Omar Muhammad, Is He NEXT?

Fresno native and power guard Omar Muhammad leads contingent at 2026 Pangos Jr. All-American Camp, which featured 140 players from across 14 states plus Canada. At the conclusion of the camp, the 6-foot-2 2030 guard from Reyburn Intermediate (Clovis, Calif.)  and 6-foot-3 2031 Braylin Calhoun of Munising Public School (Munising, Mich.) were named the camp’s co-Most Outstanding Player.

At the 2025 Pangos Jr. All-American Camp, West Fresno (Calif.) native Omar Muhammad put his name on the map as one of the best seventh graders in California and served notice he will make an immediate impact on the high school basketball scene when he enters a program in the fall of 2026.

Muhammad had plenty of flair to his game, and was easily one of the camp’s premier talents. His game had some elements of a prototypal New York City guard, but in a year’s time he’s “cleaned up” and “tightened up” his game since then. It’s incredible to think he’s improved that much because Muhammad was already good then. But that’s how much talent the young man possesses and how much desire he has to get better.

Muhammad has a unique combination of graceful skill and raw power that you don’t see in many guards, especially one who have yet to step foot on a high school campus. Another thing that stands about Muhammad is his booming voice on the court. It commands attention and respect from his peers as, he barks out plays, screens or defensive assignments. Last year Muhammad gave himself a “B-” as far as his camp performance and it’s safe to say with Muhammad’s line of thinking he would give himself a similar grade this year even after taking home co-Most Outstanding Player honors of the camp’s 14th edition at McBride (Long Beach, Calif.) alongside 6-foot-3 2031 (seventh grader) Braylin Calhoun of Munising Public School (Munising, Mich.) after scoring a game-high 23 points in the Best of the Best All-Star Game.

That’s just the kind of competitor Muhammad is.

“I always want to kill,” he said after earning co-MOP honors but showing some disappointment his Black-jersey wearing club lost to the White-jersey club, 111-100. “It’s every man for himself out there and I want to attack what’s in front of me. It’s basically survival mode because only one in a million make it at the college level.

“I have to improve my attitude, get more done on the defensive end, and improve my overall game.”

Ten years ago at this same camp, Jalen Green, the No. 2 pick of the 2021 NBA Draft and now with the Phoenix Suns, had his coming out party. Muhammad did mention he does look up to Green at last year’s camp, but with his demeanor and physique it not hard to evoke images of the last man-child like prospect to come out of Fresno: 1999 National Junior Player of the Year, 2000 McDonald’s All-American and NBA champion DeShawn Stevenson of Washington Union (Easton, Calif.). During the mid 1990’s, Stevenson was well known in the Central Valley in the seventh grade and was a statewide commodity entering high school.

Muhammad patterns his game after a player similar to Stevenson who took his game to the next level

“I actually like watching film and studying Anthony Edwards. I also like Shaedon Sharpe; he’s athletic and gets downhill.”

Is Omar Muhammad the next big basketball star to come out of Fresno? With 7 D1 offers before high school, including Kansas and Tennessee, his future is bright.

He stays motivated to reach his full potential after an unthinkable tragedy rocked his family 3 years ago. @KMPHFOX26 pic.twitter.com/TMRkxSYIkc

— Gabe Camarillo (@gabecamarillo_) December 30, 2025

Unique Story, Unique Talent

Muhammad (No. 89 in picture) came in with plenty of fanfare and lived up to his advance bulling, but the young man he shared camp MOP honors with had an opposite story. Braylin Calhoun (No. 42) from Munising, Mich (population under 2,000) hadn’t played in this type of setting and quite frankly didn’t know what to expect.

And who could blame him, as the nearest fast food joint is an hour away from his town where most of the people are employed by the local mill and grocery store. It’s safe to say Calhoun doesn’t get to see anywhere near the competition level he faced among the Best of the Best at a camp designed to give seasoned evaluators a glimpse of some of the future standouts in high school and grassroots basketball. It’s also safe to say the other 140 campers don’t see a seventh-grade talent who just turned 14 with the talent level of Calhoun on a daily basis.

“I was kind of clueless coming here,” Calhoun said. “I didn’t know what the competition was going to be like. I learned and adjusted my game to stand out.”

As the late Bobby Knight felt watching a recruit he wanted to offer a scholarship to Indiana, it didn’t take but a few trips up the court to know Calhoun is special talent oozing with potential. He doesn’t rush, can score around the basket and with range, doesn’t take many bad shots and is a skilled passer. Calhoun, who scored a team-high 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting for the winning White club in the Best of the Best Game, has a physique and game similar to three-time NBA All-star and current L.A. Clipper Bradley Beal when he was in high school.

Calhoun won’t be a small town standout forever. He will be moving to Milwaukee for eighth grade and will run on the travel circuit with Kevin Looney P5.

PANGOS JR. ALL AMERICAN CAMP📍Long Beach, CA

The official stats for the BEST OF BEST GAME.

For Team Black, Omar Muhammad ended with 23 points, followed by Jayden Jones’ 15 points.

Braylin Calhoun had a team high for the White Squad, ending with 17.

Yakai Craig and Cameron… pic.twitter.com/6A7tNHn7Az

— Gamebook Stats Inc. (@gamebookstats) February 22, 2026

Other Camp Standouts

Earning co-MVP honors of the Best of the Best Game were White jersey standouts Cameron Shepard, a 5-foot-11 2030 (eighth grade) guard from Village Christian (Sun Valley, Calif.) and Yakai Craig, a 6-foot 2030 guard from Clava 1 Percent (Lake Forest, Calif.). Shepard (No. 99) dominated camp games with his blinding speed and quickness that he used to change direction and keep defenders off-balance all weekend. In the top all-star game, he went for 15 points, eight rebounds four assists and two steals.

Pound-for-pound and game-by-game, Shepard was the camp’s top performer.

Craig resembles and plays similarly to 2025 NBA first round pick Jeremiah Fears of the New Orleans Pelicans. “Yes, I get that alot,” Craig said of the comparison. He also had 15 points and made 3-of-5 3-pointers in the top game.

Ironically, Shepard and Craig are competitors and friends, and will see plenty more of each other on the high school and grassroots circuit. They also both look up to and pattern their games after Auburn sophomore guard Tahaad Pettiford. Shepard, in particular, had plenty of Pettiford in his game.

Shepard is reportedly headed to Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.), while Craig will attend Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.).

Other camp, standouts, in no particular order include: 6-foot-4 2030 Dillon Rice of Praxis Elite Sports Academy (San Diego), 6-foot-4 2030 Jayden Jones of Core Prep (Burbank, Calif.), 6-foot-4 2031 McCoy Robinson of Sig Rogich (Las Vegas, Nev.), 6-foot-7 2030 Bryce Bible of The U Prep Academy (Glendale, Calif.), 6-foot-3 2030 Freddie Forbes of ABA Academy (Garden Grove, Calif.), 6-foot-6 2030 Obatayo Adigun of Premier Prep Online (Gilbert, Ariz.), 6-foot-7 2030 Devin Saunders of Genesse JHS (Genesee, Mich.), 6-foot-3 2030 Justn Cato Jr. of Southfield (Mich.), 5-foot-11 2030 Tyson Aycox of I Lead Online (Gardena, Calif.), and 6-foot-4 2030 Tresor Childress of Phoenix (Ariz.).

One player to watch for down the line was the camp’s tallest player, 6-foot-10 2030 Logan Kish of Delta Academy (Las Vegas, Nev.). Logan has plenty of ways to go to impact high school games, but he is deft shot blocker and good touch on half hooks around the basket.

The contrast between players such as Muhammad and Kish is stark. Where they one day want to end up one day, however, is exactly the same.

Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of Ballislife.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. Don’t forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores