The JUCO Files Part 29
It's simple: JUCO is college basketball's backbone. There's a world of talent to discover, of which many belong in Division I. Here in-depth analysis on four must-follow prospects for D1 coaches:
Why JUCO?
Fringe D1 prospects must go play JUCO basketball to maintain their valuable minutes while developing must-have skills and going through adversity. The result after two years is a associate’s degree and valuable experience today’s average D1 program seeks.
Instead of paying average players a lot of money in the portal, they’ll gladly shift to JUCO prospects who’ll come in fresh, and are in most cases even better prepared than their D1 peers. It’s a situation where everyone wins, while programs can save on their NIL resources compared to when they’ll work the transfer portal.
All previous articles, totalling to over 125 players, can be found here.
This article will contain four in-depth reports, where the first two are open to the public and the other three behind a paywall.
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Prospects
1. Ade Daramola — Cerro Coso Community College
Small Forward/Power Forward — 6’6” — Freshman — Toronto, Canada
Link to Bio and Stats — Link to X Profile
From Toronto to California via the prestigious DME Academy. Daramola is one of the better potential three/fours for the next couple of years. He suffers from sever tunnel vision and needs to grow his feel for the game. On top of that, he’s still slim-framed and will use his summer to add more muscle and continue to fill his frame. I’m intrigued by his physical tools, skillset and the type of slasher he can become in the future. He’s fluid, has light feet and the makings to be a clear advantage-creator with his physical tools alone. That’s why returning to JUCO to invest in his intangibles matters the most.
At 6.1 points on 37.0%, the numbers won’t make him stand out on any list. Regardless, it’s the evaluation of his film that matters here. Daramola often shows flashes of brilliance, but follows it up by not making the right decisions. The first play shows an example. He’s used the spin move and found the separation, but then blindly waited for one second. At the Division I level that ball is stripped away long before he could finish the spin while he had a good finishing angle before looking for the next one from the midrange. The 17-second mark shows another example. He’s preferring to finish with his left to a contested shot while the finish was there wide-open if he had finished with his right without any contest. But you can’t unsee the fluidity. The 46-second mark shows him again spin into that good last step before rising high for his jumper. He’s moving so easily. The footwork is raw, but with improvements on that end he’ll be a top-tier creator among slashers in the future, with the smooth pump-fake at 1:06 showing another example.
Returning to JUCO is the best decision. However, with the 2027 recruitment class starting early for successful programs, Daramola should be closely monitored. He’s a clear D1 prospect, but one who must show improvements and be more efficient as a sophomore. I think he’s a high-major prospect, but one who will benefit from valuing playing time and trying to get to a mid-major program after the 2026-27 season.
2. Nisani Mendez — Lamar Community College
Shooting Guard — 6’4” — Redshirt Freshman — Belize
Link to Bio and Stats — Link to X Profile
I’ve had Mendez on my watchlist for a very long time, and I regret not writing about him earlier. What a tantilizing athlete. He’s the true definition of mastering his pace and speed to where he’s getting downhill with such ease. Rim pressure is the name of the game when it comes to Division I teams recruiting guards. Handles, their feel for the game and shot selection come next.
Mendez played in Belize before committing to Lamar CC. He has had a 40-point outing on that level, but the quality of him as a scorer and what convinced me was this season in the States. At 11.5 points per game, he’s been solid as a slasher, with some flashes of creating in the pick-and-roll. Mendez struggles with some of his shot selection to where he’s extremely explosive with his vertical pop at the rim, but his touch overall around the rim is not good enough to show consistent efficiency. That doesn’t take away any value in his profile, but says more about how he’s only at 42.0% scoring on the season, while shooting under 30% with most of them as a stationary and one-dribble pull-up. Regardless, I vouch for Mendez. He has the tools to be a high-major guard in the future. The speed, change of pace and handles are good enough to be a full-time slashing 2, whereas he’s strong and physical to where he can play as a 3 in three-guard lineups.
Defensively, the athleticism prevails. He’s still seeking the structure and quality minutes to continue to grow as a team defender. At under a stock per game, that’s the indicator of him still needing to grow the impact he has on that part of the floor. The shot selection is the main area to focus on. The 1:26-mark shows an example. Any creative scorer would pump-fake the hell out of that defender to either draw the foul, or make the extra pass. Mendez’s wired to score and preferably dunk everything home. I applaud that, but to maximize his skillset he needs to have a much better variety of ways to score. Overall, I expect Mendez to garner many interest from Division I programs, to where he’s worth a full scholarship on a low-major-plus level program that’s aiming to win their one-bid league.
All JUCO Prospects
I wrote 28 other articles like this one in which I covered a total of over 125 JUCO prospects, which all can be found here.
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