​After missing his first season rehabbing from an ACL injury, Grant Riller burst onto the college hoops scene with a 21 point performance in his Charleston debut in November of 2016 against The Citadel. Over the past three seasons, Riller has grown into one of the best players in program history, and one of the best all-around guards in the nation. Riller and Jarrell Brantley (Utah Jazz 2019 2nd Round Pick) formed a dynamic duo that led the Cougars to the 2018 CAA conference tournament title and great team success over the past few seasons. Now in his senior year, the 6’3” combo guard is one of the most intriguing mid-major prospects in the class and will look to follow in Brantley’s footsteps in proving himself as a potentially draftable prospect.

Watching all 225 lbs of Mushidi careen down the court in transition for a promising Braunschweig organization is one of the most enthralling parts of the BBL this season and it should only get better as he continues to assimilate into the new offense with unfamiliar teammates. Mushidi has been on draft radars since 2016 and has intrigued most who watch him with an unusual combination of length, quickness, and strength at the wing position. He’s a gritty physical defender with an aptitude for anticipating actions before they happen and its easy to see how development in a couple of key offensive areas could lead to a player not stylistically dissimilar from Jaylen Brown or a secondary ball-handler with shades of Andre Iguodala. Despite great measurables and a strong approach, Mushidi’s development has plateaued a bit over the past two years and he'll need to show progression to recapture his mystique as a potentially draftable NBA prospect.

Markell Johnson is a dynamic lead guard and the engine that fuels the N.C. State offense. The Ohio-native originally stepped in as a backup guard to Dennis Smith Jr. and, over the past few years, Johnson has blossomed into one of the premier guards in the ACC. After testing the 2019 NBA Draft waters, Johnson has returned for his senior season in Raleigh and is poised to shine as one of the best playmakers in the nation. While he may not currently be found ranked particularly highly in early season draft boards, Johnson has the potential to rise throughout the season and make a push toward realizing his NBA aspirations.

​In a draft class that possesses a multitude of international talents that draw a lot of public attention, Russian forward Nikita Mikhailovskii is flying a bit under the radar. A 6’7’’+ guard, Mikhailovskii brings the length of a prototypical NBA wing, combined with a versatile offensive skill set and unique handling ability at his size. This year marks the second season that the Russian talent has been a major part of the rotation of Avtodor Saratov. For the 2018-19 season, Mikhailovskii was named VTB United League Young Player of the Year. What makes this accolade even more impressive is the fact that all players 22 and under are eligible to win the award and Mikhailovskii was still just 18 years old when earned this recognition. In addition, he was a vital contributor to Russian youth national teams on multiple occasions, most recently at the 2019 FIBA U-19 World Cup in Greece. With increased playing time (Mikhailovskii has been a starter in 4/5 Avtodor games so far this season (22.7 MPG)), he will have the opportunity to prove himself against European powerhouses like Khimki Moscow, CSKA Moscow, and Zenit Saint-Petersburg on a regular basis. 

​Jarron Cumberland is a senior at Cincinnati who had an outstanding junior year. When he first came to Cincinnati he made the All-Freshman team of the AAC and won the 6th Man of the Year award. His junior year he was the AAC Player of the Year, All-Conference First Team,  and AAC Tournament MVP. He tested the draft waters this past offseason, gaining an invite G-League Elite Camp. After getting feedback, he decided to come back to Cincinnati for his senior year. This comes with a lot of expectations to not only lead Cincinnati to another successful season, but also improve his game and prove to scouts that he's deserving of being drafted.
 
Cumberland, at nearly 6’5” and 210+ pounds, primarily plays the shooting guard position at Cincinnati. He is a two-way player who has a good defensive IQ and is the main scoring option for his team on the other end. He isn’t the greatest athlete, but makes up for that with his feel of the game and his size. What makes him a special college player and a legitimate pro prospect is his ability to be versatile on both ends of the floor and be a well-rounded two-way player. This will be the focus of this report: his offensive versatility and defensive versatility. 

​As a low usage redshirt freshman role player operating under the shadow of Carsen Edwards last season, Aaron Wheeler has flown under the radar of professional scouts thus far in his young career. Expect that to change in 2019-20. Wheeler stealthily made the most of his opportunity off the bench for the Boilermakers last season, showing flashes of upside as a shooter and a long, instinctual defender. If you dig into his advanced statistics, Wheeler shows a fairly unique combination of translatable indicators. Wheeler is the only qualifying freshman in the past ten years to post a 35+ 3P%, 2.5+ STL%, 4.0+BLK%, <15 TOV%, and 15+ DREB%. This statistical profile aligns quite well to what can be taken away from Wheeler’s film and to his projectable role both as a higher usage starter this coming season and an eventual pro.

​Alpha Diallo’s game is perfectly described by his Instagram handle, “@slowmo.11”, but that’s not a negative by any means. He consistently plays the game at his own pace and uses smooth, savvy moves to put defenders in poor position and get to his spots. Diallo has ideal NBA wing size at 6’7” tall and 210 pounds. He's brings a versatile array of skills that help him gel into a variety of lineups. The 2018-19 All-Big East Second Team wing averaged 16.0 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 3.1 assists, while accumulating 10 double-doubles in his junior season (tied for 1st in the conference). Diallo tested the 2019 NBA Draft waters under the advisement of Excel Sports Management agent, Javon Phillips. Diallo had the opportunity to work out for several NBA teams and receive meaningful feedback from scouts and front office decision-makers, and now he goes into his senior season on a mission to lead the Friars in a run at the Big East title while improving his stock as a future pro.

​The 2019-20 college hoops season kicks off tomorrow, and the ACC has taken the unique position of commencing conference play at the onset of the season rather than following the traditional scheduling layout following the holidays. As such, the PBC Scouting Team has assembled a list of ACC prospects to watch this season with some supplemental scouting analysis on a handful of intriguing prospects ranked outside of the consensus top 45.