War Lodge Invitational Standouts Pt. 1

<p><strong>2022 6-0 G [player_tooltip player_id="1049117" first="JaQuez" last="Thornton"] – Drew Charter</strong></p> <p>Class A-Public No. 1 Drew Charter vs. Class 7A Roswell; on paper it was a mismatch with the school enrollments. But don’t tell that to [player_tooltip player_id="1049117" first="JaQuez" last="Thornton"] or the rest of the Eagles. They dissected the bigger Hornets, leaving no doubt in a 72-42 drubbing. Thornton was electric. His quickness and on-ball pressure was elite against the Roswell guards, eating them up and turning steals into points. The southpaw got whatever he wanted. He stopped on a dime and hit 4 threes.  His vision was above average as he found open men in tight spots. Thornton finished at the rim and had no issue challenging Roswell’s length. It was a dominant performance. Thornton poured in points at all three levels as he recorded 24 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals. If you don’t know Thornton by now, you better get familiar ASAP. Drew Charter may be destined for a state championship.</p> <p><strong>2022 6-3 CG JaKobe Strozier – Drew Charter</strong></p> <p>Atlanta has a special talent in JaKobe Strozier.  The big athletic guard is an imposing figure that can play at a breakneck pace. When he pushes the ball, he’s a freight train that no one wants to get in front of. The thoroughbred in the open court is a downhill attacker. If he gets two feet in the paint, defenders better watch out because he will try to put them on a poster. Outside from his scoring at the rim, Strozier’s passing was very impressive. Much like [player_tooltip player_id="1049117" first="JaQuez" last="Thornton"], Strozier deftly riffled in assists through the defense. He finished with 18 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. There’s no backcourt in Class A-Public that can match Strozier and Thornton.</p> <p><strong><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/12/20201212_162449-rotated.jpg"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-1103431 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/12/20201212_162449-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></a>2023 6-3 G [player_tooltip player_id="873086" first="Jase" last="McCullough"] – Roswell</strong></p> <p>Lost in the destruction of a 30-point loss was the terrific play of Jase McCullogh. He’s a physically built guard that has the body to apply pressure to defenses in different ways. Once he gets his shoulders passed the defender, he puts him in his back pocket as he gets to the rim. His strength allows him to absorb contact when getting inside and he also has a sharp pull-up game with a soft touch that can keep the defense off balance. McCullough was the lone Hornet that could match Drew Charter’s aggressive athleticism and skill. McCullough has the makings of a D-I guard.</p> <p><strong>2022 6-7 F [player_tooltip player_id="1045092" first="Wade" last="Kahl"] – Centennial<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/09/IMG_8429.jpg"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-1045028 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/09/IMG_8429-150x150.jpg" alt="[player_tooltip player_id="1045092" first="Wade" last="Kahl"]" width="150" height="150" /></a></strong></p> <p>Post play isn’t dead. [player_tooltip player_id="1045092" first="Wade" last="Kahl"] is a throwback post presence with a new school twist. Kahl is fundamentally sound on the low block. He gets wide and posts hard, giving his guards a target hand to entry to. When he gets the ball, Kahl has very good footwork and balance. He likes to turn over his left shoulder to shoot a hook shot, but also has some up-and-unders and fadeaway jumpers in his arsenal. He finishes strong inside and can consistently knock down the three. He had 17 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block while battling Berkmar.</p> <p><strong>2021 6-1 PG [player_tooltip player_id="869644" first="KJ" last="Spooney"] – Centennial</strong></p> <p>He doesn’t put up the biggest numbers, but [player_tooltip player_id="869644" first="KJ" last="Spooney"] is the engine that makes Centennial go. His unselfish play and ability to find the open man makes life easier for the Centennial scorers. Spooney competes at a high level. He’s a tough athlete that can play bigger than his size on defense. Offensively, he can hit the open three and can take the ball to the basket. He had 9 points, 2 rebounds and 5 assists vs. Berkmar.</p>