The JUCO Files Part 11
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?
Take Jimmy Butler—he put in work at Tyler Junior College before making a name for himself at Marquette. Turns out, he’s not alone. Guys like Dalton Knecht, now with the Lakers, and Jonathan Mogbo with the Raptors, came up through JUCO too, sharpening their games before hitting the NBA.
That’s what got me thinking about JUCO basketball. It’s not glamorous, but it’s real—fundamentals, toughness, and raw development. It’s a quiet pipeline for players ready to step up to Division I. So, I started The JUCO Files in my newsletter to dig into these prospects, the ones who often get missed but have the tools to make an impact.
The goal? Shed light on how JUCO builds players who can handle the jump—whether that’s to a small program, a mid-major, or a power-five school.
Why Subscribe?
My newsletter, Ersin’s NBA Draft Notebook, zeroes in on two under-the-radar pools: international talent and JUCO kids. Both are goldmines for college teams looking to find their next contributor. I break down what these prospects bring to the table—their fit, their game— so coaches can lean on us as an extra set of eyes. It’s straightforward scouting, focused on real, actionable info.
It’s $5 a month, or $50 for the year—which shakes out to two months free. Want something more hands-on? Team Ersin Demir’s $250 a year gets you into my full database, plus the chance to hop on Zoom and talk through specific players.
Prospects
1. Yanis Mahoundo — Western Oklahoma State College
Combo Guard — 6’5” — Sophomore — Toulouse, France
Link to Bio and Stats — Link to X Profile
Mahoundo is a tall, shooting-heavy guard who makes the most out of his unorthodox overhead shooting release. He has a quick trigger while setting his feet immediately after the catch. His habit of keeping the ball high at all times makes him an effective shooter with a translatable shot for the next level. While putting up over 100 attempts from downtown, he converts a tad under 40%. On top of that, his rim pressure is another area where he’ll add value to a team’s offensive rating.
Mahoundo has long arms and active hands, helping him to impact passing lanes and generate transition opportunities. His toughness and aggressive style of play help him to leverage his shooting prowess to get paint touches. As a result, he averages over two steals per game. Despite being a born shooter, Mahoundo has most of his attempts at the rim. His quick overhead jumpers make him unpredictable, as he’s comfortable to immediately plant his last step and shoot over the top of defenses. At 6-foot-5, that adds extra value to his profile.
It’s likely Mahoundo will collect low-major and mid-major offers throughout the season. With the transfer portal focusing on top shooters, these programs will seek to close the gap with incoming talent. For college coaches, scaling down Mahoundo’s sixteen field goal attempts per game could bring a challenge. Regardless, he should be on many radars already.
2. Hussain Williams — The Community College of Baltimore County – Dundalk Campus
Combo Guard/Wing — 6’5” — Sophomore — Lynchburg, Va.
Link to Bio and Stats — Link to X Profile
At 6-foot-5, Williams is built like a rock. His strong upper body with good core strength opens up the opportunity to carry his scoring profile to the next level. He’s a great athlete despite bulking up his muscles in the last two years. His good handles and quick first step make him a threat to get downhill. He can bank on both his speed and his strength to create advantages. Despite being able to put the ball on the floor, Williams’ role can be scaled down to a switchable defender who can defend guards and wings due to his speed and physicality.
Williams is an aggressive scorer, earning over four free throws per game. However, his value is mainly on the offensive end. Defensively, he’s not consistently setting his rotations. This is partially compensated by his positional versatility. The main value is despite his rim pressure, Williams takes good care of the ball as he’s averaging more stocks than turnovers. However, as a passer, his game is still limited. He’s mostly playing on his own. The positive is his good rebounding, where he’s crashing the offensive glass hard to focus on collecting putbacks on top of his shooting and scoring. Williams can play as a microwave scorer off the bench for many low-major programs, as I expect him to collect more offers in the next few months.
3. Sean Spencer — Harper College
Center — 6’9” — Freshman — Liverpool, England, UK
Link to Bio and Stats — Link to X Profile
Spencer is a vertical lob threat with a great motor. His excellent screening and diving to the rim after ball screens make him a much-wanted commodity for Division I programs. He’s a vertical leaper who looks to dunk home every deep paint touch he generates. He has fluid hips and good footwork, helping him to seal off his opponents to find himself at the rim. He’s an excellent rebounder, but despite his athleticism, he's an underwhelming shot-blocker.
He’s rushing his jumps and is vulnerable to bite on pump-fakes and jab steps. But there’s room for improvement, as his compensating skillset is to guard away from the rim. His foot speed helps him to defend on the perimeter. As a pick-and-roll defender, he’s comfortable playing in drop coverage, which is a must-have to play at center at the Division I level.
However, coaches must help him to make better decisions when he’s having the ball in his hands. His lack of composure leads to many turnovers as he doesn't consistently execute his passing reads. On top of that, he’s overcarrying the ball, making him vulnerable to getting stripped or hacked. While shooting below 50% from the line, it doesn’t look like Spencer can play the closing minutes of a game. Regardless, he’s an excellent athlete with a great skill set and motor. At worst, I expect him to play as an energy big and vertical lob threat off the bench.
4. Anfernee Hanna — Motlow State Community College
Wing — 6’6” — Sophomore— Bahamas, Nassau
Link to Bio and Stats — Link to X Profile
Hanna is a great athlete with tight handles. At 6-foot-6, he can make decisions with the ball in his hands as a scorer and a passer. He has a fearless-styled game where he doesn’t shy away from making risky passes. Despite the high turnovers, Hanna’s role can be scaled down to the next level. He’s carrying his team’s main scoring duties, but for the next level, he’s best to be utilized as a floor-spacing shooter who makes plays out of closeouts. He’s shooting over 40% from three on great volume. On top of that, he finds himself often at the charity stripe. His core strength is well developed, with enough room to continue to fill his frame.
Hanna has a good touch at the rim. He finishes with both hands. However, he has some tunnel vision where he’s trying to score against defenders that are set, rather than making the extra pass. We see a trend of more college programs looking for wing-sized ball handlers while playing as a weak-side rim protector. Hanna has decent hands, opening up the opportunity to play as a screener in smaller, shooting-heavy lineups. Regardless, Hanna brings tons of offensive versatility to a program. But to make it work, his role has to be scaled down to fully bank on his scoring prowess via closeouts, while Hanna can serve as a volume shooter. However, he’s often falling in love with shooting off the dribble from downtown. That’s a habit the coaching staff has to help him change at the next level.
Hanna is a true mid-major-level prospect who should garner more interest in the next few months.
Projection for next season: Starter for a low-major program.
5. Quentin Henry — Western Texas College
Wing/Forward— 6’7” — Sophomore — Baton Rouge, LA
Link to Bio and Stats — Link to X Profile
Henry has all the physical tools mid-major college coaches look for. He’s built like a rock with broad shoulders and a well-filled frame. He’s an excellent rebounder while offering a fair share of rim protection as a weak-side shot blocker. His role can be scaled up where he can play as a four on top of his main role as a three. However, there are some issues that have to be addressed.
Henry has a bad touch around the basket. His scores come via putbacks and energy plays, where his rebounding gives him the edge as he can throw his body to unbalance every opponent that comes his way. The sophomore has a good habit of drawing contact, earning him many free-throw attempts. However, his touch remains an issue as he’s not efficient from the floor and thus will likely hurt a program’s offensive rating with him on the floor. Therefore, he’s forced to scale his role down to serve as a shooter from the perimeter who has to make plays out of closeouts. He doesn’t have great speed, but good footwork and physicality where he can force himself to the rim.
Henry has a good feel for the game as an interior defender. His rotations are decent but not consistent. However, he’s an active cutter and looks to dive to the rim and seal off opponents to finish through contact. At worst, he’ll be a good option to put opponents into foul trouble and bring his team to the bonus. His free-throw shooting is a swing skill. If he can improve from the line, Henry can be a mismatch-hunter who looks to punish when switching to smaller defenders. He’s a bully who plays tough, but he’s fairly easy to guard as a defender. He’s not comfortable with his composure and has a shaky shot selection. On top of that, he doesn’t take good care of the ball.
Despite being experienced, Henry shouldn’t play starter minutes, but his game fits more to play as a bruiser off the bench who can use his physicality to find his fair share of offense while being a versatile defender around the floor thanks to his excellent positional size. He’s a rotational piece for a low-major Division I program, with many physical tools coaches can utilize to carve out a feasible role for him.