FCP Southern Showcase Standouts

Last Saturday we trekked on over to Norcross HS for the first Full Court Press Southern Showcase, which had two solid matchups to highlight its lineup. We look at some storylines and standouts from each game: McEachern vs Woodward Academy [player_tooltip player_id="806708" first="Chance" last="Moore"] (McEachern) vs [player_tooltip player_id="754267" first="Will" last="Richard"] (Woodward, pictured above) The two 2021 studs put on quite the show, with Moore of the victorious Indians doing it all in getting 29 points, he was efficient from 3-land, an absolute devil getting to the basket, and was an un-boxable Windex man on the glass all game, adept at drawing contact although he’s better suited with a little space as his frame while not necessarily super-lanky still may need a few pounds to handle night in-night out SEC pounding, still that sleek movement and ability to glide through and around traffic at an elegant 6-6 is such a handful and among the many reasons he’s sure to be an early contributor at Arkansas next fall. Richard got the better of Moore on the score sheet with 30 points on the day and he too was able to show off a versatile offensive game with 4 treys, a slew of pretty mid-range pull-ups and lots of finishing activity in close bouyed by trips to the line, it was the look of a seasoned senior who understands what he does well, playing this summer with a deep cast of big guards and small forwards for ATL Select All-Stars his game got a bit lost, we saw last weekend some of what he can do when the ball is primarily his and he seems a perfect fit next season for the kind of game Belmont plays. [player_tooltip player_id="869588" first="Camron" last="McDowell"] (McEachern) Never one to be overshadowed the energetic and always entertaining McDowell dropped 21 pts of his own in the high-level win over Woodward showing off both his defensive chops with several steals but his multitude of scoring skills from both long-range and attacking the tin, he’s always in good shooting position and gets off his sweet release quickly, sets up as a perfect attacking wing around 6-5 for Tom Crean at UGA who’ll bring that same energy and enthusiasm for being on the floor every night out. Logan Stephens (Woodward) Last year’s instant offense off the bench has become this year’s bull-in-a-china-shop, downhill 6-2 combo guard for the War Eagles, was super impressive looking for and getting his own offense against a McEachern team that went really hard on the defensive end, he used a controlled handle and strong frame to play through contact and get to the line, much more effective as a driver he did show an ability to step out beyond the arc which definitely gives Woodward that key other backcourt threat alongside Richard, a real strong outing with 19 points against a big-time opponent as he guarded up both McDowell and rising PG [player_tooltip player_id="870175" first="Braden" last="Sparks"]. Hillgrove vs Norcross The Underdogs Hillgrove didn’t enter with a bunch of notable names but they had plenty of fight and showed off a good deal of talent as well in nearly stealing the W on the Blue Devils home floor, 6-6 junior forward Isaiah Pettigrew was all over the place guarding the post and blocking shots, hitting the glass for what appeared to be double-digit rebounds, and scoring around the basket with both a powerful and finess-based post-game, he’s a 2022 big man to watch particularly if he can get things heated up somewhere on the summer circuit, another nice surprise was 2-guard Tylon Tarpley, who got things rocking at points in the game with a smooth stroke as he came off the bench to finish with 15 points from a variety of perimeter spots. Eye-Opening Blue Devil Youngsters Norcross has young talent dotted all over their roster, with the likes of stellar 2023 high IQ 6-3 PG [player_tooltip player_id="1049219" first="London" last="Johnson"] running things with a cool ease years ahead of his age but who we also know can score in bunches, 2023 uber-athletic 6-3 guard [player_tooltip player_id="1045087" first="Mier" last="Panoam"] who moves between guard spots and has an explosiveness off the deck and at the rim that will be scary as he continues to mature, next is 2024 6-5 forward Jahki Howard who’s breathtaking athletic ability is augmented by an already impressive skillset from 15 feet in with special glass-cleaning ability to go with it, his overall game has as much upside as any underclassmen I’ve seen all season, and lastly the day’s surprise breakout came from 2023 6-3 forward Samarion Bond, an absolute beast of an athlete already at a tender age with a terrific frame and all the moxie to use it at the rim and off the break, he had some key moments late in the game at both ends to help preserve the win. Still Need Some Vets!! But in that tight win over Hillgrove it was a pair of seniors who’ve waited their turn to be the "guy" who stepped up in big moments when the Blue Devils were facing momentum shifts, senior forward [player_tooltip player_id="787622" first="Kok" last="Yat"] may look like string bean but plays hard and never shy away from contact, and at 6-7 he can rise above defenders to convert in close but also adds very solid 3-point shooting to that package and showed all of that with 15 first-half pts, he’s a fine get for DePaul out of the Chicago, senior PG [player_tooltip player_id="869593" first="Jaden" last="Harris"] was one of the better PG’s I saw all summer while with Team Huncho and he can really alter the game in spurts with a physical and fast brand of play from the lead guard spot, had 9 of his 13 points in the 2nd half when Norcross needed some veteran stability and has been an under the radar potential get for D2’s and D3’s, love his game and will surely make a future coach very happy they made him an offer.