SUWANEE, Ga—The travel season is fully here. The combination of sleep deprivation and adrenaline is as much of a tell as anything else. 

HoopSeen’s Tip Off kicked things off with everything top-flight recruits to sleeper prospects on the rise to unsigned stars to story starters. 

 

 

Elyiss Williams has a star-making weekend 

A big-time football prospect from deep in South Georgia, sophomore Elyiss Williams impressed me last July with South Georgia Elite, and after watching him lead Charlton County to a win over Greenforest in the GHSA A-DII final four, he reaffirmed that he’s a real-deal hooper as well. Williams had a monster game in Charlton County’s championship game appearance as well. 

All of that is to say that he’s been a rising star in my eyes for the last six months or so. Well, now that star is shining bright enough for everyone to pay attention. 

Williams woke a lot of people up at Tip Off with his dominance around the basket. We’ve seen high-level big men torture rims at Suwanee Sports Academy for years, and Williams joined that lineage this weekend. 

His highlight game came against Team United as one of the closing matchups of the weekend. Going against Jarin Stevenson, a 5-star in the 2024 class, Williams looked like he belonged among the best of the best while playing up an age group. 

He was fearless and relentless against Team United. Whether on the glass, on defense, or on offense, Williams produced at a high level. He’s big, he’s strong, and he’s certainly not afraid of physicality. 

Now, Elyiss Williams is becoming a well-known commodity in basketball circles. As South Georgia Elite’s season continues, expect Williams to keep making headlines. 

 

Team Loaded shoots the lights out

I was more worried about Team Loaded causing a power outage on court 5 than I was about the storms that passed through the area causing any issues because that squad was shooting the lights out on Sunday morning. 

I can’t say that I’ve seen a team shoot as well as they did to close their HoopSeen Tip Off weekend. Loaded knocked down 13 3-pointers in a half and finished the game with 20. 

Kendrick Wilson and Eli Ellis both finished with four 3-pointers, and four others finished with multiple triples. 

This team has generated highlights on this stage in the past. This weekend, they drew a crowd when they took the floor, and the people that circled court 5 on Sunday were treated to a show. 

 

United and strong 

As one might expect, Team United was one of the teams of the weekend. 

They were tested at times, but at the end of the weekend, they remained undefeated and as impressive as expected. 

Their success wasn’t based on the efforts of one guy. Rather, it was a united effort. It’s more than just a name with this group. 

Different guys stepped up and led this team throughout the weekend whether it was Jarin Stevenson, Cam Scott, Jaxon Prunty or someone else on this deep roster. 

Their game against South Georgia Elite on Sunday was a war most of the way through. 

 

 

Marcus Gillespie’s ascent continues 

Marcus Gillespie has been a sophomore that has generated intrigue from evaluators across the state. To begin this travel season, he’s shown that he belongs in the conversation with the state’s best guards in the 2025 class. 

Genuinely, I can’t remember a time in which opposing coaches raved about a player to me like they did with Gillespie this weekend. 

He got the utmost respect from the teams he played, and it’s easy to see why. 

Gillespie is an electric scorer. He can fill it up from all levels, and he has a quick first step to get by his man. 

After two weeks, Gillespie is looking like one of the state’s stockrisers to watch in 2025. 

 

Unsigned spotlight

I know coaches are still looking to fill rosters, so here are some of the available seniors that caught my eye (more on this later in the week). 

 

The athletic guard from North Carolina had some standout games for Team Swish. He plays an all-out style of basketball. He’s all effort all of the time. 

 

 

Williams had a solid weekend with Team Smash. He’s a physical forward who can play around the basket or on the perimeter. 

 

 

Taveras was one of the stars of the weekend with Team Huncho. He’s a smooth athlete who glides on the court. He’s plenty bouncy and has hang time when leaves the ground.