Under Armour Hard In The Paint Classic: Day 1 , Session 1 Player Impressions
Westlake HS in southwest Atlanta played host yet again for the 2-day, Thanksgiving weekend Under Armour “Hard in the Paint” Give Back Classic, and a plethora of talented teams and players from the Atlanta Metro were on hand to battle…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingWestlake HS in southwest Atlanta played host yet again for the 2-day, Thanksgiving weekend Under Armour “Hard in the Paint” Give Back Classic, and a plethora of talented teams and players from the Atlanta Metro were on hand to battle one another. Prep Hoops Georgia was on site Friday for the two gym bonanza, here’s a look at some of the players who shined during some high level Day 1 action in the afternoon session of the main gym.
Robert CowherdRobert Cowherd (Denmark), SG – The springy 6-2 junior guard showed an impressive all-around game, doing it at both ends of the floor. Part of a suffocating man defense approach, Cowherd showed good on-ball presence. Offensively, he scored from inside and out, while also showing impressive athletic ability in the transition game, getting easy scores as the Danes kept 5A opponent Starr’s Mill at bay in the 2nd half. Moving well away from the ball to free himself up, he finished with 12 points to lead his 4A squad in a 55-42 win, pushing their record to 4-1.
Adonnis TolbertAdonnis Tolbert (Denmark), PF – Tolbert, a top 100 member of our 2020 rankings list, used his size advantage over the smaller Starr’s Mill frontcourt, as the 6-6 senior added a strong rebounding and defensive performance to his 9 points on the day. Quick and lethal in close to the rim, he polished off the night with an emphatic breakaway dunk late in the 4th to bring the crowd to its feet.
Sutton SmithSutton Smith (Denmark), PG – The left-handed junior, inside the top 35 of our 2021 rankings list, showed an impressive handle running the Danes offense, using both hands to facilitate and find teammates, while also showing off some range knocking down jumpers. Though just 5-10, he also didn’t shy away from getting to the rim, and finished the day with 11 points.
Jaylen Jackson (Douglas County), F – Jackson led the 6A Tigers from Douglasville in a 75-60 win over 2A Washington HS with 20 points, pushing their record to 2-2, but it was his athleticism and spring that caught my eye. The 6-5 junior, another member of our 2021 player rankings, was a terror at both ends, blocking shots and high-rising for finishes. He had 2 dunks in the game, including an alley-oop from Omari Fonteno in the 4th quarter that got the crowd going. But it wasn’t all swatting and dunking for Jackson, as he stepped out in the 4th and showed some range from 3-land, knocking down that key jumper to keep a hustling Washington club from cutting too far into the DC lead.
Omarion SmithOmarion Smith (Douglas County), F – Like his frontcourt mate, Smith was impressive at both ends, showing the same explosive level of athleticism and giving the Washington frontcourt fits by out-leaping them at both ends. The 6-5 junior joins Jackson on our 2021 rankings list, and also made a point to join in the dunk-fest with an eye-popping follow-up slam in the first half. He finished with 10 points on the day, showed a nice handle away from the basket, displaying a solid mid-range game and also rolling solo coast to coast for a nice finish at one point in the 1st half slicing right through the Washington defense.
Jermichael MahornJermicheal Mahorn (Douglas County), PG – Not too be overlooked by his high-flying teammates was Mahorn, who had an impressive day running the Tigers transition attack and manning the 2nd line of a very effective 1-2-2 full court press from coach Hollis Bethea. Another junior for this DC club, the 6-0 Mahorn was terrific at the point keeping his team moving and handling some tight Washington pressure defense at points. Of his 13 points on the game, he had multiple fearless drives to the hoop, which later opened up shooting lanes for DC’s outside gunners.
Omari FontenoOmari Fonteno (Douglas County), SG – A fourth impact junior for the Tigers, the 6-2 Fonteno couldn’t be missed on the floor, as he was impressive every time he touched the ball. Showing an all-around offensive game that will have him climbing our 2021 player rankings, he was fearless going to the basket but not afraid to pull it from deep as well. He made a notable impact in the 3rd quarter, netting 10 of his 16 for the game, driving, draining and dishing his way toward playing a key role in a nice DC win.
Leonard Rapley (Washington), SG – Under near relentless DC pressure, Rapley, a 6-3 junior, stood out for the Bulldogs, getting 14 of his 22 points in the 2nd half and showing a strong ability to get to the rack while also steering clear of the lengthy DC defense with some mid and long-range magic off the dribble.