The Border League in Las Vegas, Nevada, features many of the best high school basketball players, and, naturally, most of those players are upperclassmen. It’s tough for freshmen and sophomores to make a mark in high-level high school games filled with older players, but elite underclassmen will inevitably shine through.
Let’s analyze the three most impressive underclass prospects I watched at The Border League tournament. These prospects may not be on college or NBA radars for quite some time, but scouts and coaches will need to be aware of these underclassmen sooner rather than later.
Mateen Cleaves Jr.│2028│Guard│6’4│Dream City
Cleaves Jr. moves at a different speed with the basketball than most of his peers. His explosiveness, smooth movement and physicality immediately popped, as he’s comfortable attacking off the catch confidently. Despite being just a sophomore, Cleaves Jr. has no issues lowering his shoulder and moving defenders backward, aided by his play from two feet.
When defenders collapsed on those drives, he consistently found shooters across the court on snappy kickout passes. His blend of on-ball advantage creation and consistent decision making is a rarity at this level, especially for athletes like Cleaves Jr. who explode downhill suddenly and change speeds like he does with the ball.
2028 guard mateen cleaves jr is a smooth, explosive driver who consistently makes good decisions off his self created paint touches. that’s a rare blend of skills for a sophomore
6’4 with impressive physicality and strength as well pic.twitter.com/6XL7uVBTcb
— ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) October 8, 2025
In quieter scoring games without as many shot attempts, Cleaves Jr. will settle as a complementary player and add value as a spot-up shooter, connective passer and physical defender. He was as impressive as sophomores come at The Border League, showcasing the creation, feel and athletic chops of a future star prospect.
Cayden Gaskins│2029│Forward│6’7│Columbus
Gaskins played with his brother Caleb for Columbus and flashed the traits requisite of a high-level prospect down the line. It’s far too early to make genuine predictions that matter about high school freshmen, but the flashes from Gaskins were obviously impressive. Just like his brother, he boasts soft touch in the intermediate and mid-range, even off-balance.
He looked explosive and athletic with the ball, showing off solid handling control on a few drives and while dribbling himself into post-ups. That same athleticism popped on the defensive end, where his low stance and lateral quickness let him hound ballhandlers at the point-of-attack.
His feel for the game is understandably raw, as Gaskins hasn’t played much high level basketball against older high school players. At the moment, Gaskins lacks the awareness and feel to consistently imprint himself on both ends. But for a freshman, his athleticism and flashes with the ball were enough to get excited about the future.
Josh Lowery│2028│Wing│6’4│Sierra Canyon
Lowery’s off-ball shooting consistently boosted Sierra Canyon (CBC)’s offense. When defenses collapsed on Brandon McCoy and Maximo Adams, he punished their help with a flurry of 3-point shots. Beyond his spot-up chances, Sierra felt confident enough to call plays for Lowery to shoot off movement and run off screens, many of which he converted.
on their next HC possession, sierra sets up a strong side double stagger for a shooter and ’28 josh lowery wisely spots AZ compass switching early and flares to the corner space
good high school hoops xs and os! pic.twitter.com/p26872lHkH
— ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) October 6, 2025
He functioned primarily as an off-ball wing next to other stars, rarely taking defenders off the dribble or looking to create on the ball. Lowery flashed some basic dribbling competency, busting out a behind-the-back move and some nifty pivoting on his few driving chances. At this stage, he’s clearly most comfortable as a complementary scorer.
Despite lacking excellent size, Lowery made his presence felt on defense throughout the games, racking up steals and deflections with quick, accurate hands. There’s plenty of room for Lowery to grow physically and skill-wise throughout the coming years, but he’s already starting from a strong two-way foundation to build off.
All Stats per Synergy unless otherwise noted
