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GHSA Basketball

Georgia Cup Finals – 14U Notes

News & Notes from Saturday (6/3/17) at the Georgia Cup Finals
Contributed by Trent Markwith (@TMarkwith14)

WE Elite

After close battles to win their first two games, the Marist War Eagles crew had another strong outing against the Georgia Kings. Led by Derek McDonald, WE was able to get great looks in the half court and get out in transition frequently. McDonald does it all for WE; just in this game I saw multiple 3’s, high post jumpers, full-court transition finishes, offensive rebounds, and big blocks on defense. He finished with 27 points but WE has some other weapons also. Charles Fleming is an assassin from deep, hitting (3) 3’s in the first half; Luke Benson runs the show at PG where he excels at facilitating; and Richard Reynolds is a solid forward who is tough inside but can also stretch the floor with his shooting. It looks like Marist has some good ones coming up to the high school level.

Walton Flames

This Flames team has 4 perimeter players who gave them great production in a nice afternoon win over Hoops 360. Combining for 66 of their 79 points, Grant Shobe, Jason Edwards, Charles Bradley, and Gabriel Farmer all proved themselves scoring the ball. To start off, Shobe has a very unique offensive game. He totaled 18 points from (3) 3’s and also made some difficult push-shots, floaters, and reverse layups that seemed to surprise everyone that was watching when they went in. Edwards is extremely shifty and had a variety of wild finishes inside while also showing that he would not hesitate to shoot from way beyond the line, ending with 16 points. I really liked Bradley’s efficiency on offense; he is reliable on catch and shoot opportunities, but when that is taken away he uses just 1 or 2 dribbles to get to the rim and also gets putbacks, finishing with 18 points. Farmer did not waste any opportunities either, hitting 3’s, weaving through the defense and getting easy baskets off of sneaky cuts for 14 points. The Flames are an explosive team when all 4 of these guys are in a groove.

MTXE

The group of St. Pius boys had a tight game on Saturday night against the Warner Robins All-Stars that made for an entertaining matchup. MTXE is a well-rounded, fundamental group that gets contribution from nearly everyone. They had 10 different players score with one who stood out above the rest: Kyle Seramur. Seramur connected on 5 threes for a total of 18 points and did this while only missing a few shots. Other main guys for MTXE are Carter Williams, Daniel Beverly, and Jack Verrill. Williams is a sound PG with outside shooting ability and makes sure to control things on offense for MTXE. Beverly is an athletic forward who makes a lot of energy plays, uses his length to finish, and plays with an edge about him. Verrill is an intriguing young player; he has great height and length for a player his age but is still raw and has to grow into his body. Verrill did display soft hands and some touch inside on offense, and altered shots consistently on defense.

Warner Robins All-Stars

 The Warner Robins squad recognized an advantage in strength and athleticism over MTXE early on and had success throughout the game using these qualities. The 3 standouts for the All-Stars would have to be Gregory Jones, Rashaun Tomlin, and Andrew Grane. These 3 combined for 40 of Warner Robins’ 60 points and were key down the stretch for their team. Jones (11 points) and Tomlin (12 points) were huge inside for Warner Robins. Jones made hard drives in both transition and the half-court often, where he absorbed contact and finished consistently. Tomlin was a beast on the offensive glass, grabbing everything in his area and then putting it in the basket. Grane (17 points) displayed an advanced offensive skill-set, attacking fearlessly but knowing when to quickly pull-up and use his mid-range jumper, which he did multiple times. This attribute kept the defense guessing when Grane had the ball and resulted in easy looks for him.

Warrior Elite

Out of Cleveland, GA, Warrior Elite is another team with a lot of depth. They carry 9 players and all of them get solid minutes. There is not much, if any, of a drop-off between the team’s starters and reserves; 7 Warrior players scored 6 or more points in a late Saturday night bracket play win. The team plays an unselfish brand of basketball and thrives in transition because of their surplus of smart, athletic players. Dakota Orr and Cooper Turner were very impressive for the Warrior team. Orr presents a great combination of height, athleticism, and touch for 14U player. As he continues to add strength and develop his awareness, he could turn into an attractive prospect. Turner is a fast, physical guard who seeks out contact whenever he gets in the lane where he draws fouls and finishes through hits with regularity. Another Warrior player that got my attention was Eli Pitts. This may have not been his best scoring performance but he showed high IQ and good penetration ability that resulted in solid passes to open teammates. In other games, this penetration may have provided scoring opportunities for Pitts but he recognized that dishing to others was the best option in this game.

Analysis, GHSA Basketball

Bob Gibbons – Saturday 17U Eye Openers

Contributed by Trent Markwith (@TMarkwith14)

Riley Wolgamott (Pro One Select White)– Wolgamott showed a lot of different parts to his game in a tight afternoon win. A very quick, deceptive PG, Wolgamott sliced through the defense relentlessly throughout the game and made crafty passes to his teammates often. He also used his quickness and ball-handling ability to attack the rim himself, while also showing he could shoot from the outside, finishing with 16 points for the Alabama-based program in a win over Game Elite Blue.

Evan Spiller (CBA United)- Spiller is a solid wing out of Florida who stayed within himself and never overdid things. He used his length and athleticism to his advantage, penetrating inside quite often where he displayed a nice in between game and soft touch around the basket. It was clear that Spiller has a high IQ, making the simple, correct play time and time again. The smooth lefty was a vital part in CBA’s comeback win over Palmetto Elite, ending the game with 18 points.

CJ Sabb (Palmetto Elite)- Sabb is an unsigned CG from South Carolina and definitely played like it today. Sabb looked like a veteran in the first half against CBA United and led his team with 12 first-half points coming in a variety of ways. As things got going for CBA in the second half, Sabb tried to get others involved and keep his teammates composed. Although Palmetto suffered a 2-point loss, it was an impressive performance overall for Sabb, who finished with 17 points.

Raphael Rogers, Christian McLean (Inspire Atlanta)- This wing duo accounted for nearly half of Inspire’s points (14 each) in their afternoon battle against Sports Academy South. McLean (Wesleyan) showed furious aggression in transition, almost too much for his own good at times, but this attribute is what makes him go. After getting to the basket a few times for scores, McLean had some nice dumps to teammates for easy buckets. If he continues to develop as a distributor as well, McLean will be a scary prospect. Rogers (Douglas County) has a nice, strong body for a perimeter player and displayed some good versatility to his game. He knew when to use his strength to get inside but also knocked down open outside shots and was quite unselfish in sharing the ball when he could have looked for his own scoring opportunities. It will be interesting to see how these two improve before the July live period.

Isaiah Bauman (Sports Aacademy South)- Bauman is a speedy guard out of Augusta and showed a full offensive arsenal in an OT win over Inspire Atlanta on Saturday afternoon. Whether it was a deep-ball, a mid-range pull-up, or a drive to the basket, it seemed that Bauman always had something up his sleeve for Academy. Whenever Inspire looked like they were gaining momentum, Bauman responded with a big play for Academy. Bauman controlled the game, played with solid change of pace, and finished with an impressive 18 points in the win.

Chris Barnette (NC Runnin’ Rebels)- Barnette, a guard from North Carolina, may have been my favorite player from the whole day. Barnette played with an endless motor and was bouncing around the court each and every play. He hounded the opposing team’s primary ball-handler every possession, got in passing lanes off the ball, and even snuck in for a few offensive rebounds. This goes without mentioning his superior shooting and passing ability; Barnette had 14 points on (3) 3’s, a plethora of assists in transition off his steals, and made sure there was crisp ball movement in the half-court. Barnette may not be the biggest player but his tremendous energy and activity really make up for it.

Analysis, GHSA Basketball

Bob Gibbons – Saturday 16U Eye Openers

Contributed by Trent Markwith (@TMarkwith14)

Bryson Childress, Levontae Knox (PSB Select)- Starting off with an early morning game in an off-site auxiliary gym didn’t seem to have any effect on the play of this PSB duo. Childress, a PG, and Knox, a wing, have nice chemistry together and had things rolling early against Vanguard Elite. Childress hit a few outside shots early and then began to facilitate to Knox and other teammates, a role in which he excelled. Knox was at his best attacking the rim in transition with the help of pesky defense by Childress, but also had some nice moments in half-court offense putting the ball on the floor to get inside and taking a few perimeter shots. Childress (9 points) and Knox (13 points) were two of the main pieces in securing the win for the NC program.

Jaxon Etter (North Atlanta Orangemen)– After a strong performance in the morning against Game Elite, Etter (Etowah) followed up with another effective outing against BCB on Saturday night. Etter has impressive size and physicality for a guard/wing at the 16U level, bullying his way to the basket where he both finished through contact and drew fouls. Etter also showed the ability to grab rebounds and push down the court into pull-up jumpers. His attack mentality led to 17 points on the night.

Ashton Young (BCB Black)- Going against Etter for BCB was Young, and he was an absolute beast. Young (Buford) scored solid 6 points in the first half, but took it to another level in the second half. The athletic, active wing was grabbing offensive rebounds, slashing from the perimeter, and ran hard in transition throughout the game. The Orangemen could not keep him away from the basket or free throw line and Young eventually finished with 27 points for BCB. His effort helped lead them to a close 58-56 win.

Drew Pember (EOTO TN)- In a bracket play matchup against Stackhouse Elite, Pember and his EOTO looked to continue to prove themselves on the big stage. The EOTO team encountered a lot of foul trouble and struggled to score in the first half, facing a 30-21 deficit at halftime. After a scoreless first half, Pember turned things around in the second half. Pember, a long, lean forward, proved that he can step out and shoot from the perimeter but also showed impressive mobility and athleticism. Pember scored 9 points in the second half and although the EOTO comeback just barely fell short, he and his team look like they should be followed closely in the future.

Analysis, GHSA Basketball

Bob Gibbons Day 1 Recap

Contributed by Trent Markwith (@TMarkwith14)

16U: Wellington Wolves 59, Vanguard Elite 50
This Georgia vs Florida battle began with runs by both teams; a 7-0 run by Vanguard and then a 11-0 run by Wellington within the first 6 minutes of the game. The teams continued with fast-paced action throughout the first half, with the Wolves having a solid lead at halftime. Wellington capitalized inside from offensive rebounds and also received a big boost outside with multiple 3’s from Aramis MacKrey in the first half.

Vanguard struggled to hit open shots and was plagued by turnovers but stayed in the game with production from Myles Todd (Pace) and Terrell Burden (McEachern). Wellington extended their lead to double digits early in the second half with the help of MacKrey, Josh Williams and Alphonse Alfred. They looked to have control of the game when Vanguard stormed back with pesky defense, with Donaven Hairston (Milton) coming alive and Todd continuing to play well. However, Wellington was able to settle down and close out the game with free throws after a few missed opportunities by Vanguard.

Wellington was led by Aramis MacKrey, who had 15 points on (5) 3’s, and Josh Williams, who had 10 points. Vanguard received 16 points from Myles Todd and 11 points from Terrell Burden.

16U: Southern Stampede 72, TNBC 51
In a matchup of two teams who like to get up and down the court, the Stampede and TNBC went back and forth for much of the first half with neither team finding a way to secure a comfortable lead. Davis Herndon (Riverwood) started the game hot for TNBC with 8 points on (2) 3’s but was matched by Jalen Durham (Berkmar) of Stampede who was also connecting from the outside.

Trae Broadnax (Islands) also had a strong first half for the Stampede but Steven Seramur (St. Pius) and TJ Malloy (Westminster) responded with (2) 3’s each. The difference in the first half was the play of Jalyn McCreary (Kennesaw Mountain) late. McCreary was almost nonexistent for most of the first half but went on a tear where he scored 10 points and grabbed a multitude of rebounds in a span of 4 minutes, resulting in a 37-25 halftime lead for his Stampede team.

The beginning of the second half was similar to the start of the first half, with the Stampede extending their lead a bit to 15 with solid play from Donell Nixon (Buford). TNBC then went a run of their own where Jordan Krueger (Walton) began to heat up and Herndon continued to attack, cutting the deficit to 6. After a timeout, the Stampede came out locked in offensively and picked up their defensive intensity, causing havoc left and right. Broadnax and Nixon led this charge with versatile scoring and Brandon Green also gave great energy in transition for the Stampede team. TNBC was left flustered and was not able to recover, eventually falling behind by 20. The Stampede had 4 double-digit scorers in Trae Broadnax (18), Jalyn McCreary (12), Donell Nixon (11), and Jalen Durham (11). TNBC received 16 points from Davis Herndon and 10 points from Jordan Krueger.

17U: Atlanta Allstars 58, Game Elite Orange 46
This late-night matchup began very slowly for both teams, with neither squad finding offensive production from anyone. Game Elite found their groove about midway through the first half and received baskets from 7 different players with Marques Frye (Mount Vernon) scoring 8 points and Justin Brown (Northview) putting up 7 points in the first half. The Allstars, however, remained in a slump and found themselves down 35-18 at the break.

The tables turned entirely as the second half started. The Allstars came out with incredible energy and erased the Game Elite lead very quickly. Alex Jones (Buford) took over the game in transition with his speed and was able to create his own offense while also distributing to others, most notably Adrian Cohen (Etowah). Adam Flagler (Duluth) also went into attack mode on the offensive end for the Allstars, while Game Elite started settling for contested outside shots and could not score at all. This complete 180 in the second half resulted in a 58-46 win for the Allstars.

The Atlanta Allstars received 16 points from Adrian Cohen, 15 points from Adam Flagler, and 14 points from Alex Jones. Justin Brown was the lone double-digit scorer for Game Elite, finishing with 12 points.