Photo courtesy of Dave’s Joint.
By David Cordova
Summer Hoops is a four-part series for Dave’s Joint, as we delve on stories from the summer of 2026. This first story is about the NBPA Top 100 Camp, which took place in early June down in Rock Hill, South Carolina, as over 100 of the finest high school players in the country all competed in front of college coaches, NBA scouts and media.
The month of June is a time that high school students love because it is the end of the school year and the first month of the summer. But another reason why many youths love it is because basketball is in the air and great comp is slated to take place.
If there is one place where the action is supreme, then one should look no further than the NBPA Top 100 Camp. Since 1994, this event has been a haven for more than 100 of the best high school basketball prospects in the nation. Many of the prospects that have played in this event have gone on to play on the Division I college basketball and also the NBA.
The NBPA (known as the National Basketball Players Association), is labor union that has been in existence since 1954 and has been an aid to many hoopers, present and retired and also does great things in the community for the youths, putting together basketball camps and partnering with organizations such as Five-Star Basketball and also getting involved with events such as The Throne, an event run by Gold Level Sports during the month of March in which high-level high school programs play against each other as club teams in a tournament-style series for a chance at a championship.
The Top 100 Camp, which is one of the premier grassroots camps in the nation, has had some of the NBA’s finest hoopers at their camp, such as Edrice “Bam” Adebayo (Miami Heat), Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns), Trae Young (Washington Wizards), Zion Williamson (New Orleans Pelicans), Zach Lavine (Sacramento Kings), Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves), Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics), Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks), Paolo Banchero (Orlando Magic), Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers) and many more.
For many years, the camp was held in the cozy confines of the John Paul Jones Arena on the campus of the University of Virginia out in Charlottesville, Virginia and then later, the ESPN Wide World of Sports out in Kissimmee, Florida.
Since June 2025, they have been using the confines of the Rock Hill Sports & Events Center out in Rock Hill, South Carolina, a small city with a population of over 75,000 residents that is also located just 20 miles south of Charlotte, North Carolina. The Sports & Events Center, which is located in the hub of the city has eight courts, including a main court that has been used for high school showcases, AAU events (including Adidas 3SSB) and collegiate basketball events on the Division I and Division II levels, respectively.
This year’s camp had no shortage of talent for all of the courts, as there were plenty of high-level talent on display.
First and foremost, it wouldn’t be right if the local stars didn’t get mentioned first.
From the New York metropolitan area, there were four players holding it down for the Empire State.
Hailing from the five boroughs of New York City were the South Bronx’s own Moussa Kamissoko, a small forward and a top-15 recruit in the Class of 2027 who is currently committed to Syracuse University and is now spending his senior season at Spire Academy, a nationally-ranked program out of Geneva, Ohio and also Caleb Ourigou out of Far Rockaway, Queens, a center who was a dominant force in the low post and made his presence felt in the Overtime Elite league for the Cold Hearts squad. As of this writing, he made the. move to reclassify up to his original graduating class of 2026, and is now beginning his freshman season at the University of Arkansas.
Outside of the city was Yonkers’ own Josh Rivera, a small forward who plays for the four-time defending CHSAA “AA” champions, Archbishop Stepinac High School, out of White Plains, where he is now a senior. The other is Kamsi Awaka, a center out of Hyde Park, a town in Dutchess County, who is currently a senior at Blair Academy, a prestigious school out of Blairstown, New Jersey. At the present time, he is currently committed to the University of Florida.
All four held their own and made the area proud with their outstanding play, especially Awaka and Ourigou, as they showed that in an area that is rarely known these days for having big men, they are two that can excel at the next level.
At the conclusion of the camp, Ourigou went on to win the Rodney Rogers Courage Award.
Also, the neighboring state of New Jersey had some great players as well.
The crown jewel from the Garden State was none other than two-time NJSIAA state champion Micah Gordon out of Plainfield, who is a top-30 recruit in the class of 2027 who is currently playing at Spire Academy and is currently committed to play at Creighton University. Throughout the camp, he showed he belonged and would go on to be third in scoring with 17.5 points per game and would win the Purvis Short Impact Award.
The other four gems from Jersey were:
- Malik Moore, a shooting guard that is a top-50 recruit in the class of 2028, also from Plainfield, who is currently at Iowa United Prep in Des Moines, Iowa.
- Michai White, a point guard that is a top-25 recruit in the class of 2028, out of Hackensack, who is currently playing at Prolific Prep in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
- Kevin Wheatley, Jr., a small forward that is also a top-25 recruit in the class of 2028, out of Rahway, who also plays at Iowa United Prep, alongside Moore.
- William Brunson, a small forward who is a top-40 recruit in the class of 2028 out of Springfield, is now at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
Although all five no longer play high school basketball in their home state, it’s great that they’re representing Jersey on the national stage, as they all held it down for their respective teams during camp.
And then there were a lot of high-level talent in the building from the other states, many from the Midwest, the West Coast, the South, other parts of the Northeast, and also internationally. A lot of them were ranked in their respective classes on publications like ESPN, 24/7 Sports and Rivals.
There was also international talent, such as Yann Kamagate, a 7-footer from West Africa that plays his high school basketball at St. Francis High School in La Cañada Flintridge, California, and is rated as the No. 1 player in the class of 2028 by ESPN. During the camp, he was a dominant force on both ends of the floor, controlling the boards, dominating the paint by blocking shots on defense and also becoming a terror on the rim. He went from being an unranked prospect to being a top-five recruit in such a short time. His play at camp would lead to him being a first-team all-camp selection.
And also, there were some legacy kids, the sons or relatives of former and current NBA players.
Some of the more prominent legacy kids in the building were:
- Reese Alston, a 6-foot-1 guard out of Houston, Texas, who plays for Second Baptist School and is rated as the No. 13 prospect in the Class of 2027 by ESPN. He is the. son of former NBA player & New York City basketball legend Rafer “Skip to My Lou” Alston. The younger Alston was a dominant guard that could score in bunches and is very dominant on the offensive end.
- Kager Kneuppel, a 6-foot-10 forward out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who played for Wisconsin Lutheran High School and is rated as the No. 19 prospect in the Class of 2027 by ESPN. He is the younger brother of Kon Kneuppel, who is now in his second season in the NBA with the Charlotte Hornets. The younger Kneuppel has a solid game with a nice, shooting touch. At the present time, he’s verbally committed to Duke University, and will sign his letter of intent in November.
- Beckham Black, a 6-foot-3 guard out of Duncanville, Texas, who plays for Southeastern Prep Academy in Orlando, Florida, who is rated as the No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2027 by ESPN. He is the younger brother of Anthony Black, who is entering his fourth season in the NBA with the Orlando Magic. At the conclusion of camp, he earned himself a first-team all-camp selection due to his outstanding play.
Throughout the week, the players had a great time not just on the court, but also off the court, as they were in seminars that were prepared by the NBPA for the players to learn about financial literacy and other things that will help them moving forward when they become professionals and also beyond.
Another unique thing about the camp its the fact that the teams were named for former pros and also coaching legends.
Amongst the names of the coaches were people such as Naismith Hall of Famer and former Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim, two-time NBA champion and four-time All-Star Rajon Rondo, current New York Knicks forward and two-time NBA All-Star Andre Drummond, current Brooklyn Nets guard Terance Mann and NBA retirees such as Josh Smith, Ricky Davis and Taj Gibson, and also Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who is now playing professionally in the Philippines.
The beautiful thing that the Top 100 Camp offers that no other camp offers is the fact that they give the players access to coaching legends and also former & current NBA players. Simply put, they’re the guys that have been where these youths are trying to go and are trying to impart wisdom while they’re on the road to success.
In the end, the camp was a success, as Ahmed Nur, a native of Hopkins, Minnesota, who is rated as the No. 22 prospect in the Class of 2027 by ESPN and an Ole Miss commit, won the camp’s MVP. The No. 2 prospect in the Class of 2027, Demarcus Henry, out of Santa Ana, California and a UNC commit who plays his high school ball at Arizona Compass Prep, would be the camp’s leading scorer with 20 points per game.
Other players on the first-team all-camp list other than Henry, Black and Yamagate were Montverde Academy’s Isaiah Hamilton, a prospect out of Canada rated as the No. 16 prospect in the Class of 2028 by ESPN, and also Cayden Daughtry, the No. 4 prospect in the Class of 2027, out of Calvary Christian Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, who would go on to have an outstanding run on the Nike EYBL circuit and also winning a gold medal with USA Basketball.
Lewis Uvwo, who plays at Prolific Prep, which is also located in Fort Lauderdale, and is the No. 6 prospect in the Class of 2027, won the Locksmith Award for the best defender. He is currently committed to Providence.
Peyton Kemp, an unranked prospect out of Grosse Pointe, Michigan, won the Scholar-Athlete Award for the being the most-coachable player. He is currently committed to Robert Morris.
So you see, whether you’re an unranked prospect or an established player with a ranking, when you step on the floor at the Top-100 Camp, you have to show and prove. Irregardless of the circuit you play on or the accolades you’ve had thus far, it’s time to show that you’re worthy of the attention of the praise you’ve been given. And also, this isn’t the camp for everyone. Only the elite need step through these doors.
Secondly, where else will you find players from the different circuits meeting up to ball out against each other? That will almost never happen. But at the NBPA Top 100 Camp, that’s a certain bet that the best of the best will always meet up.
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