And Then We Have BIG Bra’lon Cage that Plays Bigger Than 6 '5, Rather Battle In the Paint Than Settle for 3’s and is a Load Down Low.  Pins Hard, has Great Hands and Soft Touch Around The Basket but when push comes to shove Bra’lon is going to WIN The Battle in the Paint.  It Was So Refreshing To See a Big Man Playing Big and Forcing Double Teams By Engaging In The Paint on Ball Reversals, And Going After Every Board Forcing Opposing Teams To Block Him Out Which Very Few Did. Attacked The Offensive Glass All Weekend And Got Several Putbacks or 2nd Shot Opportunities for his Team. On Top of That, He Does a Great Job When Drawing Help of Kicking it Out and Finding the Open Man.  Really Like Bra’lon and Has D1 Level Upside With 2 Years To Grow His Overall Game. Projected Levels: NCAA D2+ / D1  

  6. 6’0 Point Guard Blake Collier | 14U GME Blake is a Pure PG that plays with Great Pace, has a nice change of Speed that led to several paint touches, and sees the floor well so when he draws help he finds the right man in scoring position.  Most Young Guards can kick it out when drawing help, but it’s another thing to make the right pass to players in the best scoring position and that’s what separates Blake and stands out.  He stayed in attack mode and finished plays in 1 on 1 situations or made the right pass that led to easy baskets for GME When Drawing 2nd Line Defenders. Add To that Fact that he is a Legit 6 '0 and a 2029 and You Are Onto Something with this Young Lead Guard.  Expect to see his Name Rising in the Ranks in the Metroplex over the Next Few Years as he can flat out play, and is already ahead of 2026’s I’ve Evaluated With His Decision Making at the PG Position. Projected Levels: JUCO / NCAA D2

SWIPA SLEEPERS SET TO HAVE BREAKTHROUGH SEASONS

  1. 6’7 Small Forward 2026 Wish Limbo | IFN Cypress Legit 6’ 7, Runs the Floor Like a Guard, D1 Level Athlete that Finishes Above The Rim In Transition, and Altered a Lot of Shots Off The Ball Defensively With His Length and Instincts. Houston Has So Much Hidden College Level Talent, and that’s Exactly What Wish Is!  Playing for the IFN Houston Team Will Give Him The Opportunity To Not Only Grow His Game, But Head Into His Sr Season On A Lot More College Coaches Boards. He Has Tools and Talent That Is Hard to Teach, and Time On His Side To Really Make a Big Leap This Summer Circuit With His On Court Play On Both Ends. Big Man With a High Ceiling To Get Eyes On This Summer.  Projected Levels: D2 JUCO / D1 JUCO

  2. 6’5 Playmaker 2027 Braylon Washington | SB Elite 16U Long Athletic Playmaker That Can Guard Multiple Positions On Offense, and Defend Multiple Positions On Defense.  Was Consistent With His Effort on the Glass Pursuing Boards and Getting a Lot of 2nd Shot Opportunities for His Team or Put Backs.  Sprints His Lanes In Transition That Led To Easy Layups, and Has a Solid Mid-Range Game. Doesn’t Have a True Position, But being a 2027 He’s Got Plenty of Time To Develop His Overall Perimeter Skill Set and Head Into Next Summer as a Big Wing!  For Now, He Makes Enough Plays and Has The Size and Upside To Draw Genuine Interest from College Coaches In the Live Periods. Projected Levels: NCAA D3+ / NAIA (With 2 Years To Grow His Game His Recruitment and Level of Recruitment Can Increase)

UC Exposure Recruiting Reports

DFW Tournament

‘SWIPA STANDOUTS’

Player Evaluations, Writeups & Rankings on SWIPA Standouts at the DFW Tournament Written by Former 20 Year College Recruiting Coordinator and Director of UC Exposure Camps

-Russell ‘Coach V’ Vanlandingham-

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