As I get older it seems the recruiting prospects get younger and younger. Colton Hiller is the first player I have covered in the Class of 2028. Not only has he not begun his sophomore year of high school, he has already put together an impressive resume to only have just turned 15 years of age.
Hiller caught the attention of the recruiting world earlier in the month at the 2025 FIBA U16 AmeriCup. The 6-foot-5 wing from Coatesville, Pennsylvania helped bring home a gold medal from Mexico alongside familiar names such as C.J. Rosser and Marcus Spears Jr. Despite easily being the youngest player on the team he more than held his own.
He averaged 13.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.8 steals in six games. Hiller also connected on 13 three-pointers which was a team high. Take out a pair of games against Brazil and Argentina, and his scoring average climbed to 15.5 points.
He scored in double digits in four of his six games. His high was a 23-point semi-final outburst against Puerto Rico where he knocked down four trifectas in nine tries.
His emergence has netted him two high major offers this month from Syracuse and Villanova. They follow others from LaSalle, Kansas State, and Penn State. NJIT issued his first offer last September in his first month of high school. There will be dozens to follow in the near future and beyond.
Hiller did even more to cement his legendary rise Sunday by scoring 40 points for Coatesville High in the Philly Live event in front of a gym full of college coaches.
Hiller also plays with the PSA Cardinals of the EYBL 15U division. He finished eighth in that league in scoring at 20.5 points per game. He made 57.6% of his two-point attempts, and 32.2% of his threes.
Current Kentucky forward, Mouhamed Dioubate, played for Terrance "Munch" Williams of PSA, and his alumni base is no stranger to any fan of any college team base. Cats Illustrated wanted to introduce our readers to a player who will probably get heavy interest from Kentucky in the future. There isn't a better place to start than Coach Williams.
CI: What would your scouting report be on Colton?
Williams: “It all starts with the ability to stretch the court. He has elite range on his three-ball, NBA and college range. He has a quick trigger. It starts with the ability to stretch the court, the ability to make shots from all over. There is a quick release with no hesitation, no dips in his shot. His mechanics are up to par. He is always on balance for the most part. From there he is able to get to his mid-range with minimal dribbles: one-dribble, two-dribbles. He gets to the mid-range from all areas of the court. Because of his size at 6-6 he is able to finish at the cup through contact, because he is a big, strong kid probably like 200 (pounds). He has the ability to finish at the rim, and I think what most people are surprised by is his athleticism. He is definitely playing above the rim. I think Colton has a great knack for offensive rebounds, cutting without the ball, just being active on that side of the court, and not needing a ton of dribbles, not needing a ton of space to score on all levels at this point. So yeah, he is a talented guy in that space.”
CI: Were there times this spring when you said, “Wow, he’s just 14 years old. He’s not supposed to be doing those type of things?”
Williams: “Yeah, for me when we were recruiting him it was always the catch and shoot, the mechanics of it, just catching in one place and just going up, a sweet stroke and not forcing it, and having the strength to do that. He has a textbook college ready shot, and at some point an NBA ready shot. That’s been the thing that impresses me is that his catch and shoot coming off pin-downs at that age is unique. Just his overall confidence, he’s like the quarterback who can throw the interception, but throw four or five touchdowns that game. He doesn’t remember the interceptions. I love that part about him that he can make shots, so he really doesn’t worry about the misses. He’s a next play guy, so I love that part. He’s not mentally insecure. He’s not young in that space worrying about missing three in a row. If it’s open, let it go, and if it’s halfway open let it go. He’s a kid who flourishes with having the green light, but doesn’t abuse it.”
CI: Colton is getting a lot of attention at a young age. Is he really that good?
Williams: “I think it begins and ends with the fact is that everyone is always looking for the next one. I think in his class for a freshman he is super-talented. He has done a great job. He has a great support system from his family structure to his high school side with his high school coach, and just different people that are in his life that it creates a level of stability. I don’t think the stuff is getting to his head, because it is all new to him. The USA Basketball stuff was the first time he went to USA Basketball. His team won the gold medal. He didn’t go two of three times. That was his first time. In the Elite 100 that was his first time going as a freshman. Everything he has been doing has been quote/unquote his first time. He keeps the main thing the main thing. He understands how to take a rest, how to take care of his body. He’s a big-time golfer. He used to play baseball. He spends time with his family. His brother is a big-time football player. So I think he has a good balance of not letting all of this basketball get to him.
The other thing is that he is so young now even though he is getting offers, the first time someone can contact him directly is next June 15. Even though he is getting offers, college coaches can’t contact him directly. Those things become some level of a whirlwind, and because of his structure and his discipline his family has set up spaces of where they have to go through them, so it’s not too chaotic. He’s a kid who loves playing basketball, so he’s a basketball player, not just someone who is playing basketball. For Colton he is consistently in the gym. He’s in the pool working out. He’s up early working out, so he’s enjoying the process of getting better, and all people are seeing the fruits of his labor. The target of making him the next one is just a storyline of a kid that’s really, really good. But I do think he’s a kid that doesn’t fizzle out, because his game is getting better, and he‘s still growing. People are looking a kid who is 6-6, and probably was 6-2 a year ago. The doctor says he’s going to be 6-8. So you haven’t seen him finish to morph into what he can become the next few years in the high school landscape.
I don’t think it’s fair to put the Cooper Flagg/A.J. Dybantsa tag on him. I think he just needs to be a kid that people respect to say, ‘Hey, he’s really, really good, and he’s at the top of his class.’ I do think he is a kid who has staying power. Sometimes you see kids that start out high, and then they fade out. He plays with IQ, feel, and reads versus physicality. He can play physical, but it is in spurts. The one thing I will say in coaching is that he has also become a better defender over the past four or five months in the game of basketball whether that’s in setting with grassroots, or high school, and USA, and in camps. He’s defending a lot better, and especially on-ball. His off-ball team defense has always been great, but on ball he has shown an ability to stay on guys. He’s going to continue to round out his game, but there are areas he actually thinks he has to improve. I think its dope to see a kid get recognition, but simmer down with (laughing)………we don’t need another Cooper Flagg right now.”
