Huntsville (AL): Contrary to the norm, this player spotlight goes to the entire Huntsville basketball team. They played with intensity and poise on both sides of the ball, although their defense enhanced their offense. Their skillsets and effort along with solid coaching allowed for the team to find success throughout the weekend. Simon Walker, Brayden Rivers, Eli Stapler, John Gossett, and Josh Bowman set the tone and executed the gameplan on both ends, never going off script. Offensively, they played with a combination of constant ball movement and player movement, not allowing the ball to stick to one player for too long. Each player was constantly seeking extra opportunities on the offensive glass on misses, attacking closeouts and putting pressure on the rim from dribble penetration, and playing off of each other making the correct reads from defensive breakdowns. Huntsville showcased a diverse scoring diet having a mixture of post scoring, transition scoring, drive and kicks, cuts, offensive putbacks, etc. Each player complimented the other, always having a balance of low post threats, floor spacers, and ball handlers/shot creators. They rarely settled for 3s and consistently attacked downhill putting the defense into rotation and drawing fouls at the basket. Defensively, they played very sound and disciplined, along with high effort and intensity. They made second effort plays and wore down ball handlers, forcing several TOs and poor decision-making throughout the weekend. All 5 players communicated through various actions and sets which led to no confusion and frustration for offenses.
CJ Ingram (Oak Ridge): During the first two days of the team camp, Ingram showcased a ton of upside as a combo guard, displaying the ability to finish above the rim through contact, create rim pressure from attacking downhill, and create shots for himself within the half court offense. He played to his own pace and was under control on his drives. His patience and crafty, advanced footwork in traffic allowed for him to create space getting to the basket and on his fadeaway jumpers as well. His unselfishness and decision-making throughout the day allowed for the Oak Ridge offense to continue to maintain its free-flowing movement which enhanced his teammates to get opportunities of their own within the offense.
Miles Clanton (Norcross): Clanton’s aggressiveness when seeking scoring opportunities particularly in transition and away from the ball stood out from the jump. He has the ability to hit C&S 3s, slash to the rim off of straight line drives, and move well off the ball. His ability to score on all 3 levels, and constantly put pressure on the defense by drawing fouls made him a tough cover to contain.
Chase Lumpkin (McEachern): The rising sophomore’s game is continuing to take strides as his opportunity within the team’s offense continues to grow as the season progresses. He showed the ability to create for himself off the dribble and knock down unorthodox shots that those at his age do not even attempt to take. He has good court awareness and knows how to be a floor
spacer, allowing his teammates to create downhill and force the defense into rotation.
Justin Snell (Northeast (FL): The lefty guard showcased an explosive first step off the dribble as well as crafty finishes around the rim. Due to his constant rim pressure, he is always drawing multiple help defenders and forcing the defense to collapse to him, which created opportunities for open C&S 3s for his teammates. His play style complimented his backcourt duo because of his ability to create separation, while also having the ball control and poise in traffic to make solid decisions. His crafty footwork in the paint allowed him to maneuver his way to the basket and finish shots.
Amir Taylor (Grayson): Taylor looked much quicker and slimmed down a bit since the previous time I saw him. He continues to display great touch around the rim and create shots for himself whether it was with his back to the basket or seeking extra opportunities through the offensive glass. A new expansion in his game has been initiating the offense in transition and distributing early to his teammates for early scoring opportunities before the defense is able to set up.
Jalen Reece (Oak Ridge): Reece has a very freelance game and showed good instincts reacting quickly to whatever the defense gave him. His tight handle and ball security made it very seldom for him to turn it over, even when being pressured while initiating the offense. He showcased the ability to hit C&S 3s and create shots for himself and his teammates off the dribble in the half court offense, as well as transition. His deep range shooting forced the defense to extend beyond the three point line, which allowed for him to put pressure on the rim off the bounce and collapse the defense, causing defensive breakdowns.
David “Ted” Neal (Newton): Neal is a bigger, athletic wing who has the ability to put the ball on the floor, finish athletically at the rim, and provide vertical spacing. He has a good feel more the game, moving well off of his teammate’s dribble penetration, making himself open. He ran the floor well in transition and was able to finish plays at the basket while also showing the ability to make quick reads when distributing to his teammates whenever Newton had the advantage in fast break opportunities.
Jordan Green (Newton): Green is a skilled, wiry wing who has the ability to score on all 3 levels and defend multiple positions. Now as rising junior, as his game is continuing to mature, his body is still growing. He is taking leaps as a shot creator and growing more confident as a secondary ball handler to create more for himself off the dribble for mid-range pull-ups or shots at the rim. As he continues to get stronger, the next improvement in his game will be to play through contact on his drives and layups.
Alex Lloyd (Westminster Academy (FL): Lloyd has sneaky athleticism, especially at his
position, which allows for him to consistently finish above the rim in transition and within the half court offense, whether it is off of offensive putbacks, cuts, or drives to the rim. His combination of length and vertical athleticism makes him a threat not only at the rim offensively, but also as a weakside rim protector. Lloyd has the ability to be used as a primary/secondary ball handler, but is mainly looking to attack closeouts and get downhill to draw fouls and finish at the
basket.
Contribution by: Yusef Washington