Jackie Simmons Thanksgiving Classic: Day 2 Standouts

<div class="article-content"> I managed to double back for Day 2 to get a much more in-depth look at some of the talent in the building. It was a great way to start off the 2020-2021 season in the North Florida area. Here are the scores from Day 2: Paxon 71, Nease 52 North Florida Educational Institute (NFEI) 80, Ed White 63 Mainland 49, Oakleaf 42 Jackson 65, Santa Fe Catholic 44 Notable Standouts for Day 2. <a class="pn-player-link" href="https://prephoops.com/player/quinnton-jackson/"><img class=" lazyloaded" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/09/201-Quinnton-Jackson-150x150.jpg" data-src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/09/201-Quinnton-Jackson-150x150.jpg" /></a>Jackie Simmons III I 5-11 G I Andrew Jackson The 2021 guard made big shot after big shot on the night. It always seemed as if Santa Fe Catholic was making a run or having a momentum shift in its favor, Simmons seemed to hit another big shot to stop the momentum. He is a 3 and D player; Simmons has a really nice floater to go along with his perimeter shot as well. He led the team in scoring on this night with 17 points. He will be a vital piece for Jackson as they look to bring home a state title this year. [player_tooltip player_id="829469" first="Logan" last="Ryan"] l 6-3 G l & Matthew Guzie l 5-10 G l Nease Both guards are 2022 but I’ll start with [player_tooltip player_id="829469" first="Logan" last="Ryan"]. This is a kid I’ve followed for over the past year. I wrote about him as a player to watch out for in the North Florida area. I’ll standby that statement today as he continued to show why he can be a Top 5 scorer in the area. He is another 3 level scorer. He displays a high IQ, really nice touch with his shot and finishes well. He had some nice reads and got a few easy backdoor layups. Paxon really amped up the pressure and began focusing on denying Ryan the ball but he still managed to lead the team with 23 points. Now on to Guzie. He is a good tough guard to pair with Ryan. He has a High IQ as well, the ability to score the basketball and facilitate. You can tell these two are in sync with the offense and where each are on the court at all times. On quite a few transition plays, Guzie found Ryan which showed me his court vision. He is sneaky quick. He only stands 5-10 but that shouldn’t be a knock because he plays hard, fast and under control. He gives 110 percent at all times, this is just something we can't teach. It was a good matchup to see him against [player_tooltip player_id="818735" first="Quinnton" last="Jackson"] but Paxon was just too much for Nease on this day. I look forward to watching more of these two as the season progresses. Guzie was second in scoring with 17 on the day. The two contributed to 40 of the 52 points on the day. [player_tooltip player_id="1069193" first="Jalen" last="Willis"] I 5-11 G I Mainland The 2021 guard had a really impressive weekend overall. He led the team in scoring on both days but it really stood out to me on Saturday. He had some really clutch baskets down the stretch to hold off an athletic lanky Oakleaf squad. Willis can score from all 3 levels. Willis finished in traffic, knocked down deep 3's and made some nice passes for assists that led to an easy score for his teammates. He has the ability to handle the basketball, make great decisions and put his team in a position to succeed. He is a vital piece for this Mainland team along with Kyle Bowman , [player_tooltip player_id="818854" first="Ty’Rion" last="Denson"] and Ruben Walker as they bring veteran leadership. He tied a team-high with 15 points on Saturday with [player_tooltip player_id="812620" first="Nigle" last="Cook"]. Also, look out for Cook. He is a 6-4 2023 kid that is lanky with the ability to shoot over the smaller guards. He also had a really good weekend as well. [player_tooltip player_id="829403" first="Trey" last="Lane"] I 6-1 G I Santa Fe Catholic The 2022 guard played hard all night long as he faced that tenacious Jackson defense. He is a good shooter from the perimeter but is more of a playmaker. All night long, he continued to get the ball to his teammates in spots so they could be successful. As coaches, we thrive on looking for the best shot on each possession, he certainly did that to the best of their ability. He had to work to get his points but he had a decent night against a hounding defense. He finished led the team in scoring with 11 points and 3 steals. He continued to set up [player_tooltip player_id="818684" first="Alvin" last="Tumblin"] and others all night long. Tumblin stands about 6-4 from my viewpoint and possesses pogo sticks for legs; He has exceptional athleticism but was held to five points, three assists and nine rebounds. I look forward to seeing Lane and Tumblin make a push in February. Camden Tyner I 6-2 W I Paxon The 2022 wing came out firing on all cylinders on Saturday. He knocked down a total of seven 3-pt shots on the day. This young man continues to show signs of scoring the basketball consistently from the perimeter. Even after being identified as the shooter, he still managed to get to his spots and make shot after shot. He finishes well around the rim as well. He is a smart, scrappy defender just like the rest of the team. Tyner doesn’t show much emotion, he just plays the game. I can respect that from him as a player. He let his game talk on this day. He finished with a career-high 27 points. [player_tooltip player_id="955594" first="Kenneth" last="Young"] l 6-1 G l Ed White The 2022 guard was on fire the entire game against NFEI. Young really showed off his ability to shoot the basketball from the perimeter. He also showed others he can be a combo guard. I still like him as an off-ball guard but his ability to handle the constant pressure was impressive. He shot the ball from all over. Mid-range and perimeter seem to be his comfort areas. He has the physique to battle against bigger guards/wings as well. I look forward to Young having a breakout season for Ed White. Overall he had a really solid weekend leading the team in scoring on both days. He finished with 28 points on the day. Dimron Phillips l 6-2 G l NFEI The 2021 guard was scoring at will. He had some really nice finishes but his most impressive attribute is his hustle. This young man was all over the court. He was doing it on both ends of the court. Harassing the ball handlers all night long, forcing turnovers and finishing in traffic over bigger defenders on the other end. He likes to get out and run but in a good way. He brings that athleticism, hustle and grit that most at his age just might not possess. Phillips led his team both nights in scoring but finished with 21 points on the night. [player_tooltip player_id="714935" first="Markel" last="Allums"] l 6-5 W l Oakleaf The 2021 guard had a successful weekend showing off his ability to score the basketball. He can finish in traffic, shoot from the perimeter and play some solid defense. This Oakleaf team has some versatility. It can be a serious matchup problem for some teams. Allums is another one of those hybrid guard/wing players on this Oakleaf team. He could be a matchup nightmare depending on the opposing team due to his size and athleticism. He rebounds the ball well for a guard. I like his mid-range pull up. It was in effect all weekend long. He had a nice dunk on two people in Friday’s game that should be noted. He finished with 10 points on the day. </div> <div class="article-content"> Honorable mentions: 2022 G Bruce Gee (Paxon) , 2021 F Dahntay Tillman (NFEI) , 2021 G Davin Daniels & 2023 G [player_tooltip player_id="1060182" first="Michael" last="Swift"] (Andrew Jackson) , 2023 G/W [player_tooltip player_id="812620" first="Nigle" last="Cook"] & 2024 F [player_tooltip player_id="1055579" first="DeAndre" last="Newland"] (Mainland) , 2021 G Christopher Washington (Ed White) , 2022 G David Compere & [player_tooltip player_id="1068713" first="Davarious" last="Jackson"] (Oakleaf) For any North Florida Prep Hoops news or information…please contact Mark Holland on Twitter @Mark__Holland or Follow on Instagram @Duvalsuns </div>