Summer League Week 1 Recap (Part 2: 6/5-6)

In the 2nd portion of Week 1’s recap, we will look at the joint practice/scrimmage held at Milton on Wednesday with Centennial and Dawson Co. in attendance, as well as the Summer Explosion session at Holy Innocnets’ last Thursday. The Summer Explosion was highlighted by impressive duos from numerous teams, while Milton provided a chance to see the teams in various situations with a controlled scrimmage environment. Centennial was also at Georgia Tech, so they will be mentioned in the next recap and not this one. The graduation of Luke Chism and absence of Jasper Gibson on Wednesday allowed other guys to step up and prove themselves for this Dawson County Tigers team. I was most impressed with Mason Barnes and Campbell Reed on this day. Having seen Barnes with his BCB team this spring, I was familiar with his game but I thought he looked even better last week. Acting as the primary ball-handler for the Tigers, Barnes showed the ability to break guys down off the dribble and made good decisions once he got past his initial defender and found himself in the paint. Barnes has a nice outside shot and connected on some crafty layups throughout the day. He doesn’t shy away from contact and sets a good example for the team with his toughness. There were a lot of 3’s taken over the course of the day, but not many made. Campbell Reed was one of the few guys who knocked down outside shots consistently. He was able to shoot over smaller defenders and never hesitated when he had space to get his shot off. Reed’s release is quick and he showed that he can shoot from well behind the line without any trouble. Similar to Barnes, he played with some grit and physicality on both ends that I liked. He should benefit from increased touches this year. Milton will be a very young team this year but within that youth they have some very promising players. Bruce Thornton proved himself a ton as a freshman last year, and now he’s ready to be the clear-cut leader for the Eagles this winter. He had advanced strength last year but seems to have added to his body even more now. If Thornton isn’t using his speed to go right by you, he’ll bully his way to where he wants in the paint. He is also showing constant improvement in his shot. Thornton is taking outside jumpers with confidence and putting them in quite often now. If he looks like this now, I can only imagine what he’ll his senior year will have in store. Also impressing for the Eagles was rising freshman Kanaan Carlyle. He is super smooth with the ball and has the skill to make a lot of things happen. Carlyle is already patient and does not allow himself to get sped up when he is handling the ball. He made some advanced moves in the half-court and picks his spots well, displaying a really nice pull-jumper from around 15 feet multiple times. Carlyle looks capable and ready to step right in and make significant contributions in 7A as a freshman. Heading over to Holy Innocents’ on Thursday for the Summer Explosion, East Coweta, Mill Creek, Chattahoochee, St. Francis, and South Forsyth were all in action. Mill Creek was also seen at this week’s Summer Explosion session along with Wofford’s team camp so they will be highlighted in the Week 2 Recap. The first thing that stood out at HIES was the play of Chris Youngblood and Brandon Stroud for East Coweta. They bring it any setting, wanting to dominate their opponent no matter who it is. Both rebounded extremely well and embraced contact on both ends of the floor. They are skilled scorers who can hurt you in a variety of ways; their commitment to attacking the basket in the 2nd half against Chattahoochee was huge. Youngblood and Stroud will be threats for 25 PPG and 10 RPG this season without a doubt. They’ve drawn lots of MM attention during the spring but from the conversations I’ve had lately, it seems like they’re starting to catch the eyes of HM programs also. Also with an impressive duo, Chattahoochee took on East Coweta and St. Francis last Thursday. AJ White and Cam Sheffield were on each game, giving teams nightmares with their scoring ability. Sheffield is one of the top shooters in Georgia’s 2020 class. He is always ready to catch and let one fly, and can go on some impressive hot streaks. Sheffield gets off clean looks because of his height and has continued to improve slashing to the basket. They have different games, but I feel like White has some similarities to top 2020 guard Sharife Cooper. He is super smooth, never gets sped up, and always seems to be relaxed. White is such a gifted scorer; I’m not sure I’ve seen someone with a better jump shot off the dribble this year. When you add in streaky shooter Franklin Bailey on this Cougars team, you have a high-powered offense. They hit 17 3’s in their opening game versus East Coweta, 7 of which came from Bailey. Jusaun Holt was productive at HIES as he had been throughout the spring and he has an exclusive article coming soon, but this night was all about Xavier commit Dwon Odom and his performance against Chattahoochee. Already a fierce competitor, Odom didn’t need any motivation to take it to the Cougars. But, once they started the game sagging off him extensively, he rose his intensity and play to another level. He hit 3 3’s in the game and made sure to let his opponents know about their mistake of not contesting. As usual, he was a terror in the open court, flying past the defense and getting countless baskets in transition. Odom was also very active on defense, getting steals, igniting the break, and finding teammates for easy points. Odom, Holt, Chase Ellis, and Jordan Brown form a great core for the Knights this year. Although they were playing without Devin McGlockton, South Forsyth had some pleasant surprises that I enjoyed watching last Thursday. They are a pesky group that plays well together and showed heart. I felt like Nate Hammond was the clear leader of the team. He set the tone with his energy and plays with some fire and feistiness to him. Hammond did not come into the day looking to score, impacting the game in a variety of ways, but stepped up when baskets were needed. He hit multiple 3’s in each game and got to the basket with speed and physicality. Ethan Underwood was solid as well, putting together well-rounded performances in both of South’s games. Underwood is solid as a PG, staying under control and not forcing things with the ball. He has a nice outside shot and shows some craftiness when trying to finish in traffic. He’s pretty tough and doesn’t mind going for loose balls or fighting inside for rebounds. Guys like Kohl Harris and Thomas Stocks will help the War Eagles a lot this upcoming season as well.