2029 6-2 W Carib Morris – South Forsyth
The Pink Mamba had an explosive introduction to the GHSA, the incoming freshman averaging over 28 points per game. In a 59-49 loss to Pope, Morris went 10-30 from the field and 2-14 from three but racked up 31 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist and 4 steals. Carib is an immense talent, the best freshman in the state of Georgia. I envision her as a future McDonald’s All-American, she is that gifted. With her size, she is a matchup nightmare all over the floor. She loves to shoot jump shots and will improve her shot selection and ability to identify mismatches as she gets more reps. When shots aren’t dropping on the perimeter, going into the post is a perfect place to see the ball go into the basket. I appreciated how strong she played in the paint, often times leading to positive results as she went 6-7 from the foul line including converting three And-1s. Morris doesn’t need to settle for any tough shots as she can get whatever shot she wants whenever she wants. She’s elite at shooting off the dribble with deep range and has great footwork. Carib has crafty counter moves, extremely impressive. She flashed her off the bounce game sporadically, able to get to floaters and using a strong gather in traffic. She had a few moments late in the game where she had a footspeed advantage on the perimeter where I would have liked to see her attack the rim with more conviction. With two starters out, more was placed on Morris’ more than capable shoulders. I’m interested to watch South Forsyth at full strength to watch Carib get her shots in the flow of the offense. Putting her on nearly any roster instantly makes that team a threat to make a run in March. Morris is a maniacal worker, a true gym rat and special talent that will topple records over the course of her career.
2029 5-6 PG Millie Southards – Rabun County
Millie will be a D-I point guard. The pace she plays at along with her reads on the floor, her strength, aggressiveness and shooting ability are superior to many seniors. She dazzles in the open floor with her accurate zippy one-handed passes from her waist into shooters’ shot pockets. Millie handles the ball exceptionally well against pressure and has improved her left hand, able to make plays on both sides of the floor. Like older sister Ellie, a Presbyterian-signee out of high school, Southards plays with a pit bull mentality, physical when rebounding and defending. She will dig in as an on-ball defender and snatch away steals. Offensively, Southards is a good three-point shooter and has flow when getting to her one-dribble pull-up. She posted 8 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal against Gilmer and tallied 13 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 steals with three made threes against Lamar County. Millie instantly raises Rabun County to a title contending team playing alongside a now heavily experienced group.
2029 5-7 SG Makenna Taylor – Gilmer
I’ve heard hype surrounding Mak Taylor’s game since she was just getting into middle school. Taylor looks the part, a strongly built guard with athleticism and deep range. Taylor lets it fly from beyond the arc both off the catch and off the dribble. She has the strength to be able to attack the rim and finish with either hand. Taylor tallied 10 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals with two made threes in a win over Rabun County. I foresee potent scoring production over her four years in high school. Makenna will play in college.
2029 5-5 PG Paris Wilson – McEachern
Paris Wilson got on my radar with her smooth play in a 53-40 win over Starr’s Mill. The incoming freshman looks like a freshman with her thin stature but her game is mature. Wilson plays hard. She’s fast with the ball, elusive when getting to her spots. Wilson netted a pull-up three, converted two And-1s and showed touch from the mid-range and with a right-handed floater on the left side. Paris has a pretty jump shot and overall has a cool feel for the game. Wilson recorded a game-high 14 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal. Her play left D-I coaches buzzing.
2029 5-7 G Jayden Whelchel – Sequoyah
Former Sequoyah great Syretha Marble, a North Georgia Hall of Famer, now gets to see her daughter play in the War Lodge with the echoes of “defense” still coming from Jayden’s grandfather in the stands. Whelchel is a Day 1 impact maker with her defensive aggression. Jayden is a very good athlete with a strong frame for a freshman. She’s a lockdown on-ball defender whose active hands rip steals constantly. Whelchel excels at scoring in transition with both hands but Jayden isn’t just an athlete who feasts on inferior players. I think she has a chance to become a very good three-point shooter as well, a complete offensive threat with a compact jump shot that already looks like a weapon. Down 25-24 at the half to Ware County, Whelchel broke loose in the second half with 9 points to pair with 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal in a 58-41 win. Jayden is a two-way guard that has a chance to become one of the best in the 2029 class.
2029 5-5 G Ziryah Bell – Columbia
Columbia turned up the heat and stormed past Heritage-Catoosa for a 36-34 win. Freshman Ziryah Bell was a difference maker with her strength and athleticism. Bell isn’t built like a typical freshman, she’s strong with the ball and likes to play with pace. She dropped in floaters, got on the glass for putbacks and scored in transition to finish with 13 points, 2 rebounds and 1 steal, sinking a three-pointer as well. Columbia has an interesting 2029 group that could win a ton of games over the next four years with Bell in the middle of it all.