2022 Pangos All-American Camp day one standouts

The 20th annual Pangos All-American Camp is officially underway in blazing hot Las Vegas. Beginning on Sunday and running through Tuesday, 120-plus of the nation’s top high school hoopers, regardless of class, made it to Sin City to either solidify their position at the top of the rankings or prove why they deserve more recognition. Day one saw a couple of hours of drills before the campers split off into a game-setting, where each team took the floor once.

KSR was in attendance and will be the next two days, bringing you all of the highlights from the event. In case you missed it, we already broke down our conversations with a pair of top Kentucky targets, Ian Jackson and Andrej Stojakovic. We’ll have plenty more interviews coming to the site over the next several days, so prepare for some top-notch content.

In the meantime, here are our standouts from the opening day of the camp.

*Rankings are courtesy of the On3 Consensus*

Baye Fall (2023) 5-star; No. 9 overall | 6-10, 205 pounds

It was the 2021 Pangos All-American Camp where Baye Fall broke out as a clear-cut five-star talent. A year later, he’s out to prove that he was well-worth sharing the MVP award from this time last June. The skinny 6-foot-10 center was everywhere on the court, recording 24 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks for Team Notre Dame, inhaling rebounds that he had no business even being near while knocking down the majority of his shots, which all came from inside the arc. Fall’s motor was easily the hardest working of anyone I saw on day one and it earned his team several extra possessions. The biggest question will be if his motor can equally translate to the physicality of the next level.

— Zack Geoghegan

AJ Johnson (2023) NR | 6-5, 170 pounds

Standing 6-foot-6, 160 pounds, AJ Johnson has weight to add, possibly the only real knock on his game at this point in time. He’s shifty and polished as a primary ball-handler, creating for himself and his teammates. A crafty finisher around the basket and a shot-maker from deep, there’s a real case for Johnson as a top-30 prospect in the rising senior class — and potentially even higher as he gets stronger. He’ll need the added muscle to turn the corner on drives and when finishing against Division I length and size, but there’s so much to work with for the Woodland Hills, CA native. Young and growing — Johnson’s trainer tells KSR he’s likely to grow to 6-foot-8 — it’s hard to find a higher ceiling in the 2023 guard class. He put that on full display on day one at Pangos.

— Jack Pilgrim

Xavier Booker (2023) 4-star; No. 30 overall | 6-10, 205 pounds

My first impression of Xavier Booker saw him live up to the insane rankings jump he’s recently received. Now ranked No. 30 overall by the On3 Consensus with the expectation he’ll soon receive unanimous five-star status, it didn’t take long for him to stand out. Booker posted 28 points and nine rebounds in his first game of the camp for Team Duke (which is coincidentally the program considered the leader in his recruitment). The lefty knocked down four straight 3-pointers in a short span and nearly hit the fifth. His power rising up and slamming home dunks is impressive for someone still needing to add muscle. I’ll be interested to see if he can produce similar numbers in day two action, but he was easily one of the best players at the event through the first day.

— Zack Geoghegan

Ian Jackson (2024) 5-star; No. 3 overall | 6-5, 180 pounds

When we first set up shop at the camp, Ian Jackson had yet to arrive. A flight delay prevented him from making an on-time appearance, but he sure didn’t play like it once he hit the hardwood. Despite not participating in any of the warmup drills, Jackson changed out of his casual clothes into his jersey and immediately became one of the best players at the event. He finished with 22 points, two rebounds, and two assists for Team Stanford, easily knifing past his defenders for shots at the rim. Like Booker, this was my first time watching Jackson in person, and it was clear that he’s well-deserving of his top-three ranking. A reclassification is on the table; he’s that far ahead of the other ’24 prospects.

— Zack Geoghegan

Pharoah Compton (2024) NR | 6-7, 230 pounds

A new addition to AZ Compass Prep, TyTy Washington’s former high school, Pharoah Compton is a physically imposing forward at 6-foot-7, 230 pounds. Currently unranked by all major recruiting services — he doesn’t even have a profile with most outlets — Compton goes out of his way to dunk everything. In his debut performance at Pangos, he was relentless on the glass while finishing with a handful of ferocious finishes at the rim and swatting shots away on the other end of the floor. He’s raw and struggles outside the paint at this stage, but he’s got a college-ready body and a non-stop motor that allows him to put up double-doubles nearly every time he steps on the floor. He’s clearly a top-100 prospect in the rising junior class.

— Jack Pilgrim