The JUCO Files Part 4
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. 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 for 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.
Prospects
1. Kaylon Mason — Ranger College (#0)
Wing — 6’8” — Sophomore — Fresno, CA
Link to Bio and Stats — Link to X
Mason is a long-term NBA prospect. At 6’8”, he’s a fluid athlete with broad shoulders and excellent length. There is no official measurement available, but he likely has a seven-foot wingspan. He fits in the mold of a wing-defending vertical lob threat who thrives as a weak-side helper while he’s able to switch against smaller and quicker guards.
His footwork is average at best, but that’s where his potential mostly is still untapped. He slides his feet decently but struggles to find a good balance in his last step. These archetypes survive in the NBA once they add a reliable three-point shot. Form-wise, Mason is consistent, but the way he sets his feet requires some work. At the 13-second mark below, he’s pivoting well with his right foot, but instead of putting both feet at 180 degrees, he slides his left foot forward, where he’s elevating well for his high-arcing release, but the body positioning is looking toward the sideline, rather than at the basket. Balancing things out is what he needs to work on in the next few years.
As of the 13th of December, 2024, he’s shooting 25.1% on 51 attempts. The consistency of his shot process makes it feasible that numbers improve, but the aforementioned body positioning has to change. There is one good habit that the catch-and-shoot attempts below show, and that’s him showing comfort in slightly fading back after the catch, creating some more space to secure his open looks and not being in danger of fast closeouts by opponents.
Furthermore, Mason is an aggressive and active cutter. He looks to constantly move and put pressure on the defense to be quick with their rotations. He’s a dunker and thrives on finding showing his vertical leaping ability. This makes his role as a pro more feasible, as he doesn’t require the ball in his hands to make winning plays. That’s what more top programs look for: guys who make winning plays while complementing ball-heavy teammates.
When creating his offense, his touch around the rim stands out. He’s using his length well to compensate for a few inches, as he can play as a smaller five in shooting-heavy lineups. He shows creativity with some baby-hook finishes, or using his footwork to find angles. Sealing off from opponents needs some work, but in his role as an energy forward, it’s more vital to screen effectively, rather than make his plays via post-ups, which shouldn’t be his game.
His passing ability has to improve if Mason wants to keep a team’s offensive rating at par. That’s the other side of the coin. He’s mostly being used as a spot-up shooter and energy forward, with a lack of playmaking opportunities. At 18 assists to 22 turnovers, that’s an area of concern when taking his fewer ball-touches into account. Improving his feel for the game as a passer is an investment his next program has to consider. In the limited sample size, Mason hasn’t been executing reads consistently. And that’s okay for now, as he’ll have to prove his ball-moving duties more.
Video Source: Player’s X account.
Projection for next season: Starter for a low-major program with the opportunity to be the team’s first or second option. Hereafter, Mason has a wide-open path to the high-major ranks.
2. Dimitrius “DJ” Dudley — Hutchinson Community College (#0)
Combo Guard — 6’4” — Sophomore — Inglewood, CA
Link to Bio — Link to X — Link to Stats
DJ Dudley is a tough and creative scorer who uses his combination of physicality, toughness, and rim pressure to generate buckets. He’s a decent athlete who doesn’t stand out with pure speed but has good footwork and craft to find himself paint touches. On top of that, he’s a reliable three-point shooter who has averaged over 40% in high school when playing for LA Premier Prep.
After spending his freshman year at Rider University, Dudley struggled to find a consistent role. It’s a testimony to his hard work and dedication to the game that he decided to bet on himself while transferring to the JUCO ranks and improving his game. The biggest sell for his next program is his toughness and rebounding. At 6-foot-4, he’s offering good size to play in a three-guard lineup. The plus is that he finds ways to score without the ball in his hands, with his shooting off the catch being the primary weapon.
Dudley has a decent touch around the rim due to good body control. He forces himself into the paint, making it harder to find balanced positioning before he finishes, but that’s where his creativity comes into play. His aggressiveness led to him averaging over 5 free-throw attempts per game while finishing them at an 81.0% clip.
For the next level, Dudley is optimal in serving as a secondary playmaker with his good court vision. He played as a leading ball handler before college, where his experience is a bonus and enough feasibility to ensure he’s making good reads while executing them. With more teams trying to space the floor, rim pressure to force help-defenders to rotate makes it easier to find open shooters. That’s Dudley’s role, where he’s comfortable in accepting that he’s not the primary ball handler anymore. That makes him a well-regarded prospect for mid-major programs to consider while searching through the portal to construct their roster for the 2025-26 season.
Video Source: Player’s X account.
Projection for next season: Rotational piece on a mid-major program.
3. Justin McCall — Western Texas College (#2)
Scoring Guard — 6’3” — Freshman — Huntsville, AL
Link to Bio and Stats — Link to X
Every program looks for more shooting depth. That’s McCall’s primary value. He’s averaging 43.2% in 118 attempts in 14 games, making him one of the best high-volume shooters in JUCO basketball. His characteristic super high-arcing release puts him apart from most of his peers. At 6’3”, he has decent size to switch between the one and the two consistently, so therefore, it’s a must that he can find his shots against taller opponents in a switch-heavy game.
With analytics taking over the college game, more programs focus on efficiency versus the number of ball touches. That makes McCall’s role at the next level even more appealing. He’s very selective with his shots. Getting downhill via cuts is effectively helping him find good looks at the rim. He's decent when attacking closeouts. The physicality supports him to get to the charity stripe, where he converts 75.7% of his close to 3 free-throw attempts per game. Due to his shooting-heavy role, the sample size is limited for his attempts inside the arc.
For the next level, with the shot being his primary weapon, he has to improve his passing to make the most out of his gravity as a shooter. He’s focused on finding his shots, rather than serving as a playmaker. And that’s okay due to his role. At 31 assists to 18 turnovers in 14 games, the first signs are good. He shows he takes care of the basketball while finding his teammates when he's looking to execute his passing reads.
Defensively, McCall is decent when playing away from the ball. His toughness and physicality has been display when he’s defending in the point-of-attack. However, there’s value to be added to his profile if he’s put more into defending against ball screens at the Division I level. However, the evaluation has had the most focus on the offensive value.
Video Source: Player’s X account.
Projection for next season: Starter for a low-major program with serious potential to reach the high-major level if the three-point shooting continues to translate.
4. Cole Crissman — Tallahassee State (#24)
Forward — 6’10” — Freshman — Huntington, WV
Link to Bio and Stats — Link to X
Floor-stretching forwards are seeing their value increase in today’s college style of play with more floor-spacing and shooting from all positions. Crissman is a classic tweener between the four and the five, but in a positive way that he must make plays off the dribble, as shown at the 19-second mark, or as a pick-and-roll center with play-finishing at the rim.
He has a decent motor, but his long and slender build makes it like he moves slower than he does, especially when he’s on the perimeter. At 6-foot-10, Crissman has decent handles, but an aggressive way in finding a path to the basket. He puts his head down and looks to use his size advantage and upper body to put himself in scoring positions. His verticality is decent, as Crissman’s inside-out game away from the ball helps him to solidify a rebounding stance to be the first to grab defensive rebounds.
However, at less than 4 rebounds per game, results are underwhelming. He needs to be more assertive. At 6-foot-10, he must focus on dominating the glass, especially with more low-major programs struggling to find versatility and size. That’s an area for Crissman to use his size advantage and hang his hat on his energy and motor. His three-point shooting opens up his entire gravity as an interior threat, as his popping after screens is how he’ll find his attempts.
More importantly, as shown below in the film, is Crissman's aggressiveness and touch as a play-finisher around the rim. He has a role to play many minutes, especially considering his low amount of fouls: 15 fouls in 135 minutes so far this season.
Video Source: Player’s X account.
Projection for next season: Starting-caliber center for a low-major program
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