GHSA Basketball

HoopSeen Atlanta Jam Takeaways P. 3

Talent from across the southeast arrived in Fulton and Gwinnett County to showcase their skills, but of course I had my eyes on current and future GHSA standouts. I tried to stay cognizant of all the Georgia talent in the tournament while still doing my duty of covering the entire event. I managed to takeaway a few things from this weekend’s Atlanta Jam.

Cherokee County Rising

Canton-based 16U Team Atlanta is another team flying under the radar that has had a nice travel season so far. Dylin Hardeman and KJ Jenkins did the majority of the damage in their 69-67 win over PSB Elite. Jenkins (Creekview) led with 24 while Hardeman put in 20. Hardeman will see a change of scenery for his junior season, transferring from St. Francis to Woodstock. He is a fierce competitor from his guard position at 6-4.

He is not the only Wolverine on Team Atlanta with Noah Frith, Sid Mesumbe, Michael Spain and Quentin Doby Jr. all attending school in Towne Lake. Woodstock made waves in Region 5-AAAAAA this year clinching their first state playoff berth since the school opened back in 1996. With Hardeman now in the fold alongside top scorer Tyreke Johnson and space eater and Georgia Tech baseball commit 6-6 Brant Hurter, the pieces are in place for the Wolverines to make another trip to the postseason under head coach Kingston Clark who will try to make it 2-for-2 in playoff appearances in his second year on the job.

 Gainesville Reloading

Up north in Hall County lies Gainesville High School. D’Marcus Simonds may be gone to Georgia State but KJ Buffen and more return. Even though he may never be the first option on his varsity basketball team, Bailey Minor is starting to look more and more like a college player. The 6-6 stretch forward gets it done inside and outside. In Coach Benjie Wood’s spread out balanced attack at Gainesville, the Red Elephants look to space the floor. That is where Minor comes into play with his ability to knock down the corner three. He scored 16 points in 16U North Georgia Elite’s championship loss to Da House and averaged 20.4 points on the weekend. On command, he drilled three balls and even added a put-back slam to keep the Elite close.

Teammate Xavier Bledson also plays for both Gainesville and the NG Elite. He looks more like a tight end on the floor as a thick 6-3 guard but his playmaking is more like that of a quarterback, riffling in passes to the open man. He will be a major piece for Gainesville the next two years and is on track to be a four-year varsity contributor along with Minor.

Middle Georgia Sleeper

Last but not least, Cameron Holden of 16U Team GA Magic put on a show Friday night. The 6-5 do everything guard out of Mary Persons dropped 35 points. Expect a monster next two seasons in middle Georgia. He averaged 18.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 2.5 steals and 2.1 blocks as a sophomore.

GHSA Basketball

HoopSeen Atlanta Jam Takeaways P. 2

Talent from across the southeast arrived in Fulton and Gwinnett County to showcase their skills, but of course I had my eyes on current and future GHSA standouts. I tried to stay cognizant of all the Georgia talent in the tournament while still doing my duty of covering the entire event. I managed to takeaway a few things from this weekend’s Atlanta Jam.

Turn on the AC

17U AC Georgia Phoenix was another team loaded with GHSA standouts. Phlan Fleming (Cedar Shoals), Elijah Jenkins (Riverwood), Clint Bentley (New Manchester), Phillip Cirillo (Cherokee) and Jaden Stanley (Discovery) highlighted the group.

The Phoenix lost in the 17U Gray Division final but still put forth a solid showing. Jaden Stanley stood out in their win against the Savannah Terps, who were powered by the Islands backcourt of Trae Broadnax and Justin Cave. Stanley, a 6-6 forward that moved to Georgia last year from Montana, had a nice touch from the perimeter and finished well through contact. Clint Bentley played the role of a sturdy lead guard well and led the Phoenix along with Stanley with 19 points against the Terps. Phillip Cirillo will be asked to carry Cherokee once again this upcoming season from the perimeter and is a popular name amongst low to mid-major schools.

Douglas Brothers Elite

17U Douglas Brothers Elite lost to the Tennessee Tigers in the White Division title game. Isaiah Hart (Whitefield Academy) injured his foot and was unable to go. In his absence, unsigned senior guard Tariq Jenkins (Jonesboro) lived at the foul line and finished with 16 points and three steals. Another senior looking for a home was Cedric Labat (Our Lady of Mercy). The 5-11 guard shot well from beyond the arc when in rhythm. Dwayne Wilson of Johnson-Gainesville played a little out of position due to the height starved roster, but played well in the second half adding six points, five rebounds and a block. He should be the Knights’ go-to player under Coach Tim Slater next season.

Under the Radar

Calhoun County’s Rashun Williams may still be a little raw, but the 6-6 small forward played well for the 16U GA Stars in their romp to a Black Division championship. He’s most effective when attacking the rim, using his bounce. If he can add a consistent jumper to his arsenal, watch out.

The 16U Georgia Bulls boast an Augusta flavored lineup, peppered by Lakeside-Evans players who will be coached by new head man Jeff Williams. Kalen Williams, a high-scoring freshman guard, and Deon Berrien, a big-time rebounder, helped the Bulls to an upset over CP25 Southeast Elite.

GHSA Basketball

HoopSeen Atlanta Jam Takeaways P. 1

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Talent from across the southeast arrived in Fulton and Gwinnett County to showcase their skills, but of course I had my eyes on current and future GHSA standouts. I tried to stay cognizant of all the Georgia talent in the tournament while still doing my duty of covering the entire event. I managed to takeaway a few things from this weekend’s Atlanta Jam.

Metro Atlanta is in Good Hands

The 17U Atlanta All-Stars won the 17U Black Division Championship and has a talented roster led by head coach Ben Miller. Miller stays on his guys and puts them in the best position to succeed. Last year’s roster featured the likes of Cameron Cox (Navy), Connor Mannion (Navy), Patrick Zeck (Gardner-Webb), Zack Kaminsky (Penn), Ross Morkem (North Georgia), Devon Brewer (Alcorn State) and Kerney Lane, who is expected to make a college decision soon.

This year’s team is loaded with familiar names: Evan Cole (South Forsyth), Chapin Rierson (Calhoun), Javon Greene (Henry County), Damion Rosser (Henry County), William Tate (Henry County), Charlie O’Briant (GAC), Colby Leifson (North Gwinnett), Will Crumly (North Cobb Christian) and Seth Brown (Henry County).

The quartet of Henry County players has a chance to make some major noise in Region 4-AAAA next season. Coach Vincent Rosser is sitting on a goldmine. After a 15-11 season in a brutal region that was terrorized by Jonesboro, the Cardinals are now in AAAAAA. Key guards Javon Greene and Damion Rosser return as an electrifying duo, but two transfers from a year ago that were ruled ineligible finally have the green light for their senior season with the GHSA no longer able to interfere. William “Kovi” Tate, a 6-5 forward, was at school this season along with the ultra-athletic 6-2 Seth Brown. Add these two to the mix and Coach Rosser has a versatile and explosive core.

Tate is a strong athlete inside that showed up big time at the HoopSeen Spring Preview. When his motor is running, he is a terror inside. Brown let loose with a big time slam this weekend and showed what he can add in the open court to an already potent backcourt.

Evan Cole might have been the most impressive player I saw for the All-Stars. The 6-8 forward has a chance to blow his recruitment up with his sneaky athleticism and defensive prowess. Cole lost out to Atlanta All-Stars alum Connor Mannion for Forsyth County Player of the Year, but the award seems to be all but his this upcoming season after averaging 20 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks as a junior. Plays like this are what solidify him as a quickly rising D-I prospect.

Shooting and toughness are always coveted in the college ranks and the All-Stars have both in Colby Leifson and Chapin Rierson. Leifson, the lone senior on the roster, is a knock down shooter at 6-4. He averaged 16.8 points per game his final season as a Bulldog. When he got his feet set this weekend, it was usually nothing but net. And what about Rierson? At Calhoun all he has done is win, going 75-8 over his first three seasons. The gritty forward played with a busted mouth, literally. He nearly had his front teeth knocked out and had to glue them in to play this weekend.

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Georgia’s best unsigned big nearing a decision

Kohl Roberts of Riverwood High School is nearing a college decision. The 6-8 double-double machine averaged 16.1 points, 13.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 3.1 steals and 4.3 blocks per game his senior season while leading the Raiders to a school-record 29-2 season and a trip to the Elite Eight.

Known for his incredibly strong hands, grabbing every rebound in his vicinity, Roberts is a hard worker in the paint and high motor player. He can be a workhorse on the glass right away much like a Reggie Evans type, using his strength and knowledge of angles instead of out leaping opponents.

Roberts is visiting Florida A&M today who has already offered. Georgia College, High Point and Lincoln Memorial remain on his list of schools to visit. Last Friday he visited Miami (OH) and Mercer this Sunday.

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Sources: Grady to vacate 10 wins; Region Championship

The Grady Knights will be levied penalties for playing with an ineligible player sources told Sandy’s Spiel this weekend. Grady, who finished with a school record 28 wins, won the Region 6-AAAA championship and advanced to the Final Four, is set to vacate all wins since January 26 including their first region championship since 1993 which would drop the Knights’ record from 28-4 to 18-14. Head Coach Brian Weeden was named Sandy’s Spiel Class AAAA Coach of the Year and Grady was named AAAA’s Most Improved Team, improving from a 14-15 record a season ago.

This would not be the first time the Grady athletic program has been called into question. In 2013-14 the football team suited up 14 players that used fake addresses.

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