HoopSeen Five: Early December
Our Staff was out last week as the High School season rolled on with some elite events and matchups. Here were some takeaways…
DOG Mentality- A staple in our FIVE. Here are some players that showed some competitiveness & grit over the last several days.
East Forsyth led wire to wire vs Flowery Branch. After only being up 4 after the first half, the Broncos' Louie Koulouvaris came out hot in the second half, dropping 20 points. He created most of his own shots when East Forsyth's offense stalled and was in need of a good possession. The deficit would often get trimmed to single digits, but the constant shot making of Koulouvaris, was key in East Forsyth stretching back out to a double-digit lead and winning 70-57
North Oconee v McDonough this past weekend at the Battle at Big Red was a clash of two teams looking to make a run at the AAAA crown this year. The match-up did not disappoint and was filled with players who have that DOG in them. McDonough’s pair of Senior Guards Zion & Zaiden Greene were fantastic in the close loss. Zion took on the first half while Zaiden came on strong in the second half. Both are chippy guards with a knack for getting to the rim and chasing down 50/50 balls.
Meanwhile, North Oconee has its share of hard-nosed players as well. Junior Guard Blake Bracco is a prototypical point guard who runs the offense flawlessly and rarely makes a wrong decision. Superstar 2027 G Justin Wise struggled to get going in the first half thanks to a relentless McDonough defense but showed why he’s one of the best Sophomores in the state in the second half, leading his team to a win behind some smooth shooting and tough finishes at the rim,
Buckets- We saw several players these past couple weeks that were the definition of bucket.
Here are a few
-2025 G Caesar Burrows (Walton)
-2027 G Braylon Luster (Cherokee)
-2027 G Justin Wise (North Oconee)
-2025 G Kaden Young (South Gwinnett)
-2026 G Jackson Ushery (SW Dekalb)
-2026 G Quay Lynch (Pinson Valley (AL))
-2025 G Louie Koulvouvaris (East Forsyth)
-2026 G Tyler Lesch (East Forsyth)
-2025 G Jayden Cole (Milton)
-2025 G Josh Dixon (Milton)
Paint Presence- A lost art. We have seen some awesome big men recently at the games/events we have traveled to. We wanted to highlight a couple of the best.
North Oconee is a super talented team, they have elite guard play, stellar wings and 2026 F Banks Pourchier down low. A true back to the basket big you rarely see in this day and age, Banks is a problem in the paint. He has a seemingly endless array of post moves, with great hands to catch sneaky passes from his guards and finish. He can also dish it himself and find open teammates when the defense is forced to help.
SW Dekalb 2025 F Kelvin Peek was the best player on the floor for the Panthers in a big win over South Gwinnett. Peek is a high-IQ player. He can use his frame to barrel through smaller defenders or showcase a beautiful touch with pull up, mid-range jumpers. Once the defense is forced to collapse, Peek can swing the ball out to open teammates for easy finishes or open 3-pointers. On the defensive end, he contests almost everything without bailing out the offensive players by fouling.
Gainesville has one of the biggest front lines you’ll see and 2025 F Jaxon Jones stood out in the OT win against Pinson Valley (AL). Jones is a hyper athletic forward who moves well and always seems to be in the right spot. He had several highlight plays that were crucial in the Red Elephants win. He is one of the more intriguing 2025 prospects we have seen so far this season.
Best Game
Gainesville v Pinson Valley (AL)
The final game at the Battle at Big Red on Saturday and it did not disappoint. It featured an undersized, scrappy Pinson Valley (AL) team going against a AAAAA player in Gainesville.
Pinson Valley did a fantastic job dealing with the size disadvantage, giving Gainesville virtually nothing easy for the large majority of the game. On offense, Senior G Austin Coner & Junior G Quay Lynch were cooking along with the entire Pinson Valley team hitting several difficult 3 pointers throughout the second half.
Gainesville F Jaxon Jones started to make his presence felt in the second half getting some easy finishes and getting to the free throw line.
At the end of the 4th quarter, Lynch hit a beautiful floater to send the game into overtime.
After a back and forth OT session, Gainesville 2027 G Luke Nordholz hit a highly contested, beautiful 3 pointer to give the Red Elephants the win after a Pinson Valley 3 came up short at the buzzer.
Final@pinsonhoops 57@RedElephant_MBB 60
— HoopSeen (@hoopseen) December 15, 2024
WOW!
2027 G Luke Nordholz hits a 3 to go up 3 late and then a Pinson (AL) 3 comes up short in OT as Gainesville escapes with a win to finish the night at Battle at Big Red
What. A. Game. pic.twitter.com/0OdKhkggLz
Youngsters
Our Georgia Youth Basketball Association is underway with some really good middle school feeder teams involved. You can check out the latest recap from the league HERE
Also be sure to follow @hoopseennext on X/Twitter for Live Updates throughout the season.
