Tag Archives: lambert

Analysis, GHSA Basketball

Lambert Summer Showcase (6-5)

Lambert

Mountain View: 55-54 (W)
Peachtree Ridge: 77-49 (L)

2020 6-6 SF Luke Champion was a marksman, hitting nine threes on the night. He hit three in Game 1 for 9 points while sitting in the corner and draining six in Game 2 for 18 points. Champion is a sizeable shooter which bodes well for his future with the current state of how the game is played. He should be a very valuable piece, stepping in for Austin Deckard (GCSU) as the Longhorns’ primary floor spacer. Like I say with all great shooters, Champion will have to prove he’s more than just a specialist and that he can create his own offense off the dribble.

2020 6-8 PF Colin Granger posted 13 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks in Game 1 and had 8 points, 6 rebounds and 1 block in the night cap. Granger struggled to finish around the rim, using some great moves to get to the basket, but failing to convert. He had a few lapses of focus that got him in the doghouse in Game 2. Without Mitch Ganote in attendance, it was Granger’s team to carry last night. Even though it wasn’t his best day of work, Granger still contributed in the paint. He has a chance to develop into one of the state’s best big men with the continued refinement of his game.

2019 6-4 W Thomas Hickey had a nice night, finishing with 15 points and 2 blocks in Lambert’s 55-54 win over Mountain View, including the game-winning goaltended layup. Hickey is a steady role player that can get hot and provide good minutes. He has valuable size on the wing and is a hard worker on the floor. Overall it was a good showing for the wing who should see an elevated role his senior season.

2022 6-2 SG Chance Thacker was thrown into the fire as a rising freshman and held his own. His best game came against Mountain View when he posted 4 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal. Thacker has a good feel for the game. Defenses pressured the youngster when he got the ball, but he did a fine job of keeping his composure, even though his ball handling and overall experience at the varsity level is still in its infancy.

Mountain View

Lambert: 55-54 (L)
St. Francis: 65-47 (L)

2019 6-4 SG Nahiem Alleyne was mightily impressive now that the offense runs through him. Quick and shifty with the ball, Alleyne was able to free himself consistently with a tight crossover. The lefty can score at all levels with a nice jumper, hitting six three-pointers on the night. In Game 1 he finished with 19 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. Game 2 saw Alleyne tally 17 points, 4 rebounds and 1 steal. Alleyne will serve the role of playmaker with the ball in his hands, something Coach BJ Roy must feel good about after seeing his play on Tuesday night. Alleyne plans on reclassing to 2020, something to keep an eye on.

2019 6-4 SG Elijah “Malik” Wilson showed flashes of breakout potential at his new home. Coming in from Collins Hill, Wilson may mold into being the No. 2 option behind Alleyne. The two are similar in the fact that they love the outside jumper, but both must make sure they don’t fall in love with it to the point that it takes away from their opportunities to get to the rim. Wilson finished with 13 points and 5 rebounds against Lambert, knocking down 3 threes. In Game 2, his shot wasn’t on, ending with 6 points. Defensively, Wilson has the length to defend multiple positions on the perimeter and could fit a “3 & D” type niche with the Bears.

2019 6-5 F Eric Jones was effective against Lambert’s frontline of 6-8 Colin Granger and 6-6 Kedric Barrett. Jones collected 10 points, 12 rebounds, 1 steal and 4 blocks. In Game 2, he had 5 points, 3 rebounds and 1 block. Jones isn’t an elite athlete or have the most non-stop motor, but he has a nose for the ball and effects plays. He has a quality outside shot which netted him three deep balls on the day. He might have a little more value at the small forward position, but his ball handling isn’t tight enough to consistently play on the wing. Jones broke his hand last season which put his development on hold. Jones has a chance to be an important player that can steal time at positions 3-5 for the Bears.

St. Francis

Mountain View: 65-47 (W)
Peachtree Ridge: 59-49 (W)

2020 6-1 PG Dwon Odom did what Dwon Odom does: Win. He had 14 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals in Game 1 followed by 24 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals and 1 block in the nightcap. Odom’s three-point shot wasn’t that accurate, but he managed to sink three of them over the course of the day. I never seem to come away disappointed with Odom. He always finds a way to fill the stat sheet, even when he’s not at his best.

Jordan Brown

2022 6-0 CG Jordan Brown will play a huge role in the success of St. Francis this upcoming season. While the Knights still lack a true game-changing big man, another steady guard can’t hurt. The younger brother of former Northview standout Justin Brown, the baby Brown has big time skills for a freshman. He is like a right-handed version of 2019 sharpshooter CJ Riley, who had 18 and 7 points in his two games. Brown has a good looking outside shot like Riley, but he’s more of a point guard and more assertive attacking defenses. Brown hit from the three-point line (3 total), mid-range and finished all the way at the rim. In Game 1 he had 11 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal. In Game 2 he went for 10 points and 1 steal. Brown logged good minutes last weekend at Georgia Tech as well, proving he’s here to stay. He may be next in the long line of talented young guards to come out of St. Francis.

Peachtree Ridge

St. Francis: 59-49 (L)
Lambert: 77-49 (W)

2019 6-11 C Richard Rivers is a big boy. He weighs in over 250 pounds and is the epitome of a space-eater. Rivers has an extremely soft touch which is important for a player that plays below the rim. His mobility is still an issue, but he gets up and down the floor. On the low block, Rivers is extremely methodical. His first instinct is to look to pass. Rivers has great court vision and uses his size to dump off assists to open cutters. When he does make a move to score, he has a gentle hook shot that should rarely get blocked, even though he doesn’t have much lift off the ground. He is a threat to knock down the three from the top of the key. Rivers’ limitations come from his lack of athleticism, but the skill is most definitely there offensively. Defensively, he is a stationary post defender that isn’t going to collect any weak side blocks, but if you go straight into him, he will have his hands up to alter any looks. In Game 1 Rivers finished with 8 points and 9 rebounds, while in Game 2 he put up 8 points (2 threes), 2 rebounds and 3 assists.  Rivers should find himself on a college roster as long as both player and coach understand the role he best serves.

2019 5-11 PG Kamerron Oyala is a spunky lead guard that plays with pace. He will be asked to run the offense and provide a spark on both sides of the ball. Oyala had 10 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks in Game 1 before going for 6 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals in a rout.

2020 6-3 SG Christian Williams drilled three three-pointers and finished with 15 points against Lambert. The lefty showed he could knock down shots and could provide some offense for a Lions team searching for a new leader after the graduation of Devin Vassell (FSU).

Girls Analysis, Girls Basketball

Johns Creek Girls Team Camp

By Bre Singleton (@bre_singleton)

Johns Creek hosted a camp Wednesday afternoon in which seven other teams including Buford, Northview, Alpharetta, and Lambert all participated. The camp was strictly held for the purpose of getting reps according to Johns Creek Head Coach Kirk Call. For that reason, scores were not kept and the scrimmages consisted of each team getting 10-minute segments of offense, half-court only.

In my most anticipated matchup of the afternoon, the Buford Wolves and Northview Titans were pitted against each other in a battle of 27+ win teams. The two juggernauts definitely came to play. Northview started with their 10-minute offensive stint first. The Titans had it going early, executing effectively and getting quality possessions. The starting five has a tangible chemistry about them that is a joy to watch. The group is led by senior guard Megan Cistulli, who showed proved to be the vocal presence on the court.

Ashlee Austin

Northview has a solid tandem of 2019 prospects on their hands as well. Ashlee Austin, fresh off her first D1 offer from Ole Miss, shot the ball especially well from deep on Wednesday. Offensive rebounds were there for the 6’1 PF as well as she looks to build on her game.

Maya Richards

Maya Richards, Austin’s fellow junior post presence, also had a strong outing. Richards, the bigger and stronger of the two, had her way with just about anyone in her vicinity. A killer drop step got her to the bucket more times than not.

Rounding out the Titan starting five were Asjah Inniss, an aggressive PG who had about as many assists and as she had threes (and she hit several). Another young guard, Eden Sample, found her stroke from deep as well.

Buford was without its star player Tory Ozment who was out for precautionary reasons, but Coach Gene Durden wasn’t worried about her absence at all. Said Durden, “We know what Tory can do…we want to see about some of the others.”

The others certainly showed what they were made of against a very solid Northview team. A player that I was personally impressed with was young Tate Walters, the Wolves’ sophomore point guard. For the most part, Buford ran a drive and kick offense and on several occasions, Coach Durden had them spread the floor so that Walters could go to work. She did just that, and on several defenders. Her ability to break down defenders and get to the cup was phenomenal. At 5’7” Walters has the vision to see open teammates who drop to the block after she penetrates. It’ll be exciting to see how she progresses in the Buford girls basketball program.

Rising senior Jessica Nelson had the task of guarding Northview’s talented post players. She put as much presence on them as they put on her. Nelson arguably had the best post moves I saw all day.

The Lambert Longhorns looked good coming off of a 26-3 season. The Longhorns were one of the few teams to get up and down the court in their scrimmage with Northview. Senior posts Sidney Chase and Jaleah Greene were a fun duo to watch take on the Northview Titans. M.E. Craven, a long SF, had quite a few nice finishes at the rim to help the Longhorns’ scoring.

Coach David Walden of Alpharetta and Coach Amanda Heil of North Gwinnett brought their respective teams to Johns Creek for some summer work. Both fairly young teams got up and down the floor in hopes of getting some good reps. Coach Heil is entering her first year as the head coach of the Bulldogs, replacing Bryan Sellers who she had previously been an assistant coach for.

GHSA, GHSA Basketball

Georgia State Team Camp Session II Preview

Session II of the Georgia State Ron Hunter Basketball Team Camp is here. The first session saw North Clayton powered by center Ahsan Asadullah march its way to the title with a win over Dacula. This Friday and Saturday (June 24-25) returns an even more loaded field. If you’re in the Atlanta area and are a major ‘hoop-head’, this is a must see event but I caution you, some teams will not be at full strength with their top players out at individual elite camps or college visits, so buyer beware.

Nonetheless, the field is absolutely juiced with powerhouse programs, up-and-comers and individual standouts. To break it down for the casual fan and not to slight anyone, here’s a quick synopsis of the teams on display.

Top Tier: Greenforest Christian (A-Private State Champ), St. Francis (A-Private Runner-Up), Miller Grove (AAAAA State Champ), Cedar Shoals (AAAAA Final Four), Pace Academy (AA State Champ), Jenkins (AAA Runner-Up), Treutlen (A-Public Final Four).

2015-16 State Tournament Teams: St. Pius, Sandy Creek, Chattooga, Lambert, Tucker, Grayson, Woodstock, South Forsyth.

Those are just a bulk of the teams that have had success recently. With graduations, transfers and coaching changes, everything is subject to change. Teams like Westminster, New Manchester, Duluth, Etowah, Parkview, King’s Ridge, Therrell and more are what really make this a great field, entering as the great unknowns as to how good they can be this upcoming season.

With a majority of the teams listed, here’s a further breakdown of some interesting/subtle storylines.

Jenkins has two great seniors returning in point guard Zion Williams and Trevion Lamar. Williams flourished in his first season at Jenkins after transferring from Savannah. The lightning quick guard averaged 13.5 points and 3.6 assists. The offense centers around 6-foot-5 do-everything forward Trevion Lamar.  He averaged 16.4 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.6 steals and 1.7 blocks. Lamar is one of the best players in South Georgia.

Life will be different without Connor Mannion (Navy) and Ross Morkem (North Georgia), but Coach Scott Bracco isn’t conceding too much of a drop off at Lambert. Tenacious, gritty, savvy and experienced are all words that can be used to describe Andrew Melms. The senior point guard makes the Longhorns offense go, but Musa Thompson and Austin Deckard are lethal as well along with Damon Stoudamire who enters his junior season. Thompson has the measurables to become a very good player as a 6-foot-4 wing. He has a chance to put it all together his senior season.

Individual standouts line South Forsyth, King’s Ridge and Forest Park. These three schools won’t be mistaken as perennial powers in the state of Georgia, but they do hold hidden gems. South Forsyth’s Evan Cole has a shot to establish himself as the best post player in camp after a steady summer with the Atlanta All-Stars. The deceptively athletic 6-foot-8 forward should see a major leap in recruitment his senior season. The double-double machine can score all over the floor and is a threat to go coast-to-coast.

Though he hasn’t become a star at the GHSA level after battling to become eligible, King’s Ridge’s Tolu Jacobs will be hard to miss. The 6-foot-11, 275-pound rock of muscle enters his junior season. I haven’t been able to see him play, but if he is there on Saturday, you can expect to see me at his court. With size like that, there will always be college suitors. It’s up to him to determine his ceiling.

Going from big to small, Avery Wilson, a 6-foot-1 guard at Forest Park, is a fun player to watch. Wilson is uber-athletic and was one of the state’s top scorers in Class AAAAA. He poured in 19.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. The down-hill scorer took a whopping 180 free throws last year. If he can diversify his game and improve the confidence of his three-point shot (20-for-50, 40%), Wilson should start to gain more statewide attention his senior season.

Sandy Creek will see a lot of young faces take on big roles this season after the graduation of Christian Turner (Gardner-Webb) and the transfer of Elias Harden (Pebblebrook). The Patriots are a long team with 6-foot-7 forward Evan Jester leading the charge his senior season. Jester is no joke. He averaged 9.7 points and 8.6 rebounds a year ago but will be the focal point on offense this season. 6-foot-6 sophomore TJ Bickerstaff can play every position on the floor while juniors Jarred Godfrey, Xavier Brewer, Kameron Miller and Chris Porter have been working hard this offseason.

Etowah and Duluth look to revamp their programs with new head coaches in place. Allen Whitehart leads Etowah while Cabral Huff returns to high school at Duluth after winning a state title at St. Francis and taking a stop at Alcorn State. Both teams have played well this summer.

I have hyped Mountain View this summer and think they can still be very competitive even after the transfer of sophomore point guard Donell Nixon II to Buford this offseason. Another sophomore, Anthony Edwards, is a stud at Therrell. If the 6-foot-3 guard decides to stick it out all four years in Atlanta, he can put Therrell on the map.  He led the Panthers in scoring as a freshman and stuffs stat sheets nightly.

Looking for another super sleeper team? Parkview will build upon their 10-16 campaign. The Panthers are super young, graduating just two seniors. The youth Coach Nick Gast has is exceptional. Ahmir Langlais is a long 6-foot-7 sophomore whereas Jamiel Wright is a 5-foot-8 point guard that worked on his craft along with Langlais recently at the Under Armour Best of the Best Camp. ‘Elder statesmen’ Jack Lapenta, Cam Chavers and Truitt Spencer all return. Lapenta (7.3 ppg, 8.8 rpg) and Chavers (10.3 ppg – leading scorer) are now juniors while Spencer (9.8 ppg) is a sophomore.

Another team with some intrigue surrounding them is Chattooga. The Indians came out of a weak Region 7 in Class AA that saw each team get swept by Region 6 in the first round of the state playoffs. The Indians opened the season 22-1 and spent time in the Top 10 but tapered off, losing four of their last five games to end the year. Only three players graduate meaning the Indians will be a strong favorite to romp through their region again. Twin brothers Isaiah and Isaac Foster are set to return for their senior seasons. Isaiah is a lethal scorer at guard that stretches defenses with his three-point shooting. Senior Jay Shropshire is back as well to provide scoring.

For more insight on a couple of teams not listed, feel free to read my previous analysis of other summer team camps.