Best of the Preview Circuit: Top Freshmen
With our eight camp Preview series now in the books, our staff has been deep in the archives and drumming up our picks for "The Best of..." series that we will run this week on HoopSeen. We continue our dive deep and move onto the freshmen.
Shannon accomplished what I would consider a difficult task to pull off and that was becoming a top performer at our first fall preview camp. With every classification gathered in one place, Shannon’s smooth and effortless scoring prowess made one of the headlines of the day. With a game that’s a touch more advanced than that of most freshmen, Shannon is well on his way to making noise here in Georgia. Throw some experience and added strength into the pot and watch as Shannon turns into one of the states best scorers. We saw Shannon last at our 2022/2023 Elite Preview. -Tai Young
Chol has the trifecta of a great motor, hands and low post was skill was seen from a prospect that has no clue how good he can be. While most bigs get lost in the camp setting, Chol stood out before he finished an offensive possession and earned a nod on the top performer list at our Elite Preview. With a ceiling that stretches as far as his arms, it’s a scary thought to think about the finished product. Both sides of the ball are susceptible to seeing some special feats. All eyes are on Chol as we look ahead to the future.-Tai Young
It’s going to be fun to watch the development of freshman Tahj Johnson. Despite only being a 9th grader, the Hart County (GA) product was one of the most bouncy and athletic players in attendance. The 6-foot-6 forward was active on the offensive glass where he made several tough finishes in the air off of missed shots from teammates. Johnson displayed a consistent motor and was a high energy guy throughout the day. With a long, wiry frame and elite athleticism, he is a prospect that could really take some big strides during the high school season. Once his skill-set develops and he figures some more things out of the offensive end of the floor, watch out — Johnson could be one of Georgia’s next talented young prospects on deck. - Garrett Tucker
The young fella must have grown up in the Al Horford Atlanta Hawks era because that’s the style of game and poise he plays with down low. Black is very good in the pick and roll. Named to our Fall Preview Top Performer list, he has great footwork and a natural understanding of where to be and how to get there. The 6-foot-5 forward is a very talented inside the paint and was one of the top overall big men in the camp on Saturday. He had a great showing at our Elite Preview and an introduction to the state of Georgia from the talented big fella. - Justin Young
Felton, a rising freshman from the Charlotte, North Carolina area was one of our youngest prospects at our NC Fall Preview. He is headed in the right direction of being one of the top players in the state for his class. Felton thrives at attacking the paint and getting to the free-throw line. He has the length and the skillset at an early age that usually translates to the next level. He is a prospect that can take defenders off the dribble and showed he could consistently knock down shots from the mid-range out to the three-point line. - Justin Byerly
