The JUCO Files Part 1
JUCO hoops are the backbone of college basketball. The JUCO files highlights underclassmen ready to make the D1 jump while improving their NIL and portal value through playing time in the NJCAA.
Why JUCO?
Did you know Jimmy Butler played JUCO before Marquette? He did this at Tyler Junior College in Texas. When looking at the last draft class, Dalton Knecht (Lakers) and Jonathan Mogbo (Raptors) also came out of the JUCO reigns while now having legitimate roles in the association.
That’s the emphasis of my newsletter’s new section: the JUCO files! I will continuously write summaries of prospects who can jump to the Division I level. Here’s an assumption, but a tested one among people I spoke to. JUCO basketball is underrated. It’s a fundamental-based focus where toughness and sticking to principles are the base. That’s the perfect environment for young talent to mature their game and go through adversity.
That will help prospects embrace the game and be ready when they make the jump to Division I. Whether it’s the low-major or mid-major level or an immediate transfer to a power-five conference, it’s essential to scout the entirety of college basketball, where I focus on creating more awareness and acknowledgment of the value of JUCO basketball.
List of Prospects
1. Jacari Westbrook — Lee College (#0)
Combo Guard — 6’4” — Redshirt Freshman — Dallas, TX
Link to Bio — Link to X — Link to NJCAA Stats
Westbrook is a promising team defender. That’s the part where he’ll thrive at the next level. What immediately stood out was his good understanding of the game. He’s not backing away from physicality, and with his size, he can switch and guard two positions. The lack of experience may lead to him gambling for steals too often. Regardless, it’s a testimony to his will to make winning plays.
He plays a reduced role where he’s looking to create scoring opportunities on the open floor. He has decent to good footwork in the post, as shown in the 34-second mark below, with a soft touch around the rim. Despite being an inefficient three-point shooter, Westbrook has the base to be a volume shooter in the next few years. He sets his feet well, and with good strength around his core, he elevates well for his jumper, as shown in the 40-second mark.
The area of development is to be more fluid when powering up for his shot; often, it takes too much time to get a shot off. At the 4-second mark below, we see Westbrook take two jumps after his shot. That’s a habit he needs to lose to ensure durability and put unnecessary pressure on his knees.
The feasible part about his scoring improving in the next few years is his aggressiveness that’s putting him on the charity stripe. So far, he has had 20 attempts in six games, including 10 against Clarendon College in his debut as a starter for Lee College.
Projection for next season: Rotational player for a mid-major program.
2. Damarion Vann-Kelly — Northeastern Oklahoma College A&M (#5)
Combo Guard — 6’4” — Freshman — Sacramento, CA
Link to Bio — Link to X — Link to NJCAA Stats
Vann-Kelly plays at the NJCAA Division II level. Regardless, his scoring prowess is translatable on most levels he’ll play at during his collegiate career. He’s a good athlete who uses his shooting prowess to create driving lanes to the basket. On top of that, he’s looking to play as a point-of-attack defender while looking to collect deflections and steals.
After seven games, Vann-Kelly shoots 62.5% from downtown. That number will naturally regress, but that doesn’t take away any value from his top-notch shooting ability. After five games, he earned a starting role and has 10 made threes in two consecutive contests.
The value for the next few years is Vann-Kelly recognizing his shooting gravity while showing aggressiveness to get downhill due to it. The area of development is to play much more in control. At times, it looks like the game is all about Vann-Kelly. That’s not a shot at him but more a result of always playing a similar role. He has the court vision to involve others. The untapped passing and playmaking potential is there.
Therefore, the focus for him should be to be more of a team player rather than making it a one-man show. The 20-second mark is an example with four other teammates waiting for the ball he attempts an off-the-dribble three. He’ll very likely transfer up but should commit to a program willing to give him valuable minutes to tap into his scoring potential.
Projection for next season: Scorer off the bench for a low-major program. He could eventually reach the high-major level!
3. — Travis Torain — Panola College (#22)
Wing — 6’8” — Freshman — Tracy, CA
Link to Bio and Stats — Link to X
Torain is the real deal. In today’s era, most low-major and mid-major programs struggle to find wing-sized ball handlers who can scale their game down to floor-spacing shooters. In Torain’s case, it’s clear that he grew up as a scorer as his combination of ball skills, strength, and fluidity make him a tough interior presence teams have to reckon with.
He’s still filling his frame, but regardless already earned a reputation as a rebounder for Panola College while collecting 24 in just four contests. His role at the next level would be as a floor-spacing wing shooter who will put his creativity on display while attacking closeouts. The intangibles make it possible for him to defend against guards as well. However, at 6-foot-8, he’ll likely be asked to match up against frontcourt players.
The impressive part is that Torain shows the ability to not dip after catching the ball, while he’s immediately set his feet and bending his knees. Habits and consistency are what build a consistent shooter. And for Torain, that is the area where he can carve out a potential career as a pro after college.
The footage below solely focuses on his shooting talent, where continuing to fill his frame should help him solidify his status as a plus-rebounder at the next level.
Projection for next season: Starter for a mid-major program with serious potential to reach the high-major level as a junior.
4. — Stephen Osei — Casper College (#23)
Center — 6’11” — Freshman — Toronto, Canada
Link to Bio and Stats — Link to X
When looking for an athletic five-man who brings tenacity on the boards while having the physical tools to guard outside the paint, Osei is one of the top names in the NJCAA. His length, fluidity, and strength could make him a starter in Division I basketball today.
The other side of the coin is that he’s still fairly raw. He has much more physical opportunities to solidify his status as a dominant interior presence. In today’s college basketball environment, more teams try experimenting with four, or even five-out offenses. To make these schemes work, a dominant presence near the rim is needed to draw help and doubles toward the rim, so space and openness on the perimeter gets developed.
So far this season, Osei has a 60.3% finishing rate on 58 attempts in 7 games. He averages more than five three-throw attempts per game, which he finishes at a solid 66.7% clip. While averaging fewer than three fouls per game while playing close to 30 minutes per contest, Osei shows he can play within control. His incredibly fluid hips, with an example at the 1:20 mark, open up the opportunity to guard out on the perimeter. With more teams hunting switches to lure fives out of the paint, that’s another area Osei can counter effectively.
Osei is a classic case of a raw athletic five who needs the entire four-year ride in college to fully develop his game. Therefore, his role as a starter at Casper College is a good entry point to enjoy a successful collegiate career.
Projection for next season: Starter for a mid-major program, and depending on the development this season, Osei could garner high-major interest.
5. — Zati Loubaki — Trinity Valley Community College (#6)
Forward — 6’8” — Freshman — Nojent Sur Oise, France
Link to Bio and Stats — Link to X
Loubaki is the best-kept secret in JUCO basketball. I saw him play for the first time back in October 2022, when he played for Dunkerque U21 in the French Espoirs League, whereafter I wrote a scouting report on his future potential for the NBA. That was the level of talent I saw back in him.
If you’re a paying subscriber, DM me here or on X, and I will send you the original email with the Zati Loubaki scouting report from November 2022!The first thing that stood out was his top-notch athleticism. Therefore, the European game is not the best context for him to thrive in. Hereafter, Loubaki moved stateside to play for Overtime Elite, whereafter he started his collegiate career for Trinity Valley. The negative part is that he hasn't progressed as much as he should have in the last two years.
Regardless, the focus for him is to develop and get better for the future. Going through adversity while being kept accountable is the best way to develop which makes Trinity Valley a good landing spot for Loubaki.
While averaging over 9 points and close to 8 rebounds per game, Loubaki has an efficient 59.3% finishing rate while averaging more than one block and steal per game. Loubaki is being used away from the ball as a cutter and play-finisher. The footage below shows his incredible leaping ability, where he’s the recipient of a lob pass or where he leaps from behind to finish the offensive rebound. Teams with a traditional center place will get the most out of Loubaki, as his athleticism is a floor-raiser for an entire team.
He’s good at sliding his feet, with the footwork in general needing work. The fundamental-based game in Europe isn’t entirely visible in Loubaki’s game. That makes him an interesting prospect, as he plays more like a traditional American forward while being born and raised in France.
Loubaki has three more years of eligibility left after this year, and it’s clear that he’s a long-term prospect. Therefore banking on his athletic tools as a mismatch-hunting forward with some ball skills to focus on playing bully-ball in the interior. Loubaki is not a three-point shooter, which makes it a question mark of what his role will be at the next level, as he’s a few inches too short to be a full-time five, while Loubaki is not able to play as a perimeter shot-creator to be a four.
He’s the classic case of benefitting from playing for a four-year program, with lots of untapped potential to discover.
Projection for next season: Rotational player for a low-major program.
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