Jackie Simmons Thanksgiving Classic: Day 1 Standouts

<p>I had the luxury of attending both days of the annual Jackie Simmons Thanksgiving Classic at Andrew Jackson High in Jacksonville. This event featured a total of 8 games total over a course of two days. It featured some really good matchups along with some high level talent as well. I’ll focus on Day 1 of the event in this post. </p> <p>Here are the scores from Day 1:</p> <p><strong>Mainland</strong> 64, <strong>Ed White</strong> 49</p> <p><strong>Glynn Academy</strong> 75, <strong>Ribault</strong> 58</p> <p><strong>Paxon</strong> 65, <strong>Oakleaf</strong> 43</p> <p><strong>Jackson</strong> 67, <strong>North Florida Educational Institute</strong> (NFEI) 53</p> <p>Notable Standouts for Day 1.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="818735" first="Quinnton" last="Jackson"]</strong> I 5-10 G I <em>Paxon</em></p> <p>The 2021 guard showed poise all weekend long and I was highly impressed with his high IQ, leadership and ability to knock down the tough shot. He is the engine to the car at Paxon. He is a legit combo guard. He may stand 5-10 but it doesn’t matter. This young man a tough defender, physically fit for his size and is highly skilled offensively. The team collectively gave Oakleaf problems in the second half with their constant pressure but he really stood out to me. Constantly communicating in the huddle as well as on the court. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="955800" first="James" last="Morrow"]</strong> I 6-7 F I <em>Andrew Jackson</em></p> <p>The 2022 forward seemed to be a magnet for the basketball. He was everywhere, I mean everywhere! He capped his night with a nice two-handed poster dunk on a defender. As the crowd was still roaring from the dunk, the ball found him on botched inbound play and he got another two-handed slam. He brings rim protection, defense and hustle to this very talented Jackson team. Has the ability to knock the 15-foot jumper as well. Morrow finished with 13 points on Day 1.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="818854" first="Ty’Rion" last="Denson"]</strong> I 6-7 F I <em>Mainland</em></p> <p>The 2021fForward had a huge day and Ed White didn’t have an answer to his size as he dominated in the post. Any rebound he wanted, he got it. His ability to finish in traffic should be highlighted as he was hounded all night long. I was impressed with his agility for his size. I see why they call him "Baby Escalade"; He is a big body but smooth with his game. He took the cake for Day 1 standouts on this Mainland team. [player_tooltip player_id="1069193" first="Jalen" last="Willis"] was solid as well. Denson finished with 15 points on Day 1.</p> <p><strong>Marquis Harris</strong> I 6-4 W I <em>Ribault </em></p> <p>The 2022 wing had a big day from behind the arc as he caught fire early in the game. Harris looks to be a consistent outside shooting threat from outside for the Trojans this season. Teams will zero in on Antonio Sheffield and [player_tooltip player_id="1055784" first="Caleb" last="Williams"] a lot this season, this should free up more open looks for Harris to on the wing. I look forward to seeing more from this team this season. They look to be a young, aggressive team to look out for this season. Harris finished with 16 points on the day.</p> <p><strong>Gage Cooper</strong> l 6-4 W l <em>Oakleaf</em></p> <p>The 2021 wing started out strong on the offensive side of the ball. He ran the floor nicely, filled the lanes properly and was rewarded with a nice transition dunk in traffic. He shot well from the corner nailing a pair of 3’s in the corner. His size mixed with athleticism and agility gives him the ability to be very versatile in rotations for Oakleaf. They plugged in the high post for zone offense, corner for man to man and even saw him at the top of the key a few times as well.  Cooper finished with 12 points on Day 1.</p> <p><strong>Javon Prindle</strong> l 6’3 G l <em>NFEI</em></p> <p>The 2022 guard had a solid day at the office but it didn’t come easy as he went against a good Andrew Jackson team. He came out the gate firing up shots with no fear. Outmatched in terms of depth, he still managed to get to his spots as Jackson attempted to trap anytime he touched the basketball. This young man has a special talent to score the basketball. He provides athleticism to his game as well. He finished in traffic quite a few times as well. This NFEI team has a nice athletic backcourt along with Dimron Phillips. They both had their hands full all night long. Prindle finished with 11 points on Day 1. </p> <p><strong>Zebreke Bellamy</strong> l 5-11 G l <em>Ed White</em></p> <p>The 2021 guard played well on both ends of the court. He was able to free up his shooters (Young &amp; Washington) with open shots. The highlight of his day in my eyes for him was on the defensive end. Bellamy had a chase-down block after a turnover. He showed a lot of poise throughout the game as well. Bellamy could be a key factor to their success this year as long as he continues to facilitate on offense.  </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="949919" first="Max" last="Hrdlicka"]</strong> I 6-6 G I &amp; <strong>Quay Dickens</strong> I 6-0 I <em>Glynn Academy (GA)</em></p> <p>2021 Guard [player_tooltip player_id="949919" first="Max" last="Hrdlicka"] (University North Florida Commit) was one of the top talents in the gym on Friday afternoon. He showed off his high IQ, exceptional court vision, ability to play at his pace, athleticism &amp; floor general skill set. The only time he sat down was at halftime &amp; timeouts. He was vital to the team in every aspect of the game; Gave me Luka Doncic vibes, which is scary. He is legit. I know he is a prospect in Georgia but he is a player that needed to be highlighted. I look forward to watching him next year on the college level. Hrdlicka finished with 17 points on the day.</p> <p>*2022 Guard Quay Dickens was another top talent on this team as well. Hard to know which one is which when it comes to in-game matchups because he has a twin just as good. At times it was confusing for the opposing team because they were using his brother (Tay Dickens) as a decoy. It was just his day from the field. He led the team in scoring with 24 points. He had four 3PT-field goals with a flurry of athletic, highlight-reel finishes to go along with it. </p> <p>Honorable mentions: 2022 F Antonio Sheffield &amp; 2023 G George Woods (Ribault) ,  2021 G [player_tooltip player_id="1068619" first="Ja’Kobe" last="Williams"] &amp; 2021 F Nari Jordan (Paxon) , 2021 F Dahntay Tillman &amp; 2022 Malachi Smith (NFEI) , 2021 F [player_tooltip player_id="818730" first="Bryce" last="Turner"] &amp; 2021 G Davin Daniels (Andrew Jackson) , 2021 G [player_tooltip player_id="1069193" first="Jalen" last="Willis"] &amp; 2024 G Yamare Bell (Mainland) , 2022 G [player_tooltip player_id="955594" first="Kenneth" last="Young"] &amp; 2021 G Christopher Washington (Ed White),  2021 [player_tooltip player_id="714935" first="Markel" last="Allums"] &amp; [player_tooltip player_id="818896" first="Corey" last="Humbles"] (Oakleaf)</p> <p><strong><em>For any North Florida Prep Hoops news or information…please contact Mark Holland on Twitter @Mark__Holland  or  Follow on Instagram @Duvalsuns</em></strong></p>