2023 All-HoopSeen Association 1st Team
The 2023 HoopSeen Association season is in the books and the depth of talent was impressive. Our staff debated, deliberated and now deliver our First Team All-HSA for the season. These five players came through in a big way for their respective programs and stand at the top of the best players in independent travel basketball nationwide.
JUSTIN YOUNG: When we look back on the 2023 travel season, 1 of 1 Elite took on all-comers and stayed the course throughout the entire calendar. Akins was the glue that kept it all tight and together for the best independent 17U team in the nation. The North Carolina point guard showed that he has the chops to be a go-to guy in a number of categories. He has the ability to score when a score is needed or be a primary ball-handler and creator as a point guard. Akins can switch between both roles smoothly. He knows how to he a weapon from spots in the backcourt.
I thought the best I saw him in was the 2023 Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions. He was terrific on that historic platform. I wrote:
If you’re supposed to play to win the game, I don’t know how else we grade a point guard than that of his victories. 1 of 1 Elite is the best independent team in America this spring and Akins has a lot to do with it. He’s written quite the resume this spring and looks like a guy who should warrant inclusion into any national top 150 list of any sort of credibility for the class of 2024. He’s an elite shot-maker, a very skilled passer and shifts gears like an F1 racer. - Justin Young
On the recruiting front, Akins said he holds offers from Winthrop, IUPUI and High Point. Appalachian State and Niagara are both actively involved and recruiting him, too.
When we look back on our 2023 season, there were;'t too many players who raised the level of their team quite like 1 of 1 Elite PG @sebastianakins_.
— HoopSeen (@hoopseen) July 19, 2023
📹: @dev_the_creator x @HammerGFX_ pic.twitter.com/NRIrmITrTk
JUSTIN YOUNG: When you look at this list of All-HSA players, there may not be a better passer and creator than Borio. His passing is elite and fun to watch. His versatility is his asset and why he’ll be an active player in a college rotation. I’d argue he was one of the most versatile players in independent basketball nationwide.
For Florida Pro, one of the best independent teams in the nation, Borio played such a key role in their season-long success. His skill set fits in perfectly with the size, length and athleticism of their roster. Florida Pro won a lot of games because of Borio’s skill set.
Josh Tec had high praise about Borio at the Atlanta Jam. He wrote:
Borio really grabbed my attention on Sunday morning when I got to see Florida Pro for the second time this weekend. He’s a versatile, multi-use forward who plays with dexterity around the basket and on the wing. Borio caught alley-oops, hit jumpers with range, and he made plays off the bounce. At around 6-foot-8, Borio poses a mismatch problem. He’s just another example of Florida Pro reloading. This program always has dudes, and they have another one in Enrico Borio. - Josh Tec
On the recruiting front, Chattanooga, Jacksonville and Morehead State have offered and a host of schools - upwards of nearly three dozen schools - are actively involved.
Let's get into the Best of the South film. @FloridaProHoops's @enrico_borio was a stud in downtown ATL for the NCAA Live Period.
— HoopSeen (@hoopseen) July 18, 2023
📹: @dev_the_creator pic.twitter.com/ZKnNxsTKfx
GARRETT TUCKER: In the near decade since I’ve been with HoopSeen, we’ve consistently said the same thing about the Wellington Wolves program: they always have a guy. We saw it first with Trent Frazier back in 2016, and now — seven years later — it’s Elyjah Freeman.
The skilled 6-foot-6 guard was a consistent performer from start to finish this travel season. He introduced himself in April at the Atlanta Jam, as he impressed with his smooth scoring arsenal from all three levels and his plus ball skills. Freeman’s stellar season was also on display at the Grassroots Showcase and Grassroots Basketball Finale, but no performance compared to his week at the Best of the South.
Freeman put together an impressive game against the Atlanta All-Stars on a packed floor with tons of eyes watching. Our own Justin Young caught a glimpse of that chapter and detailed it:
“Let’s just go ahead and start here: Elyjah Freeman is the biggest stock-riser here at the Best of the South. The 6-foot-6 guard from the Wellington Wolves has been a trending player on our platform all season long and it may all come to a head this week here at the Georgia World Congress Center.
Freeman torched the nets for 25 points in a win against the Atlanta All-Stars and did so in front of 50 or so college coaches. It was a game that made the guys with the scholarships pay attention. Freeman scored in a variety of ways and every way was impressive.”
On the recruiting front, Oral Roberts, Tennessee State, Flagler, Rollins, and North Georgia are the recent schools that have been keeping close tabs on him.
JUSTIN BYERLY: Versatility and consistency. Those are the first words that come to mind when I am thinking of Otyaluk. He was the epitome of those words for No Guts No Glory this season playing on our HoopSeen stage. He has picked up two solid offers over the travel season, College of Charleston and UT-Chattanooga.
That is a testament to those two programs, they sifted through the ever-changing landscape of grassroots basketball recruiting and found a guy that can make an impact at the next level.
Otyaluk can cause so many problems on both ends of the floor. On the offensive side he is a guy that can score from the perimeter or get baskets in the paint. He has elite-level length and strong positional size. On the defensive side of the ball, he is causing problems with his shot-blocking ability and his presence in the paint or perimeter with his length by not allowing the offensive to get by him or causing deflections.
During the first live period, in Atlanta, I had high praise for Otyaluk. I wrote:
“We love seeing guys on this stage that know the college coaches in attendance are watching and waiting for a performance to make an offer. Otyaluk took this advantage and ran with it. In the opening game for No Guts No Glory on Saturday, he made seven three-pointers and scored 26 points in the first-half. He finished with 34 points in the win. All weekend, he showed that a 6-foot-7 slender wing can dominate a game and with some work in the weight room, Otyaluk is a guy that can be a difference maker at the right collegiate program”.
All season long, Isaiah @otyaluk was a bucket for @NG_NGBasketball.
— HoopSeen (@hoopseen) July 31, 2023
📹: @HammerGFX_ x @dev_the_creator pic.twitter.com/dWxn1t1fOi
JOSH TEC: 1 of 1 Elite Rare made a case as one of the better independent teams in the country this season. While spending the spring and summer taking on all comers in the 17U division, this group—largely composed of players from the 2025 and 2026 classes—put on shows on the HoopSeen stage. One of the players that was always at the heart of their success was 2025 forward Gevonte Ware.
A top performer mainstay, Ware overwhelmed with sheer power around the basket on both ends. His frame is one that looks like he’s been spending time in college weight rooms already. He’s big and physically imposing, and he used those attributes to punish those in his way around the basket. Ware plays a style that has event operators ensuring that there are extra rims on hand. We know from experience.
Ware is one of the 2025s that has gotten plenty of early recruitment. Schools like Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Nebraska, Radford, Winthrop, High Point, among others have extended offers to the big fella.
During the Carolina Jam in April, Ware turned heads and caught Justin Young’s Attention. Here’s what Young had to say about Ware early in the season:
“The minute the multi-colored jerseys of 1 of 1 Elite RARE walked came down the escalator of the Raleigh Convention Center, heads turned. As they should. This team was full of size, physicality and wonder. Ware was right there in the middle of it all. Geo Ware didn’t hold back either with his play. He’s physical, explosive, fun and unapologetically athletic. Oftentimes he was the recipient of a big lob pass that resulted in a rim-bender. Other times, his rebounding opened up the break or provided his team with second-chance opportunities. Ware was outstanding last year as an underclassman on the HoopSeen Association platform. This year he could be one of the most impressive players all season long.”
The full Carolina Jam Top Performer story can be found here.
