Analysis

North Georgia Hoops Showcase Top Performers

Aaron Scott2024 5-8 G Aaron Scott – Stephens County
Locked in a brutally competitive Region 8-AAA, it will be difficult for Stephens County to claw their way to a state tournament berth, but anything is possible with the effort the Indians play with. Rising sophomore Aaron Scott sets the tone. He is relentless. A pure athlete that explodes off the ground and is as fast as they come on the hardwood. He plays with an incredible motor, defending at a high-level with a Patrick Beverly type mindset. Scott has superior quickness both laterally and with his hands. He turns ball handlers multiple times and can poke away steals. Scott gets a lot of his offense off his energy. He scores downhill with a floater. Aaron crashes the glass extremely hard and gathers putbacks. He had 18 points, 11 rebounds and 2 assists in a win over Heritage-Conyers before adding 11 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals against North Oconee.

Corey Richie2023 5-11 G Corey Richie – Stephens County
Corey Richie caught fire against North Oconee and didn’t even realize it. He was surprised to hear he finished with 7 three-pointers, 30 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals and 1 block in a 64-61 OT win. Richie was able to find a groove and hit open shots from the top of the key. In his first game of the day, he played the role of distributor collecting 11 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 steal. On a team void of size but big in heart and athleticism, Richie’s outside shooting will play an important role in keeping the defense honest and opening driving lanes for himself and others.

2023 6-3 SG Jake Chandler – North Oconee
Jake Chandler has to be guarded at all times beyond the three-point line. The lefty has a quick trigger albeit a funky follow through. Chandler is a true marksman that torches defenses from the corners. He finished with 25 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists and 2 steals while hitting 5 threes in an OT loss to Stephens County. Chandler proved to be more than just a shooter. He hit some tough runners off balance from the mid-range and was a heady passer off the dribble.

Peyton Phillips2022 5-10 G Peyton Phillips – Chestatee
The three-point specialist buried 6 long balls en route to 20 points. Phillips did a nice job of setting his feet and being ready whenever the ball came his way. He helped handle the ball and defended well.

2022 5-11 G Terrence Moore – Heritage-Conyers
It will be a breakout year offensively for Terrence Moore, a multilevel scorer. He carried Heritage vs. Stephens County, heating up in the second half to finish with 25 points and 6 rebounds. Moore has plenty of moves in his bag. He has a soft floater in the paint and creativity off the dribble on the perimeter. Moore hit step-back jumpers and can light it up from deep.

2022 6-1 G Tim Loud – Winder-Barrow
Tim Loud is one of the bounciest guards in Georgia. Listed at 6-foot-1, he can play much bigger than his height with how he can go get the ball, able to catch lobs with ease. With the ball in his hands, he’s very good at getting to the rim. He uses a quick first step before channeling his leaping ability to get clean looks at the basket. Aside from his athleticism, Loud can make a statement with his shooting. He’s a good three-point shooter that can stretch out defenses. He hit 3 threes and finished with 13 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 1 block vs. Oconee County.

Zach Oechsle2022 6-1 G Zach Oechsle – Oconee County
An elite academic student that has interest from MIT, Zach Oechsle is the heartbeat for a sneaky good Oconee County team that can shoot with the best of them. Oechsle is crafty. He’s a strong guard that plays with confidence. He doesn’t waste time on the perimeter, using a subtle crossover to beat his man and get to the rim where he has the strength to finish in a crowd, but it’s his outside shooting that is his hallmark offensively. Zach had 20 points, 14 rebounds and 4 assists vs. Winder-Barrow before finishing with 18 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist and 3 steals vs. Buford. Oechsle netted 7 threes in the two games. Another part of Zach’s game that stands out is his rebounding ability. Oechsle crashes the glass hard, eliminating second chances as a part of Oconee County’s 3-2 zone. Zach has the Warriors in the statewide discussion as a potential Top 10 team in Class 3A. I suspect high academic schools of multiple levels to reach out to Oechsle over the course of his senior season.

KJ Reid2022 6-1 G KJ Reid – Social Circle
KJ Reid did what I have been accustom to seeing him do; hit tough shots from the perimeter. The wiry guard fills it up with his jump shot. He only sank two threes, but still finished with 24 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 steal in an 86-63 rout of George Washington Academy. Reid is a maestro of the mid-range that routinely gets to his spots. He should be on D-II radars.

Lamarius Jackson2022 6-0 G Lamarius Jackson – Social Circle
Already regarded as the best three-point shooting team in Class A-Public, Social Circle returns everyone from their Elite Eight team and adds two major pieces to the puzzle. Those pieces are twins Lamarius and Quindarius Jackson, who sat out last season due to COVID concerns. Quindarius is more of an energy defender while Jackson projects as another lethal three-point assassin. The Redskins drained 12 threes and netted 86 points in a 40-minute running clock game. With KJ Reid and Tyrhell Branch already atop opponents’ scouting reports as who to stop, unfortunately they will have to add LJ to the list as well. Jackson poured in 25 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists, burying 4 threes in the process. Lamarius is athletic and helps on the glass. The lefty shoots the three well and can attack off the dribble. Jackson will make an impact of both sides of the ball for Social Circle, an early frontrunner in the classification.