Saturday Hoopseen moved over to bracket play and the intensity to win was turned up high for an opportunity to take home the crown of Best of the South. 

Here’s a quick recap from day two.

Standout Performance 

The name Niko Lucero of 3D Empire’s 2024 squad was brought to my attention in a major way. This 6-foot guard brought the house down with his amazing performance against a great MidPro team. What started off as a typical game for Lucero, quickly turned into something magical and the crowd, including myself, was locked every time he got the rock. No matter the play this kid found a way to get his shot off; whether it was using the screen or creating space with his solid handles, Lucero was lethal from the three. He ended the game 33 points and hitting nine 3s, putting on the best shooting performance of the weekend.

Player of the Day

The Illinois Predators Elite had some bonafide hoopers at Best of the South. They play hard on both sides of the court and can score the rock like no other. Yesterday they were deemed a standout team but one kid stood out just a little bit more putting up some big numbers. 2025 guard JAIQUAN HOLMAN had a great game dropping 40 points in a 90-75 victory. What made this performance so great was Holman playing up with the 17u team. He still has time to develop but the way he played yesterday could not be ignored.

Standout Underclassman 

I was reminded that greatness doesn’t have an age limit and the 2027 C2K Ohio team made proof of that. Guard John Fox was the highlight on the floor dropping 22 points in a 76-28 win. This young gun was zooming down the floor and was just unstoppable in transition. It was definitely refreshing to watch the next generation of hoopers.