Carter Wilson's Saturday Atlanta Jam Notebook
One of the busiest days of the spring in the basketball world is the Saturday of the first April live period. At Suwanee Sports Academy, this held true for the HoopSeen Atlanta Jam, with players making names and trying to earn scholarships for themselves and coaches looking on, it was a busy day of action. Here are a few notes from the day:
Sleeper City
Just as with last year’s Atlanta Jam, this year’s field has its fair share of sleepers and guys that are starting their stories. I’m not sure if he’s a sleeper after the attention he received yesterday from onlookers, but Jacksonville Magic combo guard Tyriek Railey continued his great play again on Saturday. He shot the ball again today, making his mark as one of the better shooters in the field. However, he made more phenomenal plays athletically that left people asking who he was. Look for this sleeper to gain a lot more attention in the following weeks.
A guy that Railey went toe-to-toe with in the best matchup of the day is Western Kentucky Elite guard Jaylon Hall. Doss is a guard with elite level size and 6-foot-5 and a developing skill set that could make him a solid Division I prospect. He is shifty off the bounce has the tools to blossom into a very interesting and productive player.
Team Blueprint is no stranger to winning games here, being led by supreme athletes like Louis Dorsey. However, coming off of their bench, European import forward Damir Hadzic proved that he has Division I game. Hadzic, an Arlington Country Day product, arrived in the United States in November, and is already garnering interest from a few schools, namely low major schools from the northeast. The 6-foot-8 forward is very skilled and gets up and down the floor extremely well. This is definitely a name to remember.
Don’t Forget About the 16U Standouts
The Atlanta Jam 16U division has its fair share of standouts. The Georgia Stars have been one of the best teams in the division, and they have been led by Liberty County combo guard Will Richardson. Richardson has been one of the hottest players in Georgia since his fantastic showing in the state championship game in early March. He continues to show why he is so highly regarded among the guards in the sophomore class.
Another name to remember in the 16U division is Team NLP’s Ikcaven Curry (Pictured). Curry is a lengthy athlete who plays with an aggression on both ends. Defensively he pressures the ball and uses his length to create turnovers, and offensively he is always in attack mode, looking for a way to get to the rim, where he finishes at will. Curry holds an offer from Chattanooga and has a lot of interest from mid major and high major schools.
Zach Attack
A pair of players named Zach were both eye openers today. River City Reign forward Zach Jacobs continued his good play in the tournament. He was unconscious shooting the ball from the perimeter, knocking down almost every shot he took from outside the arc. Jacobs also proved his worth as a defensive player and as a rebounder. Mid major schools should be all over this one, including schools in the Ivy League as he is a great student as well.
The other player was Team United Nike Elite 2017 point guard Zach Mack. Mack had one of the best performances of the weekend, exploding his way to 20 points and doing it in a variety of ways. He had some very big plays above the rim, throwing down a couple monster dunks. He also shot the ball very well from the perimeter, proving that he is a player that cannot be left alone. Combine these skills with great quickness and toughness, and you have a player that is certainly worthy of a Division I spot.