2023 Georgia Cup 17U All-Stars
The Georgia Cup series has wrapped for 2023. A hyper-local series on the HoopSeen calendar, Georgia Cup—and now Florida Cup and Alabama Cup—gives all players a platform to shine. Whether that means highly-touted national prospects, sleepers, or youth teams having fun, this is a stage that has a little bit of everything.
At the top, in 17U, there were some battles, some prospects that showed up and showed out. I was at three of the four Georgia Cups, and this is my all-star team from the 2023 series’ 17U divisions.
Team S.M.A.S.H. Blue closed the 2023 Georgia Cup series as 17U champs after winning the division in the Georgia Cup Finals. Bronson Blair impressed throughout the entire weekend. The Mountain View (GA) guard led the way as a scorer and distributor and had opposing coaches speaking highly of him after games. Blair was able to get into the thick of defenses and deliver pocket passes and dump offs for easy baskets. He made those around him better on their run. When he looks to score, Blair is at his best when attacking the basket. He consistently converts creative, tough layups. He looks the part of a stockriser in the state, that's for certain.
Bell was a source of consistency during both of Metro Elite’s runs to 17U championship games. He was a big-time player that made big-time plays and made a name for himself quickly. It’s oversimplifying, but he did a little bit of everything for this team from the guard spot during their Cup runs. He can get to his spots with the ball in his hands as a scorer, and he makes things happen when off the ball too. He showed a knack for making timely plays whether it was making shots, getting a defensive stop, pulling a rebound, etc. The guy’s a hooper and showed it time and time again.
Hoop Atlanta had two solid Georgia Cup weekends this year. This is a program that perennially has some sleepers, and Carter Watkins woke us up at HoopSeen very quickly. Consistency was key for Watkins as well. His baseline production was higher than most, especially when it came to putting the ball through the hoop. Watkins flexed his multi-dimensional offensive skill set with efficiency. His baseline for scoring was higher than most, and he exceeded the 20-point mark on several occasions. He’s replicated this level of success throughout the spring on multiple platforms as well.
It’s been two years in a row that TSF’s 2025 EYBL team has come to Georgia Cup II and played up in the 17U division. The first time—in 2022—they impressed, and Jacob Wilkins was the show. While freshmen at the time, the squad made a deep run before ultimately falling short, but they came back in 2023 as sophomores and tore through competition en route to claiming the trophy they missed out on a year earlier. Once again, Jacob Wilkins was must-see. His size, versatility and athleticism overwhelmed opponents. Over the course of that weekend, he threw down some outrageous, improbable dunks. During the first live period stop on the EYBL circuit, Wilkins added an offer from Indiana. He has been the most highly rated player on the Cup stage for the last two years.
Play With Heart won the first Georgia Cup of the 2023 season, and Kenneth Chime announced himself over that weekend. They came back through at Georgia Cup II and made another run to the championship game. Big, athletic, and physical with a high motor, Chime was a problem around the basket throughout both weekends in every regard. Scoring, rebounding, blocking shots, Chime gave opponents all kinds of trouble and continued to do so on various platforms throughout the spring.
