2022 Best of the South 16U Standouts, Part II
ATLANTA, GA — A year from now, who will be firmly in the recruiting spotlight? Who will college coaches primarily be watching? Well, it’s going to be this year’s 16U class. The 2022 Best of the South boasted a crop of 16U teams and players that will see coaches lined up to watch them sooner than later. Only time will tell who the hot names will be, but these are some more of the 16U guys that left a lasting impression on the HoopSeen staff.
Raphael Wires Jr was by far one of the toughest guards I saw this weekend. He plays extremely hard and handles adversity very well; when things got tough for his team he was there to step and make good plays. Wires is a slasher to rim and can knock down mid & the three. Defensively he’s just as tough with his aggressiveness and quick hands. - D’Courtland Christian
Mid-major schools will be recruiting Crotty next year at The Best of the South. Crotty has the size at 6-foot-5, the understanding of the game and the ability to shoot at a high level. Crotty plays under control and has a high-basketball IQ. In the games we watched for Team Wall, Crotty was a big reason they went undefeated on the week and knocked off 3D Empire twice. He has a really nice-looking shot and size, something that mid-major programs have been recruiting a lot of lately. - Justin Byerly
Polk had one of the most explosive performances of the tournament, torching PPA elite for 29 points and six threes on day three. Aside from the long-range shooting, Polk worked the midrange, getting easy jumpers from the elbow & near the free-throw line, all game. Loved his energy, defensively. He was dependable when it came to crashing the boards & not allowing easy transition buckets. - Jerome Reed
I said it all event: Wisconsin programs were some of the most fundamentally-sound groups present at the BOTS. Hornseth’s game doesn’t argue against that statement. The 2024 forward had a stellar 17-point game in a blowout win vs. Florida Pro. He operates mostly in the paint & the midrange, scored consistently on the block & from the elbow with his face-up jumper. Hornseth’s footwork is top-tier. On both ends, his rebounding effort was great to watch. - Jerome Reed
Success has followed London whenever he’s been on the HoopSeen platform this season. He’s either winning tournaments or helping his team reach the finals of tournaments. The same happened when this 2025 Fusion group played in the 16U division and London helped lead them to the gold division championship game. The 6-foot-4 guard has a knack for hitting timely shots, and he’s shown an uncanny ability to go into take over mode and carry his team through stretches of games. He did plenty of that this weekend when he routinely flirted with 20-point games. When we look back at this spring and summer, London’s breakout will be one of the stories that comes to mind, and that’ll be largely due to weekends like he had at Best of the South. - Josh Tec
