2023 Draft Watch: Assessing Dillon Mitchell, Dariq Whitehead, and Julian Phillips in the 2022 GEICO Nationals Championship Game

August 11^th, 2022

By Alan Lu

I decided to take the time to watch the 2022 GEICO Nationals championship game that took place on April 2^nd between Monteverde Academy and Link Academy, with thanks to YouTube via The DraftMatic.  Monteverde Academy is a powerhouse high school team that was heavily favored to win, and they were the defending champions, but Link Academy gave them a tough battle all the way until the end.  But Monteverde Academy was able to hold on due to their tough defense, timely shooting, and strong play from their starters.  In my opinion, Dillon Mitchell looked to have played the best in this game.  Here are my thoughts on how he and other notable performers fared in this match, as well as how their skills may translate to the NBA. Also, for those that are interested in the box score of this game, here is the link.

Dillon Mitchell had a strong showing to help lead Monteverde Academy to a win in the GEICO Nationals championship game.  He is a very athletic forward that thrived at making hustle plays to help his team on both ends of the floor.

Mitchell generally thrived at scoring on hustle plays.  He tended to score on cuts, put backs, and when rolling to the post to score the basketball.  He showed a knack for knowing when to slip past defenders to get the ball, and he was able to score on a thunderous dunk off of a cut.  He also showed a solid ability to score off the dribble.  He was able to throw down a magnetic jam off of a drive to the hoop, and he also pulled up to make a mid-range jumper after grabbing an offensive board.  However, he struggled to consistently knock down jumpers from further out, and every once in a while he would miss shots around the basket due to rushing.

He also displayed adequate playmaking skills in this game.  Mitchell showed a solid ability to find open teammates on the move, and he was able to make an assortment of passes to get them the basketball.  He also managed to set an off-ball screen to help his teammate score on an open jump shot.

Plus, Mitchell did a great job of rebounding the basketball.  He would swoop in to get numerous boards on both ends of the floor.  He also played good defense in this game.  He showed a knack for getting his hands on passes to get steals, and he also showed a knack for blocking and contesting jumpers both from out on the perimeter and in the paint to get stops for his team.  On the downside, sometimes he would play too aggressively, which can lead him to wind up out of position or to commit fouls.  Other times, he would be late on his rotations when defending shooters.

Overall, Dillon Mitchell played very well to help lead Montverde Academy to another GEICO Nationals title.  He is a high-flyer that really excelled at making plays on both ends of the floor, and he will play for Texas in the upcoming college basketball season.  He will need to improve his jump shot, but he is a very athletic, energetic swingman that could end up being a lottery pick in the 2023 draft, and Mitchell could end up being a similar player to Denver Nuggets’ forward, Aaron Gordon in the NBA.

Dariq Whitehead played fairly well to help lead Montverde Academy to a win over Link Academy.  He had a slow start to this game, as he struggled to find his shot early on, but he was able to get into a groove in the second half, and he made solid plays in crunch time to help get his team the victory.

Whitehead did a fairly good job of scoring on hustle plays.  Whitehead was able to score on a cut to the hoop.  He also was able to score on aggressive drives in transition, and he managed to throw down a high-flying dunk on the break.  Sometimes though, he would miss shots due to rushing.

He also did a good job of scoring off of mid-range jumpers.  Whitehead was able to go to his left to score on a mid-range jumper.  He also ran quickly off of a ball screen to score on a quick, mid-range shot in rhythm late in this game.

On the downside, he was unable to make any of his threes, and he also struggled to consistently score off the dribble.  He was able to score on a speedy, left-handed drive to the hoop, but he also tended to miss tough shots in traffic.  Whitehead was unable to make any of his threes, despite mostly taking spot-up threes when he would hoist them up from beyond the arc.

Also, Whitehead showed off solid playmaking skills.  He would throw timely interior passes to find teammates on the move to notch assists due to possessing solid court vision.  Every once in a while though, he can be careless with the basketball, which led to a couple of turnovers.  On one play, he threw an inaccurate pass that went into the backcourt before going out of bounds once.  He also was called for a charging foul on a drive to the hoop another time.

He also was able to chase down balls to get his fair share of defensive boards in this game.  Whitehead also played adequate defense in this game.  He showed a knack for getting his hands on passes and chasing down loose balls to help his team get steals and deflection, and he also was able to poke a ball away to help his team force a turnover.  He also was able to contest a shot in the post to force a miss.  However, he can tend to play too aggressively out on the perimeter, which would either lead him to commit fouls or to over-rotate and miss on steal attempts, which would lead him to be out of position.  Other times, he would be inattentive, as he can be prone to momentary lapses on the defensive end.

Overall, Dariq Whitehead is an athletic, skilled swingman that can shoot and pass the basketball, but he will need to be a more consistent shooter and disciplined defender in games.  He can tend to run too hot and cold with his jump shot, but he also showed that he can take over games if he asserts himself on offense.  He is a talented prospect that could end up being a first round pick, and if he can put his skills altogether, he could end up being a solid role player similar to Cleveland Cavaliers’ guard, Caris LeVert in the NBA.

Julian Phillips had a solid showing for Link Academy in his team’s tough loss in this game.  He shot the ball fairly well, as he especially thrived as a jump shooter and also made some solid hustle plays, but he also was fairly turnover prone in this game.

Phillips shot the ball very well, especially from downtown.  He showed a knack for making corner threes, and he also ran off of a ball screen to make a quick, baseline mid-range jumper. He also was active in looking to score on hustle plays.  Phillips caught a lob and scored on an alley-oop dunk on the break, and he also managed to score on a backdoor cut.  On the downside, he also missed on a couple of put backs due to rushing.  He also struggled to score off the dribble, and while he would look to go to his left, he had trouble consistently scoring when driving to the rim.

On the downside, Phillips was fairly turnover prone on offense.  He tended to throw quick, hasty passes, as he had a couple of them get intercepted, and he also would sometimes over-dribble and get balls poked away from him, and he had one that was poked off of him that led to a late turnover.

He also did a good job of rebounding the basketball.  He would fly in to get multiple boards on both ends of the floor.  Phillips also played adequate defense.  He dove on the ground to tie up an opposing ball handler to force a jump ball, which enabled him to get a steal.  He also flew in to make a chase down block to prevent a score on the break, and swatted the shot to a teammate.  On the downside, sometimes he would close out too hard and get beat off the dribble, which led his teammate to a commit a foul once, and it led him to give up a basket another time.

Overall, Julian Phillips played fairly well, and he was able to help his team in a variety of ways when he was on the floor.  He will need to get stronger and improve his playmaking skills in the meantime, but he is a 3 and D prospect that could end up being a first round pick in the 2023 draft.

Indiana’s freshman forward, Malik Reneau played very well for Montverde Academy in this game.  He thrived as an interior player, and he would constantly outwork the opposition to get points and rebounds in the paint.

Reneau thrived at scoring on hustle plays.  He managed to score on a cut to the hoop, and he also scored on a fast break another time.  He also showed a solid ability to score in the post.  He showed off solid strength and footwork, and managed to score on a step-through move, as well as on a left-handed hook shot, and he also would go up strong to draw fouls in order to get to the free-throw line.  On the downside, sometimes he would struggle to score in traffic, especially when he wouldn’t get foul calls.

He also drove to his right to score off the dribble.  On the downside, he had some trouble consistently knocking down shots off the dribble, especially if he would take them from further out.

He also displayed decent playmaking skills.  Reneau passed the ball well, and he did a good job of passing from the post and finding his teammates on the move to set up scoring chances for them.  On the downside, he had some trouble handling the ball when pressured, which led him to commit several ball-handling turnovers.

Plus, he also did a great job of rebounding the basketball.  Reneau was quite active on the glass, and he would crash the boards to get numerous rebounds on both sides of the ball.  Reneau also played good defense.  He was able to rotate to block a shot off of a drive, and he did a very good job of contesting shots both out on the perimeter and in the paint to force misses. 

He would contest shots vertically, which would enable him to avoid committing fouls, and he also would apply pressure to defend opposing ball handlers to help force turnovers.  On the downside, sometimes he wouldn’t communicate to his teammates where screens were coming, which would lead his team to give up baskets.  He also would sag too far off shooters sometimes, which would lead him to give up open three-point baskets.

Overall, Malik Reneau had a strong showing, and he helped get his team the win in this game.  He will need to improve his face-up game and extend his shooting range in the meantime, but he is a skilled big man that could make an immediate impact at Indiana this year, and he currently projects to be a second round prospect for the 2023 draft.

Jordan Walsh had his ups and downs in Link Academy’s tough loss to Montverde Academy.  He is an athletic, unselfish point forward that showed some playmaking and defensive skills, but he didn’t take many shots and struggled to knock down shots in this game.

Walsh was able to dribble to his left to knock down a smooth, pull-up, mid-range jumper.  On the downside, he struggled to consistently knock down pull-up jumpers, as he tended to rush his shots.  He air-balled his lone pull-up three from beyond the arc.  Walsh did do a good job of cutting to the hoop, and he was able to draw free throws on a quick, backdoor cut once.

He also showcased satisfactory playmaking skills.  Walsh is a shifty, agile point forward that did a good job of making an array of passes to notch assists.  He was able to push the pace and make a swift, drive and kick pass to set up a score early on, and he also threw a lob to a cutter to notch another.  Walsh possesses good court vision, and he can run the point if needed to do so.  On one play though, he was called for a charging foul when trying to make a play off the dribble.  He also threw an entry pass that got intercepted.  Sometimes, Walsh will rush himself, which would sometimes get him into trouble on offense.

Though he didn’t get many rebounds, Walsh was able to haul in a board on each end of the floor, and he also pushed the ball up court off of a defensive rebound.  Walsh also played adequate defense in this game.  He was able to use his length to block a three-point shot.  He also would poke balls away to nearly get steals, and he also contested a drive in transition to force a miss.  On the downside, he would over-rotate and play too aggressively, which would lead him to wind up out of position and allow scores.  Sometimes, he would wander too far away and miss on steal attempts.  Another time, he got beat off the dribble, which led him to allow a score.

Overall, Jordan Walsh struggled to shoot or score, but he made his presence felt the most as a playmaker on offense.  He is a skilled point forward that has good court vision, and he could end up going in the late first to the second round range in the 2023 draft.

Jalen Hood-Schifino had his ups and downs as he didn’t shoot or score very well, but he showed off some playmaking and defensive skills.  Hood-Schifino played unselfishly, and he made a variety of passes to string together assists due to possessing solid patience and court vision. 

However, he struggled to get his shots off, and he would sometimes commit careless turnovers.  He did a good job of intercepting passes and helping his team force turnovers, and he generally played satisfactory defense, but sometimes he would struggle to fight through screens or to defend in one-on-one situations.  Overall, he is an agile, skilled combo guard that will need to be more assertive on offense, but he could be a prospect to keep tabs on in the future.

Felix Okpara had his ups and downs, but he made his impact felt the most on the defensive end.  Okpara would look to score on hustle plays, but he also would sometimes miss easy shots around the basket, as he would sometimes take off-balanced, rushed shots in the process. 

As a playmaker, he looked to be fairly average.  He was able to throw a bounce pass to a cutter to notch an assist, and he also set a solid screen to help his teammate get an open jump shot.  On the downside, he would sometimes commit careless turnovers.  He threw a couple of hasty passes that got intercepted, and he also stepped out of bounds when posting up once.

He also displayed decent rebounding skills, but Okpara did not seem to grab nearly enough boards in this game.  While he did a good job of leaping up to grab offensive rebounds, he did not grab many defensive boards when he was on the floor.

He also played solid defense.  Okpara did a good job of defending vertically and blocking shots in the post and directing balls to his teammates.  He also showed a knack for contesting shots both out on the perimeter and in the paint to force numerous misses, and he also would pressure ball handlers to make it difficult for them to pass or handle the basketball.  Sometimes though, he would get beat on moves to the hoop when defending in the paint.

Overall, Felix Okpara is an athletic, physical big man that excelled as a defender and shot blocker, but he struggled to consistently make plays on offense.  He was prone to rushing, and he will need to play more under control, but with some refinement, he could move up draft boards sometime in the future.

Tarris Reed didn’t have a great game, but he was able to make some plays, especially towards the end to help Link Academy in this contest.  He is a strong, mobile big man that showed some shooting skills late in this match.  Reed was able to knock down an open, spot-up three effortlessly, and he also did a good job of scoring on hustle plays.  Reed used a Euro-step move to score on a drive in transition.  He also ran off of a back cut and caught a lob to score on a layup.  On the downside, he struggled to score in one-one-one situations, and he would struggle more when matched up against length and athleticism.

Reed also showed off adequate playmaking skills.  He would set solid screens to help his teammates get open driving lanes and jump shots.  When posting up once, he had a ball poked away from him that led to a turnover, as he tried to barrel through a double-team that time.

Also, Reed was able to haul in his fair share of boards to get them on both ends of the floor.  He also played satisfactory defense.  He was able to intercept a pass to get a steal, and he also rotated to block a shot another time.  He also was active in defending in the post to force misses and turnovers, and he also drew a charge when defending an opposing ball handler late in this match.  On the downside, he would tend to over-rotate and miss on steal attempts, which would lead him to be unable to get back in the play and to his team to giving up baskets.  He also can tend to be late on rotations, which can lead him to commit fouls and allow scores.

Overall, Tarris Reed had his ups and downs, but he showed off a better jump shot than anticipated.  He will need to trust his jump shot far more, and he will need to be a more disciplined defender in games.  He will likely need time to hone his game at Michigan in college basketball, but he could be a prospect to watch sometime in the future.

Other Notes:

There were other prospects that played in the GEICO Nationals championship game that played fairly well, and while they won’t be playing in college basketball in the upcoming season, they are talented prospects that will be worth keeping track of in the future.

Montverde Academy’s 6-9 forward, Kwame Evans had a solid showing in his team’s win over Link Academy.  He is an athletic, skilled forward that can shoot and defend on the floor, and he played well on both ends of the court.

Evans shot the ball very well, especially from beyond the arc.  He showed a knack for making open, spot-up threes, and he especially thrived at making corner threes from beyond the arc.  He also was able to pull up to make a long two effortlessly.

He displayed perhaps adequate playmaking skills in this game.  Evans threw timely passes to find teammates on the move, and he also can make passes off the dribble to find the open man.  Sometimes though he would over-dribble into traffic, which would lead him to commit ball-handling turnovers.

Though he didn’t grab many rebounds in this game, Evans was able to haul in a board on each end of the floor.  Evans also played solid defense.  He did a good job of getting his hands on passes to help his team get steals, and he would actively contest shots out on the perimeter and in the paint to force misses.  He blocked a three-point shot, and he also held his ground when defending in the post to force a traveling violation.  On the downside, sometimes he would over-rotate, as he was late to get back to his man on a cut, and it led him to give up the basket that time.

Overall, Kwame Evans is an athletic, skilled forward that excelled as a shooter, scorer, and defender in this game.  He is a very talented prospect that will attend school at Oregon in the future.  He may be one of the best players in his recruiting class, and he could end up being a lottery pick in the 2024 draft.

Omaha Biliew didn’t have his best game, but he is an athletic forward that will attend school at Iowa State for the 2023-24 season, and he was able to make hustle plays to help Link Academy in this game.

Biliew showed a knack for scoring on hustle plays.  He scored on a thunderous dunk off of a backdoor cut, and he also ran the floor to score on the break.  On the downside, he didn’t take many shots, and he also missed both of his threes from well beyond the arc.

He also showcased fairly average playmaking skills.  Biliew was able to find an open man to notch an assist.  However, he dropped a pass that went out of bounds once.  He also dragged his pivot foot and shuffled his feet when posting up another time that led him to commit a traveling violation.

Also, Biliew was able to leap up to grab his fair share of defensive rebounds.  He also played satisfactory defense.  Biliew ran in to deflect a pass out of bounds, and he showed good footwork to stay with opposing  ball handlers on drives and contested shots to force misses.  He did a good job of contesting shots both out on the perimeter and in the paint to get stops for his team.  Sometimes though, he would be caught ball watching and wander around too much, which would lead him to lose track of his man and allow his man to score on open jump shots.  Another time, he bit on a pump fake and got beat on a move in the post to allow the score.

Overall, Omaha Biliew is an athletic, energetic swingman that showed that he can make hustle plays on both ends of the floor to help his team in games.  He will need to be a more consistent shooter and be more assertive on offense, but he is a talented prospect that could be a player to watch sometime in the future.