Meet No. 1-ranked 2028 prospect Kameron Mercer
By SAM LANCE
MURRAY, KENTUCKY — Kameron Mercer is just a freshman in high school, but you wouldn’t know it by watching him play. Perhaps that’s why the 2028 prospect has been dubbed the No. 1 player in the class.
Standing a 6-foot-5, 195-pounds with a 6-foot-10 wingspan, Mercer sure doesn’t look like a freshman. And he doesn’t play like one either. During the Grind Session in Kentucky, Mercer led his Huntington Prep (WV) squad to a 2-0 record against the Academy of Central Florida and Wilson Academy (GA). In the first game, Mercer finished with 14 points, four assists and five rebounds. He followed that by filling up the stat sheet against Wilson Academy, tallying 15 points, eight assists and six rebounds.
“What I love about Kam is he’s a competitor,” Huntington Prep coach Arkell Bruce told ZAGSBLOG. “He impacts the game in many different ways, stuffs the stat sheet and plays for the right reasons and the right way. He has a beautiful future with the game.”
Most of his playing career, Mercer has been a two or three because of his size. But this year at Huntington Prep, he’s mainly running the point guard, the position Mercer sees himself playing at the next level.
“I really want to transition to like a true point guard,” Mercer told ZAGSBLOG. “I know if I become a true point guard my stock is going to boost. There’s a difference between being a 6-foot-5 point guard and 6-foot-5 two-guard. It’s very very different. So I know my stock is going to increase a lot if I really transition my game to a one.”
If you look at the game today, bigger guards are finding success. NBA players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic both stand at 6-foot-6. In the college game, guys like St. John’s Kadary Richmond and Rutger’s Dylan Harper stand out. Mercer could be the next great and still may have a couple inches to grow.
Recruitment wise, it’s very early for Mercer. Per NCAA rules, he’s not allowed to have any recruiting conversations until June 15 after his sophomore year of high school. He also won’t be able to visit schools until August 1 before his junior season. Still, Mercer currently holds four offers: Cincinnati, Missouri, Ohio State and Xavier.
Mercer is from Cincinnati and has liked what Wes Miller and the Bearcats have shown so far this season.
“What they are doing right now, I’m surprised,” Mercer said. “They shoot it really well from the 3-point line and defensively they are really good. So I feel like he’s going to keep pushing that narrative and they’re going to be really really good for seasons to come.”
Mercer currently knows a few players on Cincinnati. Freshman forward Tyler McKinley attended Winton Woods (OH) with Mercer and the two are close. He also knows redshirt freshman forward Rayvon Griffith.
When picking a school, Mercer doesn’t care how far away from home it may be.
“I just want the college I choose to feel like home,” Mercer said. “I want a coach that coaches me hard. I want to be competitive. I want to win. Stuff like that. I’m just a competitive person so I want to be on a winning team. But also I want to be coached really really hard and people to be on me. I want accountability, stuff like that. But mainly I would say I want to win.”
This upcoming summer, Mercer will be playing up with the All Ohio-Red 16u squad on the EYBL circuit. He’s played up his whole life and is looking forward to the challenge. Of course, he’s facing older competition with Huntington Prep right now as well, playing against mostly juniors and seniors. It’s challenging at times, but Mercer said it’ll only help him grow.
Currently, Mercer feels like he is a three-level scorer and two-way player. He can shoot it and drive downhill while also locking up the other team’s best player. But there’s still a lot to work on.
“I would say I’m probably best at, like my IQ is pretty good,” Mercer said. “I feel like I need to get my handle a little sharper to solidify that to like be pretty good at it. My reads, I make pretty good reads. I know I play really really hard. And I just make good team plays for my team.”
Mercer isn’t the only athlete in his family. His older brother, Jaylen Mercer, is a 2027 football prospect and has racked up 15+ offers as an edge rusher from schools like Tennessee and Penn State. Kameron has another older brother who is 19, making him the baby of the family. One day, the Mercer bros hope to be playing professional ball at the same time.
“That would be a lot of endorsement deals,” Mercer said. “I know we’re probably not the first ones to ever do it, but I think that’s a good possibility. I know injuries can kind of prevent us from that, but we both have a good chance if we stay on track.”
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