Music City Classic Top Performers (Monday)
Monday featured the greatest college coach turnout of the weekend. Louisville Head Coach Rick Pitino dropped in to see Lance Thomas. Austin Peay, Belmont, and Tennessee State all had representation, as well.
2017 PG Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Hamilton Heights Christian)
Versatile scorer, “NAW” smashed a dunk down early against Summit. His second quarter was wonderful. He troubled the Summit guards with slashes and a triple. Alexander-Walker flexed his muscle and powered his way towards dangerous spots on the floor. Virginia Tech is getting a multi-year starter in Alexander-Walker.
2019 PG Kyle Sturdivant (Norcross)
Kyle Sturdivant is a fantastic young guard. The strength in Sturdivant continuously vexes older players. He can score mid-range shots, rebound, and defend at the varsity level. In time Sturdivant will be a 15+ ppg scorer against the difficult NE Atlanta competition.
2017 F Nicolas Claxton (Legacy Charter)
Claxton is signed for the Georgia Bulldogs next year. His two-game stretch just outside Nashville revealed a unique game. The 6-foot-10 forward enjoyed the arc. Occasionally he challenged for offensive rebounds. Claxton dominated in small stretches. He was outclassed by Mamoudou Diarra Monday though. Claxton scored 10 points on 3-14 shooting. His six rebounds helped to keep the game close.
2017 F Mamoudou Diarra (22 Ft Academy)
The most dominant individual performance of the early afternoon came from Mamoudou Diarra. The Washington-bound forward was an excellent second leaper. His springy play created problems and made scoring obscenely easy around sizable players. Diarra set the game-high with four assists despite leading his team in scoring with 19 points.
2017 PG Jordan Goldwire (Norcross)
Unsigned senior Jordan Goldwire moved the basketball around the floor, involving Rayshaun Hammonds and Lance Thomas. Their demolishing of Stratford introduced numerous deserving stars. Goldwire knocked down several three-pointers. His upper body strength has come along way in the last two years.
2018 G Daniel Sackey (22 Ft Academy)
Sackey was charged with handling a great guard in Rashawn Neal. His 15 points and seven rebounds overshadowed the five individual turnovers. Sackey sliced through traffic and also supplied his forwards with some lovely post passes.