#ATLJAM: Justin Young's Saturday notebook
SUWANEE, GA — The Atlanta Jam was a nice mixture of young prospects, available wings and guards and the 1-2 punch of sleepers.
THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
The Southeast Elite 16 and under team may have been the most impressive team in the entire Atlanta Jam on Saturday. The Floridians are stacked with good size at the right places. Moreover, the squad unselfishly passed the ball around the offense and made sure everyone had touches and opportunities to make positive plays. They blew through the bracket with several impressive wins.
The buzz guy was Wyatt Wilkes out of Winter Park HS. The 6-foot-8 post can flat out shoot. Someone dropped a Matt Bonner comparison on him. Not bad. Florida, Florida State, South Florida, TCU, Davidson, Vanderbilt, Virginia Commonwealth, UCLA, Kansas, Stanford, Harvard, Mercer, Georgia, Auburn and Central Florida are all interested, he said.
His teammate Malik Williams of Dr. Phillips HS in Orlando was Mr. Triple Double on Saturday morning. He was Kevin Love-ish with his passing. He sees the floor very well and finds transition buckets with ease. The 6-foot-8 forward is great on the glass and shined as a simple scorer in the paint. Big day of work on Saturday.
Terrell Turner said Memphis, Murray State, Louisiana Tech, Florida International and Northern Arizona have all offered while Syracuse, Ohio State, Virginia and South Carolina are involved. Cincinnati head coach Mick Cronin took a peek at him on Friday night at the Atlanta Jam.
Chaundee Brown, also of Dr. Phillips, said Central Florida, Florida, Florida State, Virginia, Kansas State and George Mason have shown early interest.
Trent Frazier of the Wellington Wolves has been one of the top overall performers at the Atlanta Jam. The class of 2017 guard enjoyed another terrific day at the office, scoring whenever he wanted. The combo guard from Wellington High School dropped in a cool 37-point effort and continued to punish defenses that gave him too much space. From my perspective, he’s been one of the very best 2017 players in the tournament.
HI, MY NAME IS…
How do you play your way into the conversation? Try going for 40 points, drilling eight three-pointers and playing the role of superman for your squad down the stretch. That’s what Felix Rivera-Vega did. The 6-foot-6 class of 2015 wing put on an offensive show in a win over the Tennessee Bobcats. He said South Florida and Central Florida have shown interest. He could be a nice late pick-up for a non-major.
Lorenzo Jenkins of Team Speights Elite did a little bit of Rivera-Vega action today, too. The 6-foot-5 post-grad bound wing pumped in 31 points in a big win. He also shot very well and continues to pump in the points.
The Tennessee Bobcats have a nice 1-2 punch in unsigned senior point guard Makale Foreman (Kingsport Dobyns-Bennett) and 2016 big man Matt Halvorsen (Christ School NC). Foreman was one of the best shooters/scorers on the day. He’s trending as a terrific late option for a Division II school. Halvorsen, an agile 6-foot-9 post, is athletic and interesting. Both guys played their way onto some college coaches’ follow-up list.
Academic programs will want to dial in to Team Speights Elite point guard DJ Bryant. The Sarasota Riverview floor general is old school tough and has been one of my favorite guys at the Atlanta Jam.
The Charlotte Court KY squad also boasts a nice 1-2 punch. The tandem of Larry Whelan (Rowan County) and Isaiah Tisdale (Henry Clay) are high IQ guys that can shoot, pass and score. The duo helped their squad beat Team Speights Elite on Saturday afternoon. Both 2016 guys shined with their smarts.
NOTES FROM JUSTIN YOUNG’S NOTEPAD
Simply put, Javien Williams of the Birmingham Storm was the best player I saw on Saturday at the Atlanta Jam. The athletic and savvy wing from Woodlawn High School was one of the best offensive weapons in the building. He scored in a variety of ways and made it look too easy. The 6-foot-4 junior may have boosted his stock better than anyone.
Robert Woodard has a rep in the class of 2018 as one of the more intriguing prospects in the South. For starters, he’s a bull with the ball. No one at his age group can slow him down. The second best part of his game? His vision that leads to great passing.
Charlotte Aces point guard Ty Gadsen said DePaul, Tennessee, Rice, East Carolina, VCU, Southern Cal and Charlotte are all involved in his recruitment.