SUWANEE, GA - The 2019 HoopSeen Tip-Off is off and running and there were several things to like on Friday night. Here are my three things that stood out the most at Suwanee Sports Academy. 

HI, MY NAME IS… 

Isaiah Collier of TSF Mack has created quite the buzz for himself so far as we start the travel basketball season in the Deep South. The class of 2023 guard hasn’t even played a game in high school yet but he’s trending in basketball circles. In my first game of the event, I wanted to see what all of the buzz was all about. 

Collier delivered. 

The dynamic guard was a major point producer for TSF Mack 2023 in their opening win on Friday night. Collier turned his quick hands on defense into fast scores at the rim. His anticipation is fantastic. His burst the basket is a weapon. 

There will be plenty of words written about him on this site and others like it in the year’s to come. With that comes big expectations. Collier has the skill to continue the trend upward. His first impression was a good one. 

For TSF Mack as a whole…there are plenty of impressive prospects on this 2023 roster. Plenty. They will be a group that we talk about a lot in the coming years. 

GOOD KNIGHT 

The Georgia Knights and EAB of Tennessee squared up in a Friday night tussle and it didn’t take long for the independent Peach State squad to put people on notice. The Knights went to work and never took their foot off the gas. 

Not one bit. 

Paced by Kirshon Thrash and Rasean Frederick, the Knights mercy-ruled the newly anointed adidas Gauntlet team on Friday night. Thrash and Frederick scored 15 and 18 points respectively. Brandon Stroud and Chris Youngblood are also primed for big outings this weekend. 

EAB has tons of talent and will certainly rebound well on Saturday. This was the first loss for the Nashville-based squad at Suwanee Sports Academy in over two years. 

GAME, GAME, GAME, GAME, GAME ELITE

You’ll read a lot about Game Elite this weekend. There are several programs from the adidas sponsored team in the event. 

Impressive players on opening night for the Atlanta-based squad: K.D. Johnson (2020 guard put up nearly 30 points in the opener), George Pridgett, Jr. (2022 guard played well for the 16U squad, doing a little bit of everything), Robbie Armbrester (2021 wing forward made things difficult in the 16U division).