AJ Dybantsa at 1, Alijah Arenas at 3: Ranking High School players from HSF, Los Angeles
The High School Fall Invitational this past weekend in Los Angeles, California featured some of the country’s top youth talent. Southern California contains a hotbed of youth talent — five of 247 Sports’ top seven recruits from the 2026 class appeared in the event.
I was fortunate enough to attend many of these games, watching and evaluating tomorrow’s NBA stars in person. Let’s discuss some of the standout performances and those prospects’ current and future outlooks as college and pro prospects.
7. Godson Okokoh - 2027, 6’8 Wing, SoCal Academy
Okokoh instantly pops out with his elite size, length and movement skills. Despite being younger than many of his opponents, Okokoh stands out on the defensive end especially. Few players of his size move laterally as quickly as he does, changing directions and mirroring drives like a guard. Okokoh rotates to protect the rim as well, elevating for blocks with great vertical explosion.
While raw offensively, Okokoh’s jumper looks smooth for a player of his age and size. He’s comfortable stepping out and knocking down open jumpers. Okokoh’s driving and ball skills will need development, as he struggles to create off of the dribble and attack the rim with the ball in his hands.
Okokoh’s potential is through the roof. He should continue to garner attention this season, rising through the 2027 ranks. It’s easy to imagine a player of Okokoh’s physical tools and flashes developing into one of the better prospects in the country over the coming years as he ages and matures.
6. Jason Crowe Jr. - 2026, 6’1 Guard, Inglewood
We saw a continuation of Crowe Jr.’s development as a point guard playing as a primary creator for Inglewood. He captained WhyNot’s 17u team on the EYBL circuit this summer playing up an age group. Crowe hits shots at a high level, burying threes from NBA range.
He’s just as excellent a scorer in the intermediate, draining high-arcing mid-range jumpers, spins, fadeaways and floaters. Even when defenses send pressure at Crowe, he’s able to hit shots and put up points. Against AJ Dybantsa’s Utah Prep team, he dropped 40 points on a flurry of NBA-style buckets.
When teams double-teamed Crowe, he made simple passes out to his teammates to convert easy shots. Crowe will continue to learn how to leverage his scoring gravity as a playmaker, which will be critical for his long-term viability as a lead guard given his lack of elite size or explosiveness.
5. Miikka Muurinen - 2026, 6’10 Forward/Center, AZ Compass
Muurinen broke out on the 16u EYBL circuit this summer with Brad Beal Elite, establishing himself as a promising stretch big prospect. He’s a stellar shotmaker for a player of his size, stepping out to smoothly knock down threes and mid-range jumpers.
He’s an incredibly fluid mover, creating drives with his mobility and hedging out on the perimeter on the defensive end. Muurinen’s ability to contain drivers with his lateral quickness is rare among players his size.
Against a lower level of competition at the tournament, Muurinen imposed himself inside. He dominated the glass, racked up fouls and and-ones and altered shots in the paint on defense. It’s common for stretchy young bigs to struggle with physicality on the interior. That doesn’t seem to be the case for Muurinen, which is a great sign for his pro future.
4. Tajh Ariza - 2026, 6’8 Wing/Forward, Westchester
Ariza acts as his team’s high-usage, primary creator. This is a major divergence from his AAU role this summer playing as a complementary, defense-first wing. Ariza’s shotmaking talent is obvious, rising up over defenders and stepping back to create space for threes. He’s excellent at spinning into jumpers in the mid-range.
Despite his slighter frame, Ariza loves to apply physicality to draw fouls and carve space on his drives. Ariza isn’t afraid to drive through defenders and embrace physically, which many young wings aren’t comfortable doing.
Ariza’s skill development continues to impress, making him an exciting prospect alongside his great size and movement skills, especially on defense. As Ariza improves as a primary handler, playmaker and decision-maker, he’ll continue to ascend the rankings for the 2026 high school class.
3. Alijah Arenas - 2026, 6’4 Guard, Chatsworth
Gilbert Arenas’s son is one of, if not the most dynamic guards in the country. He’s a skilled on-ball creator, generating advantages with quickness, a refined handle and veteran scoring craft. When Arenas can’t win with his burst or explosion, he’ll toy with defenders using footwork and timing tricks.
Arenas isn’t a high-volume passer given his role on a less-talented team. He’ll make simple kick-outs off of his drives, but Arenas can fall in love with difficult shots. This is understandable, though, as many young initiators without high-level teammates need to score with volume to keep their teams afloat.
He’ll flash defensive playmaking potential, blocking shots with his size and quick hands. Arenas’s scoring polish is rare at the high school level. His advantage creation potency paired with good enough athletic tools makes him one of the most exciting lead guard prospects in his class.
2. Davis Fogle - 2025, 6’7 Wing/Guard, AZ Compass
After playing a heavy on-ball role with his AAU team. Fogle is thriving as a connective wing with his new AZ Compass team. Playing with talented teammates, Fogle has settled in nicely to a lower usage, playmaking-focused role. He’s a snappy decision-maker with enough handling juice to pass off of the dribble as well.
Fogle’s motor never stops running, moving all over the floor on both ends. On defense, Fogle combines effort and a cerebral feel for the game to make long rotations and cover up defensive gaps. Despite his true wing size, Fogle has enough lateral mobility to switch out and contain guards on occasion.
The experience Fogle gains at AZ Compass will be critical for his long-term development. Learning how to play off of the ball and scale down next to other talented players is a critical skill for all eventual great college and pro players to develop. As he continues to bulk up and develop physically, Fogle’s feel for the game and skill make him an intriguing long-term prospect.
1. AJ Dybantsa - 2025, 6’9 Wing/Forward, Utah Prep
The consensus top prospect in the 2025 class showcased his overwhelming athleticism. Teenage defenders simply can’t hang with a player of Dybantsa’s size, explosion and fluidity. He’ll dunk the ball regardless of how many defenders are in the lane, creating loads of space with his first step and vertical pop.
Dybantsa has the shotmaking prowess requisite of an NBA wing, capable of demoralizing opponents. He’ll fire deep threes, face up in the mid-range and score off of the dribble at all levels. Dybantsa isn’t an elite passer, but he’s capable of finding open teammates on cuts and kick outs when teams sell out to stop his scoring.
When he’s locked in, Dybantsa can swarm on defense with his size and length. His polished, developed scoring toolkit along with special athletic tools make for a top prospect package. More than anything, he dominates like a future NBA player playing against high schoolers should.