SUWANEE, GA—It was the marathon day at one of the most competitive events of the travel season. Teams, players are out to prove themselves against some of the top competition from varying platforms.

It’s damn near impossible to encapsulate, to process everything that I saw on Saturday, but join me as I do my best to run through some of the most notable games and performances that I saw. 

I split time evenly between 16U and 17U, so this batch of notes will cover what I saw in the morning during my time watching 16s. 

 

The main thing 

For my money, the 16U team of the day wasn’t a 16U team. I mean, they’re in the decision this weekend, but they’re playing up. 

Game Elite’s 2026 group is looking sharp playing up. I get it, most of the national guys aren’t keeping a keen eye on 15U that much, so this group isn’t getting the attention yet, but their time is coming. They’re too talented to miss. 

Three players caught my eye—and subsequently Mekhi McKinney’s eye—on Saturday. 

The conversation around this team starts with big Moustapha Diop. He is likely going to be atop initial 2026 rankings in Georgia when those start to take form. 

He had two stellar performances for Game Elite on Saturday and showed off a lot of what makes him such a touted young prospect. 

Diop’s size and length are obvious. That’s the draw. At a lean 6-foot-10, he has the look of a player that could inch toward the 7-foot mark at some point. He has the length one would expect as well. 

He’s a mobile big man. He’s not plodding, and he has good feet on both ends. He’s shown that plenty within the last year or so, and he did so again on Saturday. 

He protects the rim and can guard on the perimeter if needed—that will keep getting better with reps and development. Trust me, he’s in good hands there. 

Diop also has a fluid, multi-dimensional offensive game for someone his size and age—that will also keep getting better. He had two double-figure scoring games that showed off his shooting touch, his assertiveness around the rim, and his ability to create space and get his shot off cleanly. 

While Diop is the kind of prospect that will get people to watch Game Elite’s young stars, guards Devin Hutcherson and Kevin Savage are two of the guys that will keep them around and coming back for repeat visits. 

Let’s start with the elder of the two, Hutcherson. If Diop is looking like the top of 2026 in Georgia, Hutcherson is probably not too far behind him. He comes to mind as a top-5 player for certain, and he played the best when I was on hand for Game Elite’s morning game. 

He probably had around 18 points—a lot of which came via his athleticism and slashing—but every time I walk away from watching Hutcherson, it’s his overall impact on the game elsewhere that impresses the most. That was the case again. 

His defense and rebounding shined on Saturday. That’s always the case when I see him. He’s good for a handful of boards and putbacks, and he’s a versatile defender at this level. 

Kevin Savage is the last guy that I want to bring up for now. Like the other two above, he impressed both Mekhi McKinney and me. 

He’s the floor general, the straw that stirs the drink. Savage is poised, and he looks to distribute first. We’re taking as pure of a point as there is. He has great vision, makes good reads, and has demonstrated a clear knowledge of how to play with a lot of talent around him. 

He can score it too, now. Savage does enough in that department to keep teams honest despite that not being his primary role. 

Really, it’s his maturity that stands out above all else. Now, here’s the kicker. He’s in 8th grade still. He plays up normally, but this weekend, he’s playing up three age groups. 

 

Don’t forget about those repping the Nawf

If Game Elite was the team that I was most impressed with, Team Huncho wasn’t far behind. This is a fun team to watch. Garrett Tucker agrees with me on that one too. 

Now that the day has gone by, one of the highlights of the weekend so far was watching Jaydon Cole turn a close game into a blowout in the blink of an eye. Coming out of halftime of a Saturday afternoon game, Cole caught fire. 

Always known for his shooting, he hit his fair share of 3-pointers, but he was scoring in every way during his microwave stretch. Midrange? He did it. At the rim? Did it. Creating his own shot? Did that too. Off the catch? You already know it. 

He ended that game with 25 points. I’m not meticulously keeping score in event, so pardon my estimation, but 20 of those had to have come in the second half of that game. 

In the morning slot, it was 6-foot-9 Mekhi Ragland that did some work. The big fella has good touch, hands and feet for someone his size. One of my favorite things about being around people who see him for the first time is their reactions when he does what he does. Ragland is nimble and skilled and has used that to his benefit this weekend. He’s had some outstanding moments on the big stage for Huncho. 

Micah Tucker has been so good at the point guard spot for Huncho this weekend. Normally when I walk about Tucker, it’s his scoring and ability to get to the free-throw line that has been the topic of discussion. On Saturday, it was his passing that had me raving. He was dishing some dimes to his guys and making everyone around him better. Of course, he’s still as dangerous of a scoring threat as there is, but he’s been carving teams up with his vision, and I’m here for it. 

 

Jaylen Richardson got hot

Maybe I was trippin’ in the past, but I had always known Jaylen Richardson to be a driver first. I guess I need to check some of my notes from the past because he shot the cover off the ball early on Saturday morning for Team Scoot TJ. 

Richardson drained seven 3-pointers en route to 23 points.

I keep mental notes of single-game 3-point shooting records for games. I haven’t seen or heard about one better than Richardson’s yet. 

If you have a guy that hit more than seven threes, politely tag me on Twitter. 

In my book, Richardson is still flying too under the radar in the state. I think a breakout is coming for him sooner than later. He’s done nothing but impress me whenever I’ve seen him.

 

More quick hitters 

Newton (GA) duo Tim Prather and Davin Neal continue to impress for the Atlanta Xpress. Both players had their moments during the high school season, but Stephon Castle and the seniors were the focus. Now, Prather and Neal are looking more and more like the stars they showed flashes of becoming. Both have had great weekends for Xpress. 

Atlanta Timberwolves guards Zach Bleshoy and Kaleb Gallman can pack a serious offensive punch. Both excelled during a Saturday morning win. The pair combined for 39 points. 

Boom City is a squad to keep an eye on moving forward. They’ve lived up to their name and made some noise. Coming from the Memphis area, this group got a great game out of guards Brandon Chatman and Jaybyon Snipe. I look forward to catching them again on Sunday as they advance another round in the bracket. 

Alex Springs has another great outing for TNBA South Kings. I became a fan at the Grassroots Showcase, and he left another impression on me with a 17-point game. He was successful on putbacks more than anything else. It’s a testament to how he makes plays without having to be the focal point of the offense. 

I got to see Norcross Heat pick up another win in the 16U division. Brandon Lanier played well for them in the win. He’s in the middle of what I would consider to be a breakout spring. He’s certainly gotten my attention.