2023 Grassroots Finale: Jajuan Nicholls, The House We Built, More standout on Saturday Night
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA - HoopSeen and HoopGroup are in Virginia Beach for the Grassroots Showcase.
A longer-than-normal Saturday has necessitated a double dose of notes. Here’s what went down in the afternoon and early evening at the beach.
Related: Saturday morning notes
The House We Built adds another win
The House We Built out of the Boston area had success at this event last year, and they’re winning again.
2024 guard/wing Troy McKoy was one of the day’s best players. With a good combination of power and skill, McKoy was a productive scorer in their two wins. He can muscle his way to the basket or he can hit from the perimeter. McKoy is out of my geographic wheelhouse, so this was a first-time viewing for me, and he left a significant impression.
2024 guard Anthony Nimani was in the mix as a distributor primarily, but he added 13 points and got going in that department later in the game. Nimani was able to get by his man and to his spots to create availability for teammates or to score.
Adonis Lafleur made plenty of noise as a knockdown shooter on Saturday. He’s one of the better pure shooters I saw on the day.
6-foot-9 Evan Reeves gave them additional size with skill. He’s a rebounding machine with the ability to step away from the basket and hit a shot.
This is a program that seems to always have dudes. That’s been the case in late July for the last two years at the very least.
Jajuan Nicholls overwhelms
Jajuan Nicholls had himself a day at the beach. The 1 of 1 Elite forward was overpowering in their afternoon win.
Nicholls got whatever he wanted at the basket with overwhelming power mixed with good feet and athleticism.
He didn’t just get his own though. Nicholls made some nice passes to use his presence to get others open.
Nicholls had 22 in the afternoon to follow up another double-digit game in the morning.
Blake Wilson's rise continues
Blake Wilson continues to advance. His year-to-year progression has been as stark as anyone’s in the south. Wilson’s body and game have both come a long way since last year’s Grassroots Finale.
Check the archives from the year, we’ve heralded his improvements every time we’ve seen him this year.
He was dominant on Saturday night. His athleticism, his length, and his developing 3-point shot were all on display during a 28-point, 10 rebound game.
More quick hitters
After their morning game, several 1 of 1 Elite - Rare players picked up offers from Radford. Yohance Connor, Gevonte Ware and LJ Rush all were offered by the Highlanders.
Team Trezz-Williams has multiple recruitable prospects from a couple of different age groups. A 2025 playing up, Chance Gladden is a point guard that will be in the middle of recruiting a year from now. He’s so poised with the ball, he has solid positional size, and he can knock down shots. 2024 W Jeffrey Clark had some great moments as well. He’s long and active. He led them with 18 points, and he made some quality passes. Clark has plenty of potential and is certainly deserving of some next-level attention.
Florida Pro had as balanced of a win as can be in their afternoon game. Stone Bureau led with 19, Adrian Shackleton added 15, Enrico Borio had 15, and Jeremy Elyzee had 11. That was four of their six players in the game.
Sebastian Akins has been known for his offensive production, but on Saturday afternoon, he locked up an opposing guard that had built buzz earlier in the day because of his scoring prowess. Akins clearly took the defensive assignment to heart and wanted to show that he could be a stopper on that end. He stuck with his man like glue and never let him get going offensively.
Jack Sorrell came down from Canada and caught fire at the beach from the 3-point line for Puma Hoops Canada. He hit 5 pure 3-pointers en route to 19 points to lead his squad in what felt like a Canadian rivalry game.
Gilian Mavoungou was also great for Puma Hoops Canada. He provides a different skill set than Sorrell. He’s more of a bowling-ball guard who’s difficult to stop when he’s going downhill. He added 17 points.
2024 G Josh Langefels had a good evening with OTP National. Langefels connected for a few 3-pointers off the catch, and he used his athleticism and college-ready build well at the rim. Langefels plays with a high motor, especially on defense. He’s a guy that coaches should keep doing their homework on.
Also for OTP National, 2025 G Jake Taylor continues to impress as a smooth point guard with good feel as a passer. He’s a player I’m interested in Georgia’s 2025 class. Taylor scored the ball well for OTP and was able to get everyone else involved as well.
