Proving Grounds Team Review: North Metro Elite

<p>Emerging as one of Georgia’s top independent programs, North Metro Elite put together a perfect 4-0 weekend to win the 17U Passion Bracket Championship. NME completed their 2020 PrepCircuit going 6-1.</p> <p>Anchored by a balanced cast, NME’s backcourt took turns rising to the occasion. In their opening win this weekend over the Auburn Raptors 60-47, [player_tooltip player_id="537310" first="Darwin" last="Randolph"] (East Hamilton, TN) paced the offense. Randolph finished with 15 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 5 steals. His addition to the program helped bring a consistent force at the lead guard position, able to break his man down off the dribble and get into the heart of the defense.</p> <p>Five players scored 7 or more points vs. the Raptors and six did so in NME’s thrilling 63-57 win over Basketball Warehouse in the semifinals. Trailing late in the game, NME cranked up the defense and saw Marcus Long (East Hamilton, TN) save the day, scoring 13 of his game-high 15 points in the second half including going 7-7 from the line. Long grabbed 9 rebounds and dished out 3 assists in the win.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="869638" first="Kevin" last="Taylor"] (Allatoona) shifted his focus to the defensive end in the two games I saw. He averaged 8 points, 10.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. He struggled offensively vs. Basketball Warehouse but his tenacious rebounding helped earn crucial second chance opportunities.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="869629" first="Kristian" last="Ford"] (East Paulding) flashed his scoring touch in both games going for 11 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals vs. the Raptors before adding 12 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks vs. Basketball Warehouse. He sank 5 threes over the course of both games.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="869604" first="Bobby" last="Moore"] (McEachern) scored in bunches, averaging 12.5 points and 5 rebounds. His shot selection and decision making must improve, but there is no denying his freakish athleticism and pure talent. If Moore can bottle up both and learn to harness it, he could be a D-I player. It will be interesting to see how he fits into McEachern’s potent offense now that [player_tooltip player_id="605746" first="Sharife" last="Cooper"] is gone.</p>