OTR Preseason Day 1 Notes

Trent Markwith

March 23, 2019 @ 11:48 PM

The OnTheRadar Preseason tourney tipped off yesterday at McEachern; there were lots of good sponsored and non-sponsored teams in action, giving a quality preview of what’s ahead this spring. Here are some notes on a few unsigned seniors playing in the event, as well as some 2020 and 2021 prospects who emerged with nice performances.   The 2021 Hype Hawks group created a bit of a stir not long ago, basically challenging the other 16U teams in the state and stating that they weren’t afraid to take on sponsored teams. They backed it up in their first game, beating the Georgia Stars in a great battle. They also defeated Team YRN, a new program this year that has a significant amount of talent. As we’ve come to expect, Sutton Smith made high IQ plays that were a huge factor late in the game against the Stars. Logan Turner hit important shots in the final minutes in both of Hype’s wins. Even if it seems like he’s not on, you can throw that out the window in big moments. He loves those situations. Matt Cleveland played particularly well in the matchup against YRN; I was impressed most with his defensive impact both around the rim and on the perimeter. Cole Middleton and Devin McGlockton provided a nice post duo that can score and also does the dirty work for Hype. They are gritty inside and seem to always be involved in the action.   The first game I saw yesterday was a fast-paced, high-scoring matchup between the GA Elite Ballers and G3 Elite. The Ballers are an unsigned senior team with numerous quality prospects. Kamar Robertson and Naj Emory were the two best players for the Ballers in this game. They split ball-handling responsibilities and push the pace whenever possible. Both can score in a variety of ways and seek out contact at the basket. I felt like they were the difference after trailing at halftime. BJ Knight, D’Antaye Page and Kalik Brooks stepped up in the 2nd half as well. G3 was pleasantly surprising. All of their guys are tough and displayed some nice chemistry. Areyon Johnson was a beast rebounding the ball and converted on second-chance opportunities. He stepped out for some 3’s also and was very vocal. His fellow Archer teammates CJ Hines and Justin Edmondson were solid as well, coming with steady performances and being selective on when to attack. Caleb Williams was physical slashing to the basket, rebounded well, and hit some mid-range shots. Add in Zion Wimby and they have a nice core of 5 guys.   Most people are familiar with the 2020 Game Elite team and they were good yesterday, but I liked what I saw from their opposition when they played Team GA Magic. The Magic had multiple 2021 prospects playing up and they almost pulled out the win against a big time team. Javian Mosley and Antonio Card set the tone for the Magic as guards, attacking from the start and playing with confidence. Mosley is a fast, tough lefty who impacts the game on both ends. Forward Quay Primas was very good in spurts; he bangs around inside with a hefty frame and secures rebounds aggressively. He even stepped out for a 3. Kowacie Reeves Jr. took a while to get going for the team but hit a few important 3’s in the 2nd half and did a few things off the dribble as well.   2019 F Terrell Ard has been a hot name lately and suited up with the Georgia Canes yesterday. His physical abilities alone are quite impressive. He has a cut-up frame at 6’7” and is a powerful athlete of off two feet. He can go through multiple bodies while still being able to finish after a foul. Ard shows flashes of some good things on the perimeter, slashing and going through contact on his way to the lane. When he keeps things simple while handling the ball he is effective. Ard will take perimeter shots too although that is not his strength yet. I really feel like he could impose his will in the paint even more. If a coach believes they can get him to be a hard-playing, intense guy on a consistent basis, he could be a great pick-up.   One guy who I really liked in the winter is 2021 W Jaylin Galloway from Sprayberry. He is with Chris Williams’ Game Elite team and he looked good again today against a solid Georgia Canes team. He is around 6’5” with legitimate guard skills but understands his limitations and is pretty efficient. Galloway has a nice shot and is a good athlete as well, getting up to the rim for dunks with ease and he does not mind going through traffic. Looking at some of the guys currently in front of him in our 2021 Georgia rankings, I feel like he has a good chance to sneak up on them over the next few months. Galloway could be a late-bloomer like his brother Kyrin (now starting as a sophomore at UNCG) and make some noise as high school career progresses.