Atlanta Jam HSA Standouts
SUWANEE, Ga—Our HoopSeen Association has been fun to follow this young travel season. Players from all over the south have put on for the HSA with great outings weekend after weekend thus far.
At our Atlanta Jam over the past weekend, here are some of the HSA players that caught our attention.
Shooting translates. It always does. When a guy can shoot, he can do it at any level. Alex Hyder for the Tennessee Tigers has that ability. For the weekend, Hyder was the guy to knock down the outside shots from Chip Smith’s program. The Cleveland (TN) High School guard made at least one three in each game he played at the Atlanta Jam. He was the leading scorer for the Tigers in their opening-round win on Friday night. His high school coach tells me that he has offers from Texas Southern and Montevallo. He has interests from Lipscomb, Lee University, SEMO, Southern Illinois, Wofford, UC -San Diego, UT-Chattanooga, Kennesaw State, Bethune-Cookman, Penn, Navy, Le Moyne. - Justin Byerly
A 6-foot-6 versatile wing, Larry showed glimpses of his potential on both ends. The Metro Elite product has a smooth offensive game. He can create separation with ease and uses his length to exploit gaps and smaller defenders. He plays with a high activity level on the defensive end, jumping the passing lanes and altering shots. Larry was able to collect two 20+ point performances on the weekend. - Brianna Patton
Steady all weekend long. That was the case for Bryson Davis of Team United. I was impressed by his ability to score from the perimeter and his toughness when attacking the paint. He was consistent all weekend long and that is something that we have always taken notice of when comparing players. Davis gets the job done every time he gets out on the floor. - Justin Byerly
Walker has impressed over the course of two weekends now. The 6-foot-7 forward plays with an impressive level of intensity on both ends of the floor. His defense is what immediately stands out. Walker has great instincts and protects the rim with the best of them. Walker’s a tough one to battle on the glass with. He goes after rebounds aggressively and isn’t afraid of contact around the rim. At multiple points throughout the weekend, Walker converted rim-rattling dunks with the utmost ferocity, and he stepped out beyond the arc and showed off some range too. His stock keeps rising. - Josh Tec
Big-shouldered forward that made his living this weekend getting rebounds and being in the right position for putbacks. Portis is explosive and has length. Portis gets off the ground in a hurry and he gets to the free-throw line a lot, something college coaches are always interested in. He has a soft touch around the rim on putbacks and couples that with a really nice touch from just inside the three-point line. Portis left the crowd yelling for more after a few of his dunks. - Justin Byerly
6-foot guard Xzayvion Childress really came out of his shell this weekend. At this year’s Tip-Off, he only gave half of what he was capable of and I just knew he had more to offer just from how he moved on the floor. I knew Childress was quick with the rock, understood how to run the team, and was solid on defense but I wondered if he could score. Make no doubt about it that Childress can definitely score and he let it be known by putting up great numbers consistently. At his best, he dropped 25 points and was an absolute marksman from the three. In a close win over Mebo Team Hood, he provided 18 points from quick attacks to the basket. It’s only up from here for a guard like Childress. - D’Courtland (DC)
