By SAM LANCE
MESA, AZ — The best defender in the 2026 class may just be four-star Anthony Felesi.
Felesi — the 6-foot-5, 180-pound small forward out of Utah Prep — averaged 3.5 steals during EYBL Session 1, which ranked second among all players at the 17u level. The four-star also averaged nine points per game.
“I think I’m an all-around player,” Felesi told ZAGSBLOG. “I hang my hat on defense.”
This summer with Vegas Elite, Felesi is looking to have fun. He also wants to show coaches what he’s capable of.
“I want them to see that I’m a team player and energetic guy,” Felesi said. “And when you need a bucket, I’ll go get you a bucket. If you need anything done on the court, I’m your man.”
As far as his recruitment, Felesi has taken unofficial visits to BYU and Houston. Those two programs, along with Cincinnati, Creighton, Louisville and Purdue have been pursuing Felesi the hardest. Here’s his breakdown of those six schools:
BYU: “BYU is amazing. I’m originally from Hawaii, but I’ve lived in Utah almost my whole life. BYU has always been on my radar and has always been going after me. Especially with the new hire with Kevin Young, it’s amazing because its an all NBA staff. I think my main goal is to make it to the league, and I think having an all NBA staff would really help me.”
Cincinnati: “They’ve been in contact with me since my freshman year, but they just got a new hire Corey Evans. I’ve been talking to him a lot recently as well. But Cincinnati is a great school as well. One of my good friends, Shon [Abaev], just committed over there.”
Creighton: “Amazing school. They offered me during practice at Utah Prep. But one thing that they really talk to me about is my shooting. I think that was really a key piece into my game that they really helped me on and really showed me a lot of stuff on. So Creighton is a really good school as well.”
Houston: “I think Houston was a really good visit. I went to the game. I went in the locker room. And coach [Kelvin] Sampson is a really good coach, probably one of the best in the game of college basketball. But the coaching staff and everything is a really good culture over there. Houston is just an amazing, amazing school.”
Louisville: “Pat Kelsey. He’s such an energetic guy. When I met him in person, he’s energy. You just feed off his energy. He’s a high motor person and I think he’s just an amazing coach in general. Especially what he did with this season with them.”
Purdue: “Purdue is an amazing school. I first watched them last year or a couple years prior. But I think just the playstyle that they always run and the fast-pace — a little bit big and guard oriented. So I think it’s a really good school as well.”
Felesi said he might take an unofficial to Louisville, but he doesn’t know exactly when. Overall, he doesn’t have any specific timelines for his recruitment.
“I’m just going with the flow right now, seeing my relationship with all the coaches and seeing how my recruitment goes,” Felesi said.
An important factor in Felesi’s recruitment will be the plan schools have for him to improve his game.
“I think my key thing is just the development,” Felesi said. “That’s what I want to do, just develop for the next level is my main goal. So I think just the development, the culture and feeling like I’m home.”
Felesi isn’t the only hooper in the family. His mother, Aisha Felesi, played at the JUCO level at Hutchinson Community College (KS). Felesi’s father played high school football, and the four-star has a younger brother and younger sister.
Felesi is ranked the No. 46 overall prospect in the 2026 class.
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