Top overall performers from the 2023 Best of the South, part III
ATLANTA, GA - The depth of talent at the 2023 Best of the South was outstanding. Our staff was all over the Georgia World Congress Center and spent the entire weekend sorting out the best of the very best. Meet some of the top performers from the 17 and under division from our NCAA Live Period event.
The HoopSeen platform is always littered with “sleeper” prospects. For some reason, Brock continues to surf under the radar, and, quite frankly, it’s mind-boggling. The 6-foot-5 Texan is a blue-collar, tough-as-nails guard that consistently produced all weekend long. The lefty made shots from distance at a high rate and kept defenders on their toes with his driving ability. I’m a firm believer that Brock will be a legendary bracket buster in a few years — he has that kind of vibe to him. It will be fun to see which college program is lucky enough to coach him at the next level. - Garrett Tucker
What a start to the Best of the South. He dropped 34 points to open up the week and then we did some research and found out Fitzgerald is a four-star prospect on the gridiron with offers from Power-5 schools across the country. Let’s get back to basketball, this 6-foot-1 guard looks the part of a mid-major prospect on the hardwood as well. He can score from all spots on the floor to begin with and then he brings athleticism that comes along with being a four-star football prospect. I could see Fitzgerald being a two-way guy at the college level. - Justin Byerly
There aren’t many people who can claim to have had a better weekend at Best of the South than Team Knight guard/wing Jaelen Nelson. His weekend was highlighted by a 33-point game on Sunday that cemented his spot among the weekend’s best. Nelson can catch fire from the 3-point line—he hit six in the aforementioned game. His length stands out too. He used his long arms to get deflections on defense. I’d consider this a statement weekend from Nelson. - Josh Tec
Shephard opened up BOTS on Thursday with a 25-point performance and he never looked back. The shifty, 6-foot-5 guard excels with the ball in his hands off the bounce. He gets to his spots on the floor with ease and can consistently make shots from the perimeter. He’s a consistent producer and has a high ceiling as a perimeter prospect, too. I’d say he had a strong showing in front of a host of college programs throughout the week. - Garrett Tucker
I don’t know if there is a more skilled passer in the 17 and under division than Borio. He’s a visionary in the halfcourt and has the best kind of team to work with his skill set. Borio sees the floor so well and finds cutters, works well in pick-and-roll situations and plays well out of the post. He creates offense without losing value for himself as a scoring threat either. Borio can shoot out to three with regularity, confidence and productivity. Borio runs the floor very well and can be a good player in an up-tempo program. Mid-major programs have actively tracked him and pulled up a chair at the Best of the South from start to finish. He’s an easy inclusion to our Top Performers list here. - Justin Young
