Battle At The Beach Superlatives: Part 1

<p>On The Radar Hoops put on a fine tournament this past weekend in Daytona between Mainland and DME for the "Battle At The Beach."</p> <p>A bunch of solid prospects took part in the action.</p> <p>Here is a look at Part 1 of the standout performer's list.</p> <h4><strong>Darius Johnson (Virginia Episcopal/Team Parsons 16U)</strong></h4> <p>For the second straight weekend, 2021 Virginia Episcopal G <strong>Darius Johnson</strong> was the glue for Team Parsons. The 6'0" dropped 32 points in a back and forth battle on Saturday night against Nightrydas. USF offered last week while he already holds a George Mason offer and interest from both Virginia Tech and NC State. Johnson is tough as nails as an attacker, downhill presence and a reliable outside shooter.</p> <h4><strong>Nate Sasser (Sacred Heart Middle/Nightrydas 14U)</strong></h4> <p>Headed to Oxbridge next fall, the 2023 6'5" guard <strong>Nate Sasser</strong> is a rising star. Known for his dunks from a young age that have gone viral, Sasser is more than just a dunker with his passing, shooting and all-around leadership. He is vocal and well aware of the offense sets and where people need to be on the floor. Sasser is going to be well on Division I college coaches radar shortly.</p> <h4><strong>Lewis Jones (Oak Ridge/E1T1 15U)</strong></h4> <p>Active for the entire game against Team Parsons 15U, the 2022 6'5" Oak Ridge forward<strong> Lewis Jones</strong> is on his way up quickly. He was dominant at times with his slashing and elusiveness. Jones is going to be in for an increased role this upcoming season for a new look Oak Ridge group. He has Divison I potential written all over him.</p> <h4><strong>Ray Perry (St. Pete/Team Speights 16U)</strong></h4> <p>There probably wasn't a better creator that I saw all weekend than 2021 5'11" St. Pete guard <strong>Ray Perry.</strong> Passing with ease and giving his Team Speights 16U team a huge lift with his high IQ, Perry also fought for buckets on cuts to the basket. Perry is a confident young man with a ton of strength in his upper body and a ton of standalone potential. </p> <p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ratp3ACPbTg" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <h4><strong>Michael James (Wekiva/Nightrydas 16U)</strong></h4> <p>Pictured above, 2021 Wekiva 6'5" guard/forward <strong>Michael James</strong> broke out in a big way this weekend in Daytona for Nightrydas. In the showdown against Team Parsons 16U on Saturday evening, James was key to his team's rally in the second half. He helped with his outside shooting as the Nightrydas erased multiple double digit deficits to cut the disadvantage to four points. James is a hard worker and someone who needs to be on Division I coaches boards right now.</p> <h4><strong>Myles Grant (Clearwater Calvary Christian/Team Speights 15U)</strong></h4> <p>The pure effort from 2022 6'3" Calvary Christian forward <strong>Myles Grant</strong> was fun to watch. Active from the start for Team Speights, he went toe to toe with 2022 South Carolina Greer/Team South Carolina forward Jaleel Skinner. The 6'4" Skinner holds an offer from South Carolina for football as a wide receiver and has a nice mix of speed and strength. Grant held his own and was a big presence on the boards all game long as Speights overcame a 14-point deficit to pull out the win in the closing seconds. Grant still has work to do as a shooter, but the upside is there.</p>