Baseline “Drive” Club Report – Part 2: Atlanta Nets 14U

<p>Director Calvin Nash mentioned if I came early to his Atlanta Nets workout at Lithia Springs HS last week I could catch a glimpse of his 2024’s coached by Kory Young Sr, and that I wouldn’t be disappointed. Well, he was right, as this group has multiple players who play beyond their years and have enormously bright futures.</p> <p><em><strong>Here are some:</strong></em></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="948588" first="Jordan" last="Jones"] (Lithia Springs, 2024, PG)</strong> - Jones’ diminutive size did nothing to take away from the wow factor of his ability, my first few minutes in the gym were spent watching him carve up some very good defenders, be it blowing by guys off the dribble, knocking down 3’s or just dominating in nearly every facet, he was on the evening the most impressive offensive player on the floor during either session and with time and likely growth it’s hard to imagine him not being among the ATL-Metro’s best point men in a few short years.</p> <p><strong>Tyler Hughes (McEachern, 2024, CG)</strong> - Going head to head with Jones was Hughes, a little bigger and more physical at this stage at closer to 5-10, he is perhaps the Indians next great guard prospect, a do-it-all aficionado with the ball who was only a hair less impressive than Jordan in that he made less spectacular plays, but nevertheless got the job done in such a variety of ways shooting, passing and defending that he and Jones run neck and neck in my book from a pure upside perspective, a star to be for sure in McEachern’s talent factory.</p> <p><strong>Braedan Lue (Lithia Springs or Alexander, 2024, F)</strong> - Already 6-4 with the body of a junior, Lue physically outpaces his teammates at this stage but also showed the clear finishing, rebounding and defensive ability in close that will prove out against similarly sized opponents, his face-up game from outside 10 feet is under construction so to speak, but when that comes, and if he sees even more body development, he will be an all-around terror down the road at both ends as a glass eater and swatting machine.</p> <p><strong>Kory Young Jr {Lithia Springs}, Chasen Allen {New Manchester} and Jaiden Glenn {Chapel Hill}</strong> - With the ballhandlers and big men always grabbing the headlines, I would have been remiss to ignore these three downhill wings, each hovering around 6-0 and all of whom showing A+ athletic ability, up and down the floor versatility and solid instincts, Young plays just like a coach’s son with his heady and smart ball, Allen too is assistant Alex Allen’s son and uses his strong build and athletic gifts to get to the basket with abandon, and Glenn had everyone oohing-and-aahing with his high flying antics near the rim and defensive chops in the paint.</p>