Five Things Friday with Josh Tec: 2025 names to know from Relentless Hoops Summer League
Welcome back to Five Things Friday!
This past week, I spent a couple of days at Etowah at the Relentless Hoops summer league. Whether it be their camps or the summer league, they do things well over at Relentless Hoops.
For this week’s five things, I wanted to reflect on my two days there with five 2025 prospects that stood out. Most of us haven’t gotten an in-depth look at the 2025 class yet, so there’s plenty of room for guys to make good impressions. Several of the state’s rising sophomores did that this week.
Oh, and it should be noted that all of them are going to be playing at the GBCA live period event at Lakepoint this weekend as well.
With veterans as good as Brandon Rechsteiner and Mason Etter, it can be easy for a younger player to get lost in the shuffle a bit, but Weaver’s talent and athleticism help him overcome that for the Eagles. His strength is when he uses his athleticism paired with an aggressive, downhill attack. He can create highlights above the rim and excels in transition. Weaver also gives Etowah a ton on the glass. He certainly doesn’t shy away from a rebounding battle. As is the case with all underclassmen, he’s still figuring some things out, but the talent is clearly there. He’s going to be fun to continue to track as he continues to develop.
Taylor’s been one of the better big prospects in the state for a little while now. He’s advanced in the paint and operates really well around the basket. In a tight game against Etowah, Taylor routinely made big shots and collected clutch rebounds in pressure situations. He showed off some range and proved that he can be a reliable floor spacer when called upon. Paired with Jayden Williams, Taylor will help make up one of the most formidable, versatile young frontcourts in the state and will give people trouble for years to come.
It was Carpenter’s overall game while running the point for Buford that won me over. He made some outstanding passes and displayed good vision. Carpenter is a solid scorer too. I’ve gotten to see glimpses of that when I’ve seen him with TSF, but he bolstered those spring performances by showing his ability to be a consistent double-figure scorer with Buford too.
Dynamic and electric. Those are the two words that come to mind when thinking about watching Sanford drop 29 for Cherokee on Tuesday evening. He shot the cover off of the ball and did so in a variety of ways. He’s a catch-and-shoot threat, and he has a quick step back that he uses and shoots well from. Overall, he plays with good pace and is quick with the ball in his hands. Stanford’s decision making seemed to be good as well too. I can’t remember any egregious lapses in judgement which is a good thing for a young player that was riding a wave of confidence that he was on.
Cole is a young guard playing on a team with a ton of experience, and he still finds ways to impact the game. Whether it’s as a playmaker or a shooter, Cole adds depth to this King’s Ridge team and should be able to give them somewhere around 10 points per game while adding a handful of assists here and there as well. As this class starts to become more of a focus for people across the state, Cole's a guy that should continue to turn heads and establish himself as a guard to know moving forward.
