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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Elite level high school basketball in a tricked-out shopping mall where you can go skiing on one end and ride waterslides on the other end; why not? The Throne National Championship has converted the ice-skating rink at the American Dream mall just outside of New York City into one of the most unique hoops atmospheres 247Sports has ever seen and lured eight of the country's top programs to compete for a title.
We were on hand for Thursday's quarterfinal rounds featuring the nation's two highest-ranked undecided seniors in No. 4 Nate Ament and No. 11 Brayden Burries as well as a bunch of other high-end talent.
BURRIES LEAVES IT ALL ON THE FLOOR, BUT PLAINFIELD PREVAILS
Brayden Burries (Photo: Courtesy of The Throne National Championship, 247Sports)
Following a historically great run to an open division title in California, five-star guard Brayden Burries and his teammates from Eastvale (Calif.) Roosevelt showed up at The Throne looking to defend last year's title against Plainfield (N.J.) High. The local squad's fans turned out in force and had the game rocking as they knocked off the champs 69-67 in a thriller.
While Burries high school career came to an end in the loss, he went out swinging and left everything he had on the floor. The undecided senior scored at the rim, from mid-range and from deep all while being a beast on the glass and spending the second half guarding a dude that is at least five inches taller and about 60 pounds heavier than him. When it was all said and done, Burries finished with 32 points, 19 (!) rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks in what was just another elite performance in a string of elite performances over the past few months.
All that's left is a college decision between Arizona, Alabama, Oregon, USC and Tennessee.
Micah Gordon (Photo: Courtesy of The Throne National Championship, 247Sports)
On the other side, Plainfield was awesome. Just when it seemed like things were slipping away from them in the third quarter, they responded with a 16-2 run to take a lead headed into the fourth quarter. From then on, they fought off a furious rally by Burries and Roosevelt and made the big plays when it mattered.
Leading the way were sophomore guard Micah Gordon and imposing senior big man Najai Hines.
Although he just missed the initial Top-75 for the class of 2027 because 247Sports had only had limited in person evaluations, Gordon figures to be accounted for in the next batch of rankings. He's not the biggest point guard at about 5-foot-11 or so but he plays bigger than his size and has a lot of juice and wiggle to his game. An electric athlete who is dynamic off the dribble, hardly anybody could stay in front of him as he went for 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
Recently plugged into the Top-150 for the class of 2025, Hines is a fun story. After being recruited more as a football player throughout his first three years of high school, he moved to Jersey for his senior season and since becoming eligible in January he's been a manchild. Pushing 6-foot-10 and 260-pounds or so, Hines is an imposing presence in the lane. He played with tremendous physicality, tried to dunk everything and was a major deterrent at the rim. While he's a bit raw overall, he showed some real passing ability, great hands and some promising touch while scoring with either hand. He may end up needing a year of prep school, but there is zero doubt that he's a high major player. He finished with 15 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks and programs would be wise to get out of the portal for a few minutes to review his film.
HOUSTON BOUND FLEMINGS LOOKING STRONG
Kingston Flemings (Photo: Courtesy of The Throne National Championship, 247Sports)
While Houston bound point guard Kingston Flemings and his teammates from San Antonio (Texas) Brennan didn't get to hit the floor for their game with five-star junior Caleb Holt and his teammates from Loganville (Ga.) Grayson until after 10 pm Eastern, he brought all the energy in a building that was starting to lose it.
Ranked No. 23 overall, Flemings looked notably stronger than the last time we saw him and he appears to have grown a bit, perhaps even pushing 6-foot-4. The added strength is a great sign moving forward and while going from about 170 pounds to nearly 180 doesn't seem like a lot, it makes a huge difference for somebody so previously slight and it showed in his play.
Flemings was able to power through defenders, bounced off some contact and was simply hard to guard. Yes, his jump shot remains a work in progress and he is going to have to get a little tighter with his decision making while continuing to add strength, but he has absolutely improved overall as a senior.
Flemings almost messed around and had a triple double coming up one assist short in a strong 33 point, 13 rebound and nine assist game.
On the other side, Holt had a solid showing himself. He suffered from some turnover issues because of trying to do a bit too much at times, but he finished with 27 points in an 84-75 loss.
MORE NOTES FROM THE THRONE
There is no questioning the overall skill level and offensive polish of Nate Ament. Pushing 6-foot-10, he's also got very sticky hands as a rebounder and is a very smart player on both ends. However, he still lacks strength and Long Island Lutheran made it a point to run several players at him and play him with as much physicality as possible. Ament found ways to adjust but it clearly disrupted him at times on a night where he finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds but was just 5-17 from the field. He did do a great job getting to the free throw line where he converted 11-12 shots but he and his teammates came up just short in a closing seconds heartbreaker. He should be picking from Arkansas, Duke, Kentucky, Louisville and Tennessee any day now.
On the winning side, 2026's No. 13 ranked player Dylan Mingo was everything Luhi needed him to be. The slender guard snaked through the slightest of holes in the defense to get baskets at the rack, hit timely shots and came up with clutch defensive plays when needed. Sure, he still needs to get an awful lot stronger, but the guys impacts winning each time he's on the floor and as he continues to tighten up his jump shot and starts to mature physically, he's going to be a real problem. He looks primed for a strong summer after going for 18 points, three rebounds and five steals.
He and his teammates from Richmond (Va.) John Marshall fell to a very balanced squad from Allen (Texas), but junior big man Latrell Allmond backed up his status as a top-50 player in the junior class. What really stood out was the way he continues to reshape his body and how versatile he's become on the defensive end.
Previously more of an undersized center, Allmond is looking more like a power forward who can guard either the four or the five. In fact, it was his defensive versatility that really jumped out. He had seven steals and five blocks to go along with his 12 points and 10 rebounds. He seemed to be all over the floor getting deflections, erasing shots at the rim and using his improved athleticism to his advantage. He is another who looks primed for a strong summer run on the grassroots circuit.