Skip to main content

Grayson, Moustapha Diop, KJ Garris, and more open Relentless Hoops Summer League impressively

13, Jun 2023

Grayson, Moustapha Diop, KJ Garris, and more open Relentless Hoops Summer League impressively

MARIETTA, Ga.—The Relentless Hoops Summer League is a must-stop for the Georgia hoops faithful. It perennially provides one of the best evaluation opportunities ahead of the June live period events. 

Tuesday was the first of three days, and it provided plenty of noteworthy performances and discussion points. 

I was in the building for most of the day, and here’s a quick recap of what I saw. 

 

Grayson reloads with depth

It’s summer ball, what happens now is just centered around the June live periods. Results in June won’t necessarily dictate what happens in November and beyond. 

What can be talked about is how deep this Grayson team looks. They were one of Georgia’s deepest teams a season ago, and they’ve added 2025 4-star Jacob Wilkins and 2024 W Ahmad Clark to the fold. 

On Tuesday, they won both of their games early because they had more than anyone else. Different guys shined at different times. 

They have guys that excel at their specific roles. For example, Anthony Alston is known for hitting shots, and he did that. Jacob Wilkins brings athleticism to the wing, and he showed that. 

The kicker about this outing is that they were without CJ Hyland (Western Carolina commit) and Gicarri Harris. 

When Gicarri Harris comes back from his Euro trip, Grayson could run out a starting roster with five D1 prospects. 

 

Diop adds to his resume

This will come as no surprise to those who have been around the Peach State regularly over the last year or so, but 6-foot-10 rising sophomore Moustapha Diop added another positive data point to his resume. 

Despite playing shortened minutes Diop showed plenty of what has made him one of the young names to pay attention to around these parts. He had a double-double in the first game and dominated around the basket. 

The second game was a bit of a mismatch, but he was on track to have a triple-double with blocks. 

Diop his still far from his ceiling, but nobody is expecting such a young big to be perfect right now. His flashes, his bright spots show a lot though. Diop has touch, he has skill to go along with his size and mobility. 

What makes me excited about his future is that he’s not rail thin. Diop has the kind of frame that can add muscle well. 

He keeps showing that he’s one to watch in the class nationally. 

 

KJ Garris is fitting in well at Mount Vernon

2025 guard KJ Garris is a new addition to Mount Vernon, and he’s looking like a piece they need. 

Garris can pack a scoring punch in the backcourt, and that’s what Mount Vernon needed. Early on in their first game, his 3-point shot wasn’t falling. That’s one of his specialties. Rather than settle for bad shots, Garris got down hill and did his damage there before stepping back out and hitting shots. 

Talking to his coaches, they let me know that he averaged somewhere in the neighborhood of 28 points per game for them at the Florida State team camp, so his performance at the Relentless Hoops Summer League was not an anomaly. It was another entry to a developing resume. 

Summer high school events shouldn’t be taken as the be all end all of evaluations, but it looks like Garris is going to fit in well at his new school. 

 

Central Gwinnett backcourt leads in a scrappy win

Central Gwinnett should see plenty of improvement. Last year, they were a young squad with a new coaching staff. This year, they should be on the rise, and Malik Rideout and Tim Smith led the way to a scrappy win. 

Smith was the main story of the night. He had the shooting performance of the day with 7 3-pointers. 

2026 G Malik Rideout is carrying the family legacy well in his young career so far. He must have gotten the clutch gene from his older bother Jameel because the younger Rideout was crucial down the stretch for Central Gwinnett. It was his late buckets that ultimately sealed the deal and got them the win. 

Look out for this team in the winter. 

 

Jerrin Samuel does it all for Winder Barrow

2026 guard Jerrin Samuel looks like he’s next up out of the Winder-Barrow program. 

The 6-foot-4 guard has built a reputation as a shooter. He scored the ball well and consistently, but when his shot wasn’t falling he impacted the game across the board. 

It was his effort that led to a lot of his production. He finished with a double-double in their second game, and he did good things elsewhere on the floor throughout both games. 

My sample size is small because I haven’t spent a ton of time in the 2026 class yet, but Samuel certainly shined on Tuesday. 

 

Sha’Yah Goba is putting it together

Mount Vernon’s Sha’Yah Goba looks like he’s rounding into form at a good time. The 2024 wing looked better than I had ever seen him before on Tuesday. 

It was a more confident, assertive Goba that shined. He played physically on both ends, especially on defense. He was tasked with the tough task of guarding Jacob Wilkins, and he did his job as well as anyone could. 

On offense, he flexed his athleticism on drives to the basket.

Goba has been a spring stock riser with the Georgia Canes, and it looks like that momentum has carried over into the summer. 

 

North Cobb Christian’s Brock Bonner has entered the conversation

I don’t know many people who have spent a ton of time watching the 2027 class, so when North Cobb Christian wing Brock Bonner took the court for his two games, he had everyone asking about him. 

He doesn’t look like a rising freshman. He looks more like a rising junior if anything, and he showed off plenty of his NBA pedigree in two short games. 

Bonner spent a lot of the first game attacking from the wing and posting up bigger, older defenders. 

Then, in the second game he flashed range on his jumper and some athleticism as well. 

For many, this was an introduction to the young hooper, and it was a great first impression. 

 

Marist looks tough again

The Marist program has been a sneaky tough out in recent years, and this upcoming group looks like they’ll keep that going. 

2024 guard Luke Harpring had a particularly good day as a physical slasher.  He’s got a strong build and can muscle his way to the rim consistently. 

Owen Ritger was another eye-catcher for Marist. He has plenty of wing upside and had good moments on the perimeter and around the basket. He’s a rising junior that could continue to emerge as a prospect in the state over the next few years. 

 

South Paulding rising seniors turn heads

I liked what I saw out of South Paulding’s rising-senior duo of Andrew Lavigne and David Williams. 

They could have really good seasons in front of them after what I saw. 

Lavigne is a scorer to track at the guard spot. He had nice moments hitting a variety of tough shots. He had an electricity about him when he had it going well. 

Williams added plenty alongside Lavigne. He had athletic finishes and showed his range with some jumpers.

This duo looked the part of a pair that could make some noise during live periods.


 


Josh Tec
Editor-in-Chief

Josh Tec is a Georgia State graduate with a degree in journalism. Tec aspires to work in basketball media as his career continues. At Georgia State, he graduated with Summa Cum Laude honors and was recognized as a leader in the classroom. Outside of basketball, Tec loves movies and perpetually seeks out his next favorite film.