The Shot Clock with Josh Tec: Battle between No. 1s, Peyton Marshall commits, MORE
I’m staring down the barrel of a busy stretch. Between City of Palms in Florida, bouncing around cities going to various family holiday events, the Chick-fill-A Classic in South Carolina, and New Years celebrations, I’ll be hitting the road hard, and I can’t wait.
Before I pack my bags and touch road, I have plenty of Georgia hoops I need to discuss. In between watching holiday movies and catching up on 2022 movies, I was out and about taking in local hoops action.
The biggest stop of the week took me back to Wheeler for the Battle in the Peach. Before that, I went to Grayson to see Rabun Gap and Cedar Grove. We also had a BIG commitment in the state. I’ll get into all of that and more in this week’s edition of The Shot Clock.
The main event
Wheeler and Columbus (FL) met on Saturday night in the headlining game of the Battle in the Peach.
This matchup pitted Isaiah Collier, No. 1 the class of 2023, against Cam Boozer, No. 1 in the class of 2025, and featured three more top-100 players. It didn’t disappoint.
Cam and Cayden Boozer led Columbus to a 73-70 win with their combined 44 points.
Cayden got to the rim and finished consistently all night. He led with 23 points. Cam Boozer was hampered by foul trouble in the first quarter, and Wheeler did a good job defending him throughout the first half. However, with a player like him, keeping him quiet for an entire game isn’t going to happen. Cam Boozer exploded for 14 points in the third quarter and didn’t miss a shot. That changed the complexion of the game, and he ended with 21.
Wheeler got 22 points from USC signee Isaiah Collier. He asserted himself and kept pressure on the rim through stretches of the game. The power guard is hard to contain when he’s in attack mode. He also flexed his feel for the game with savvy defensive plays.
Iowa State signee Jelani Hamilton played his best game as a Wildcat and ended with 20 points. He was aggressive in his attack of the rim and on defense. His shot wasn’t falling as often as it normally does, but he was still able to knock down timely 3-pointers.
Arrinten Page—also signed to USC—added 15 for Wheeler. He battled with Cam Boozer throughout the night. Watching those two physical, athletic forwards go at it was a blast.
USC head coach Andy Enfield was on hand to take in the game.
The BIG thing of the week
2024 7-footer Peyton Marshall has committed to Auburn. The Kell (GA) HS big man is a consensus top-100 prospect in the class and chose the Tigers over schools like Missouri, Penn State, Illinois, Ohio State, LSU and more.
Marshall is a big body that can own the paint. He has good hands and feet and has progressively gotten better over his high school career. His physical presence is one that not many can match.
Marshall becomes the second player in the upper echelon of Georgia’s 2024 class to commit. Christian Anderson is committed to Michigan, but the rest of the class at the top remains on the board as of now.
This commitment continues Auburn’s success in recruiting the Atlanta area. In the last ten years, Auburn has signed 14 players from the Atlanta area out of high school. They’ve signed even more from Georgia in general, and they’ve gotten plenty of Peach State hoopers from the transfer portal as well.
Deondrae Lindsey proves top-100 status
Knoxville Catholic came to Atlanta for the Battle in the Peach and 2025 forward Deondrae Lindsey made a statement in their two games.
At a strongly-built 6-foot-8, Lindsey imposed his will around the basket on both ends of the floor and was especially impactful on the glass. Washington pulled a total of 17 rebounds over the weekend, and he sat for an entire quarter because of a blow-out lead for Knoxville Catholic.
Offensively, Lindsey was aggressive in the paint, and he showed that he can reliably hit from the 3-point line.
When HoopSeen expands the 2025 rankings, Lindsey will certainly find his way in the top 100.
Sam Walters shines in a high-level head-to-head
When The Villages (FL) HS took on McEachern in the Battle in the Peach, all eyes were on the battle of the forwards. Alabama-signed Sam Walters pitted against top-ten 2024 Ace Bailey.
Walters shined in the head-to-head. The matchup pitted like players against each other. It was the apples-to-apples comparison that we love to see. On Saturday night, Walters won the matchup against his younger counterpart.
While McEachern won the game, Walters was the star of the game. He finished with 24 points to lead all scorers and won the Georgia crowd over with his relentless motor. Walters never stopped. The scoreboard didn't seem to cross his mind. He rebounded and defended harder than anyone from start to finish.
Nate Oats wants his players to bring a hard-hat mentality to the floor, and Walters will certainly be bringing that with him to Tuscaloosa.
Walters was able to attack from the wing and get to the rim with ease. One drive ended with a dunk that tore the house down.
A couple of highlights from last night ❤️ pic.twitter.com/nWxsMwwdsq
— Sam Walters (@SamWalters2023) December 11, 2022
Chris Washington is going to be a DUDE
Chris Washington is a freshman out of The Villages (FL) HS who has all of the potential in the world. I first got to see him in the fall at the Hoop Exchange Fall Festival, and I was intrigued by his potential then. After seeing him against McEachern, I’m even more sold on the 2026 forward.
At around 6-foot-7, Washington is a long, wiry forward who looks like he has more growing to do. Right now he’s lanky and looks like he’s still adjusting to his frame.
He looks like he has shooting potential, but he impressed at the rim. There was a sequence that saw Washington finish a dunk through contact from JD Palm—not a small person—and soar up to pin a shot off the backboard on the other end.
I’m not in the business of ranking freshmen, but I’d venture to guess that Washington is near the top of the list for people who do that type of thing. It’ll be fun to watch him over the coming years.
Kyle Walters impresses in a Lovett win
In a game featuring a Kansas State signee and a Michigan commit, it was unsigned senior Kyle Walters who stole the show.
The 6-foot-4 guard led the Lions to a win over Kenwood (IL) with 24 points. He showed off his ability as a shot-maker throughout the game. Even after drawing significant focus from the defense, Walters output never waned.
He was clearly the best player on the floor in this one. Walters was electric.
Christian Anderson was terrific as well. He finished with 21.
Freshman watch
On Tuesday night, I went to see 2026 guard Manny Greene out of Cedar Grove HS because he has been turning heads early on this season. The 6-foot-5 guard has been one of the main contributors to the Saints’ success thus far.
Greene is physically advanced for his age. He looks like he has a college-ready body already. When I went out to see Cedar grove play Rabun Gap, Greene led everyone with 19 and 10 in a win. He was active on the glass and got a lot of his point production as a result of that. He showed a promising jumper when he hit back-to-back 3-pointers.
As is to be expected from a freshman, Greene is far from a finished product. However, he has done enough to get attention from some high-major programs already. While he has a long way to go, the journey will be fun to follow over the next four years. He’s as promising of a 2026 player as I’ve seen in the state.
Recruiting quick hitters
2024 G Jeremiah Wilkinson visited and received an offer from Butler. The TSF guard has been off to a terrific start for the nationally-ranked squad. He’s a top-ten player in Georgia and should continue to see his recruitment pick up steam when the travel season gets here.
Shiloh HS sophomore Tylis Jordan picks up an Auburn offer. The 2025 forward has been amassing a lengthy list of high major suitors.
Where in the world is Josh Tec
Locally, Berkmar and Norcross face off on Tuesday. I’ll likely be in the building for that rivalry matchup.
This weekend, I’ll be at City of Palms down in Florida. The prestigious event includes an extensive list of high major signees and top-100 prospects.
Here are the names to know:
Archbishop Stepinac (NY): 2024: Boogie Fland. 2025: Danny Carbuccia.
Centennial (CA): 2023: Jared McCain (Duke), Devin Williams (UCLA).
Columbus (FL): 2025: Cameron Boozer, Cayden Boozer.
Imhotep Charter (PA): 2023: Justin Edwards (Kentucky). 2024: Ahmad Nowell.
Lake Highlands (TX): 2024: Tre Johnson.
Link Academy (MO): 2023: Ja’Kobe Walter (Baylor), Jacob Cole (Oklahoma), Corey Chest (LSU), Cade Phillips (Tennessee), Cameron Carr (Tennessee), Ryan Forrest (Memphis). 2024: Elliott Cadeau, Tyler McKinney. 2025: BJ Davis, Aaron Rowe.
Meyers Park (NC): 2024: Sir Mohammed, Bishop Boswell. 2025: Sadiq White.
Newton (GA): 2023: Stephon Castle (UConn).
North Laurel (KY): 2023: Reed Sheppard (Kentucky).
Patrick School (NJ): 2024: Anthony Gilkes. 2025: Ifaola Fawaz.
Paul IV (VA): 2023: DeSahwnn Harris-Smith (Maryland). 2024: Darren Harris (Duke), Isaiah Abraham, Patrick Ngongba.
The Rock: 2024: Ryan Jones, Sammy Yeanay.
St. Francis (MD): 2023: Johnathan Lamothe (Maryland), Carlton Carrington (Pitt). 2025: Tyler Jackson.
Tampa Catholic (FL): 2024: Karter Knox.
The Villages (FL): 2023: Sam Walters (Alabama). 2026: Chris Washington.
Westminster: 2025: Alex Lloyd, DJ Wimbley. 2026: Alex Constanza.
Wheeler (GA): 2023: Isaiah Collier (USC), Arrinten Page (USC), Jelani Hamilton (Iowa State).
Winter Haven (FL): 2023: Dylan James (UGA).
