Grassroots Finale Day 3 Notebook
The beach in July. Travel basketball. Sounds like a good time to me. It has turned out to be a great event up here in Virginia Beach with some solid basketball being played in front of a number of college coaches.
Tennessee Trio
Chip Smith's oldest group have had a good week here in Virginia Beach. So far the Tigers are 2-2 on the week and will face ALL IN BEASTS today in the 17U GBA 2nd-round losers bracket at The Virginia Beach Sportscaster on Court 7 at 3:40. Some guys that have stood out from his group are.
Kollin Claridy, Tennessee Tigers - Claridy is a quick first-step guard that gets to his spots and can knock down some shots from the perimeter. He has some explosion and has a good understanding of the game. He scored 20 points in the game we watched, a win over Virgina Elite.
Devaki Garr , Tennessee Tigers - Good looking shooter, knocked down four from deep in the first half, putting on a lot of the same show for the second half, really a consistent shooter from outside, once feet are set, good chance it’s going in. He made 7-8 from beyond the three-point line and I don't think one hit the rim. He scored 21 points against Virginia Elite. He is a little undersized but he makes up for it with his shooting ability. College coaches always look for and want shooters.
Jack Carter, Tennessee Tigers - Intensity, tough, plays hard, has great rebounding instincts, he attacks the basket, Carter can handle the ball a little and is explosive when attacking. Carter has been impressive all travel season. He get's it done out on the floor and doesn't back down from anyone. I like his style. Right now he looks to be on the edge of a Division I recruit and can give some help to some Division II teams.
Coming Full Circle
Dayron Sharpe was a standout for Garner Road on our HoopSeen stage at our Tip-Off even back in 2019. Now his program, Warriors Life Elite has a promising 16-and-under squad that is 5-0 at The Grassroots Finale. Those kids in eastern North Carolina can play and they do it with toughness, grit and skill. Tyler Whitehurst has been the guy for them this weekend. In the afternoon game, Whitehurst went for 31 points and 4 assists. Earlier in the week against PK Flash, he scored 14 points. Against the NY Gauchos, Whitehurst had 16 points in the win. Today, they make it over to main courts and play on Court 2 at 3:40 against Team Loaded 804 NNK. This is going to be a fun group to watch and it's Saturday so it's still win or go to the loser's bracket. We give 17's priority because they are the ones playing for scholarships but this group looks like they have some at the 16-and-under division.
DB Elite Trio Shines
The trio of Parker Hodgson, JJ Henderson and RJ Bridges have been strong this week at The Grassroots Finale.
Overall the group is 3-2 and have wins against Young Ballers Elite, Maryland Rebels and Grassroots NC.
In the Battle of Raleigh here at The Grassroots Finale against Grassroots NC, DB Elite relied on the scoring threat is Parker Hogsdon. He scored 18 points in the win. He is shooter with length and he can get hot in a hurry. He can get to the rim and make plays with his length and he should at the least walk away from Virginia Beach with some new interest.
JJ Henderson for DB Elite was productive yesterday in their win over Grassroots NC. He scored 11 points but it is the way he gets his baskets that he does the damage. He had a breakaway one-handed throw down that forced Grassroots NC into a timeout and he got the crowd and his team going. He is another versatile eastern North Carolina prospect that can effect the game in multiple ways. At the end of the day, Henderson is a big and very athletic guard, who plays with a lot of energy, good understanding of the game and boxes out. All things that coaches want to see at the next level.
RJ Bridgers might have been the best player on the floor for former Word of God and JUCO All-American Camden Scott's squad. He does a little bit of everything on the floor. He has length and can get to the rim off the dribble, he rebounds well, has good passing vision and he just makes plays.
PK Flash Shooters
A bunch of skilled players that move the ball well and make a lot of shots from the outside. This group of guys from Pennsylvania play together and play the right way. They are well coached and they play as a unit. And oh yeah, they can shoot it and shoot it really well.
Danny Haigh - He is a shooter with great looking form and has a good use of shot fakes and he knows what works. Haigh ended up with 16 points and connected on four from outside.
Patrick Haigh - The older brother of Danny Haigh is a lot of the same. He has a strong understanding of the game, moves well without the ball, he can score from all spots on the floor. He finished with four made threes as well and 12 points.
Tasso Sfanos - The skilled guard can shoot it and score off the dribble. He is a smooth scoring guard that moves well with or without the ball. He finished with 12 points as well in their win that we watched yesterday.
Portis Should Earn Some Interest
For Grassroots NC, Marcus Portis had himself a game in the one we watched against DB Elite. He got a few quick baskets around the rim, Portis is quick off his feet with a soft-touch around the rim, has a motor and plays hard. He came away with a lot of baskets to keep Grassroots NC in the game and scored 17 points in the game.
