HoopSeen Five: Week 1 of the High School Season in GA
Our Staff was out last week as the High School season got into full swing in GA. Here were some takeaways…
- DOG Mentality- A couple of players from last week stood out as being absolute dogs on the court.
In last week's River Ridge v Etowah game, Guard Cooper Heller stood out with tough finish after tough finish and was a key player in the 4th quarter run that cemented the win for Etowah. River Ridge Forward KJ Hart put the team on his back and kept a short handed River Ridge squad in the game for the majority of the night, he is an absolute unit down low that is tough to stop if you let him get too deep.
Kell Forward King Jones was a staff favorite in the Powder Springs Showcase game against Woodstock. A tough finisher, great passer and high level defender, he is the engine that drives a high energy Kell team.
Another extremely tough finisher with a high motor, St. Pius F D’Marley Elliott was a monster on Saturday against Central Gwinnett leading them with 20 points in a close loss.
- Guards, Guards, Guards - We were so impressed with the Guard play last week at virtually every game. Some of the top guards we saw last week in person, in no order…
- Etowah G Will Myles
- Kell G Zach Graves
- Kell G Connor Staphylaris
- Alexander G Gregory Dunson Jr.
- Mountain View G Brennen Dooley
- Mountain View G Bennett Dooley
- Newton G Marcus Smith
- Newton G Bryce Jackson
- Peachtree Ridge G Malik Rideout
- Fountain of Youth - The future of Georgia Basketball is in great hands if last week is a glimpse of what’s to come.
Woodstock has a Guard-Big Duo that is going to be a problem for years to come. Freshman Guard Jahmar Maurice showed impressive confidence against pressure, while Sophomore Forward Taj Saragba could be one of the best bigs in the state already. Even in a tough game against Kell, these two shined through.
We were also impressed with McEachern Freshman Forward Johnquell Garner. He always seemed to be in the right spot to get an easy finish or snag a rebound. Garner had a feel for the game that you don’t often see from a Freshman. - Best Games- The OTR Tip-Off Classic had some amazing games on Saturday. Two stood out.
Newton v. Peachtree Ridge
This close game came down to the wire as Newton guards Bryce Jackson and Marcus Smith were scoring at all three levels efficiently. Jackson was a major factor in the 1st half, while Smith took control down the stretch, making a contested game winning layup after splitting two defenders in the final seconds.
Peachtree Ridge’s Malik Rideout led the team and made several high-difficulty jump-shots in the 2nd half to keep the Lions close.
St. Pius v Central Gwinnett
St. Pius came out hot and led the game by double digits after the first quarter, thanks largely to Forward D’Marley Elliott. Central Gwinnett came out and quickly erased the deficit behind a balanced scoring attack, growing their lead to 15+.
It was St. Pius turn to come back as they cut the lead to one possession with around a minute left. Central Gwinnett was able to hold them off and squeak by with a 72-70 win.
Several players contributed for the Knights who have a deep team but Brayden Holiday & Denovion Flowers stood out.
- Elite Events
Have to commend the High School Coaches in Metro Atlanta & Georgia for putting together such high level events. Several already in the books with an AWESOME weekend of events to come. Here are a few of note…
Dacula Invitational at Dacula High School (11/23, 11/25)
Hawks Naismith Tip-Off Classic at Holy Innocents (11/23)
Jared Cook Tip-Off Classic at North Gwinnett High School (11/23, 11/25, 11/26)
Georgia Youth Basketball Association at Suwanee Sports Academy (11/23-2/15) - Middle School League featuring over 100 feeder teams from metro Atlanta.
