SRAC Tournament Standouts: Part One
SRAC (Smithfield Recreation & Aquatics Center) put on an impressive local AAU tournament this past weekend that had several intriguing young prospects playing on both courts. Omarion Blount of Terra Ceia HS, Tremaine Pugh of D.H. Conley HS and Keondre Rodgers of Hertford County (MS) stood out early from the pack in their respective age brackets at the SRAC Tournament. I’ve detailed below some keys to their game that made them successful.
| 5’11” G | Terra Ceia HS – Class of 2021 (Heels Elite)
Rising freshman. Omarion Blount played in this tournament with the Heels Elite 14U team. He has an obvious football background. Built with a strong frame that enables him to draw contact and finish through traffic. Really fast and hard to contain once he gets a full head of steam. Was able to guard point guards and even some forwards. Can’t say enough how strong he plays and how fast he is with the ball. Overall, great athlete who is wired to score and has a reputation for being a winner. Good long term potential here.
| 6’6” F/C | DH Conley HS – Class of 2021 (Team Force)
Another rising freshman. Competed while playing with Team Force based out of Ahoskie, NC. Really long and appears to have solid fluidity despite being so long at a young age. Was all over the glass during the course of the tournament and has above average quickness for most players his age with his size. Should be able to have an impact on the glass sooner than later at the high school level with plenty of room to grow as an offensive threat.
| 5’7” PG | Hertford County Middle – Class of 2022 (Team Force)
I don’t typically cover kids that have yet to reach the high school level, but this kid flat out got the job done while playing up. Only a rising 8th grader, Rodgers displayed arguably the best court vision, highest basketball IQ and the best ability to finish contested layups. Had near 30 points in consecutive games, including the championship matchup. At one point scored 12 straight points, including two three-pointers, poked away two steals resulting in layups and a nice backdoor cut that put his team up for good. Remember the name. Has built a nice resume early on in his area. Should he continue developing, he’ll have a shot to develop into an excellent point guard prospect.