The Fall Preview brought out some of the best talent throughout the southeast on Saturday. With ballplayers hailing from Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia hitting the floor at the Suwanee Sports Academy, there were a few nuggets that really stood out to me during the six live hours of play. Competitive action, quality outside shooting, and a variety of playmaking skills were exhibited and with it, I was able to regroup and collect my thoughts, negotiate what was real and was not so real, and then come to a final conclusion of my most poignant conclusions from this past weekend.

AJ OLIVER IS FOR REAL

There has been a lot of talk lately about AJ Oliver, a 6-foot-4 guard from South Carolina. The son of the head women’s program at Clemson, Oliver is deeply schooled in fundamentals and intellect on the playing floor. Off of it, he is just as mature as a person and it is that well-rounded package of abilities that should make Oliver a top of the line recruit in the 2017 class.

Oliver scored the ball every which way possible on Saturday. Whether it was on the outside jumper that he can hit with a hand in his face and from off the bounce, on hard attacks to the basket, or on highlight finishes on the break, the potential out of the talented guard is top shelf stuff. Throw in his instincts and always moving nature and I walked away Saturday really, really excited about AJ Oliver. He has all the tools, both physical and on the character front, the bloodlines, and the hard working mentality to be a top-50 recruit before things are said and done with.

MOTOR WINS OUT

In a camp setting, it is believe that guards tend to dominate the setting. However, it is a motor and the willingness to play hard and compete that really wins out and shines the greatest. On Saturday, I was a bit perplexed with a few high-level names that didn’t play up to capacity because they either didn’t like who they were playing with or just weren’t feeling it; at the end of the day, if you’re willing to play hard each possession, you’re going to earn some ink at HoopSeen. Guys like the already mentioned AJ Oliver, to go along with Kohl Roberts, Phil Cirillo, Ibrahim Dodo, and JoJo Toppin were just a few of the guys that came into the event with something to prove. It should also be noted, Oliver is the only guy that holds a bevy of scholarship offers; the others are fighting for their chance to see a quality college recruitment. Playing with a chip on your shoulder might not help you make more shots from off the perimeter or jump higher for the dunk attempt, but it will allow for people to speak more often about you, contribute consistently and frequently, and become someone that anyone would want to call a teammate.

SIZE + TALENT

Talent sure isn’t lacking out of the southeast in the coming ranks. However, most of the time, this talent is sometimes short changed with the improper physical tangibles. At the Fall Preview, there was more than enough talent to go along with the proper physical frameworks that should enable for a plethora of high-major recruitments in the coming years. Upperclassmen like Jay Estime, Rayshaun Hammonds, Darius Perry, and AJ Oliver all have the physical prowess combined with the raw talent and abilities to be top-100 recruits within their respective classes. However, it is even in the younger crop with the likes of Kyle Sturdivant, Khavon Moore, Isaac Okoro, Jaylin Williams, and Koby Isaac that make you really salivate about what can be. One thing is for sure, college programs won’t have problems attempting to find top shelf talent along with the physical tangibles already evident in the upcoming classes down in the southeast, making for quality recruiting battles between AAC, ACC, Big 12, Conference USA, and SEC programs.