The 2021 HoopSeen Association season is in the books and we are happy to announce our first ever All-HSA team. Our staff considered the full season, impact on events played, consistency, success as an individual player and his value to his team and head-to-head competition. Meet our first-team selections. 

Player of the Year: Aidan Hadaway, Atlanta Timberwolves

We didn’t see many players improve their stock over the travel season like Hadaway did. When I spoke to him in early April, he had some college interest, but he had yet to receive an offer. At the end of July, he had vaulted into national top-150 lists, had acquired several D1 offers, and had coaches making trips specifically to watch him. From beginning to end, Hadaway consistently performed at a high level. 20 and 10 became the expectation for him, and more often than not, he delivered. At around 6-foot-7, Hadaway is adept both on the perimeter and on the block. His versatility and motor are why he became such a sought after prospect. - Josh Tec

Signature Moment: HoopSeen Bama Jam. It was clear from the early stages of the travel season that Hadaway’s stock was on the rise. 

“There aren’t many players that are poised to see a jump in stock this travel season like Aidan Hadaway.

The 6-foot-7 wing can do it all. He’s a smooth, high-level scorer that’s good for 15 to 25 on a regular basis. In addition to his scoring acumen, he’s a killer on the glass. If high scoring numbers can be expected out of Hadaway, double-digit rebounds can as well. In the Atlanta Timberwolves’ first game of the weekend, Hadaway casually dropped 23 points to lead his team to a 77-49 win.“

Recruiting Situation: OFF THE BOARD. Hadaway is off to play for Jeff Boals and his staff at Ohio University next year. 

Amen and Ausar Thompson, Florida PRO

The Thompson Twins are an easy choice for their position here on the All-HSA team. The South Florida tandem will go down as two of the most exciting players to ever take to the HoopSeen stage in our decade-long history of running high-level events. In our inaugural season of running the HoopSeen Association, we wanted to highlight the top independent teams in America. Talent lives on these stages, too. The Thompsons were the prime examples of such a belief. 

As we ushered in a new travel basketball season, there weren’t two bigger players in the trending topics quite like them. All eyes were on Florida PRO, arguably a top 5 team in America at the time. The Thompsons stood firmly in the middle of the spotlight and slayed all the dragons that came up to them for a battle. It was appointment watching in the spring time and their synchronized genius was fun to watch up close and personal. 

The two mixed high-level athleticism with elite passing and suffocating defense. The trajectory they were on for All-American status was perfectly navigated. There wasn’t a better 1-2 punch in travel hoops quite like them. 

Signature Moment: HoopSeen Tip-Off. From our coverage from the terrific start to our travel season: 

“One of the best parts of the HoopSeen Tip-Off is having a front row seat of an ascension of a player. This year’s climbers are the Thompson twins - Amen and Ausar - had a magical junior campaign at the esteemed Pine Crest school in south Florida. They were outstanding in the title game, capping off a season that was all kinds of special.

Now that the travel season is here, they are suiting up with Florida PRO on the HoopSeen Association circuit and started their travel season off with a major bang. Lots of bangs, actually. They destroyed the rims with their high-flying act throughout the weekend. The duo anchored Florida PRO’s 4-0 run and racked up wins against Game Elite 3SSB 65-61, Team Speights AL 70-34, TSF National 71-58 and Team Curry 80-44. 

That’s a win against a fellow HSA team, a win over an adidas team, a win over an Under Armour team and a win over a major prep school team. The duo has an uncanny ability to blow by anyone who stands in front of them. There are still parts of their game that need continued development, particularly their jump shot. But there is a uniqueness to their explosion and athleticism that separates them from the rest of the class. 

The early positioning for All-American considerations starts now. Yes, this early. With plans for the big invite-only types of camps still up in the air, we will see another patchwork approach forming those types of teams. So spring resumes paired with scholastic success has to be considered. 

In every big pairing, the twins seemed to rise even higher than the expectation.They played like All-Americans.”

Recruiting situation: OFF THE BOARD. The twins signed with Overtime Elite right after the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions. OTE came on strong this spring and summer, locking up prep prospects with six-figure and seven-figure deals. The twins will play for former UConn coach Kevin Ollie and be based in Atlanta. 

Tony Carpio, Atlanta Allstars

Consistency, effort, and fundamentals. Those are some of the descriptors that pop into my head when I think about Carpio’s play this travel season. Every week, Carpio produced and helped lead the Allstars to a lot of wins. The big fella operates as fundamentally, soundly around the basket as anyone. He’s a reliable source for a bucket when needed, and he’s a rim-protecting defensive stalwart on the other end of the floor. He has great touch around the basket, and he’s shown that he can extend out to the perimeter as well. For anyone that closely followed the Allstars, Carpio’s leadership and team-oriented mentality were impossible to ignore. It’s clear that this guy’s a winner, and I look forward to following him at Providence Christian during the high school season and during his college career. - Josh Tec

Signature Moment: Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions. 

“Carpio is another guy that’s made frequent appearances on these kinds of lists over the course of the travel season. On a team that’s as balanced as they come, Carpio consistently puts up impressive numbers. The big man averaged double-digit points throughout the AllStars’ three games, including a game against Southeast Elite which boasted one of the deepest, most talented front courts at the event. Carpio is one of the most fundamentally sound bigs that I’ve seen this spring. He won’t have any blow-away, viral mixtapes, but he works as hard as anyone and always delivers when he hits the floor. He mostly operates around the basket, but over the weekend, he stepped out and showed off some of his long-distance range. Once that becomes a bonafide weapon in his arsenal, look out.

Recruiting Situation: Carpio has offers from some of the military academies like Navy, Army, and the Citadel as well as some D2 schools like Montevallo and Georgia Southwestern. 

JaBorri McGhee, CP25 AL/MS

JaBorri McGhee was one of the most versatile players on the HSA this travel season. A 6-foot-2 guard that could literally play all five positions on the floor. McGhee has been mentioned as a top performer at just about every HoopSeen event playing with the CP25 AL/MS. Win or lose, he brought it every game. McGhee plays the game with a lot of toughness, he’s quick, strong, and McGhee can score anytime he gets ready. No defender can stop him from attacking the lane; his nice flowing jumper isn’t bad either; he has indeed shown growth in his three-point shooting as well. 

McGhee plays the game with a lot of composure; he likes to break down the defense before attacking, being sure of making the right play. McGhee can also bring it on the defensive end, playing with quick hands looking to force a turnover and is one tough shot blocker. After making a jump to Winfield (AL) High School, this Mississippi native is looking to make some noise in Alabama. 

Signature Moment: The Grassroots Showcase in Louisville was a monster event back in April and we saw the full bag from him there. His team had great success there and our Josh Tec had some big praise for McGhee after that weekend. He wrote: 

“He’s real” is what an opposing coach said to me after his team was on the wrong end of a 19-point performance from McGhee. That’s the kind of impression that Jaborri McGhee has left on people on a regular basis this spring. McGhee is a fantastic athlete that can play above the rim and break down defenders off the dribble. He’s a viable 3-point shooter that can get hot from beyond the arc. McGhee was one of the major reasons why CP25 went undefeated over the weekend. 

Recruiting situation: So far, McGhee has received offers from Coahoma CC, Pearl River CC, Shelton State CC, Tallahassee CC, and Alabama State University. In addition, FAU, Murray State, Ole Miss, Alabama, UNO, South Alabama, Hinds, MS Gulf Coast have all been in contact with him and his AAU coach. - D’Courtland Christian