J4 Sports MLK Classic: Top Performers Pt. 1

<p><strong>2023 6-2 PG [player_tooltip player_id="948820" first="Kory" last="Mincy"] – Luella</strong></p> <p>There was good and there was bad with the young guard. The bad was just a bout of immaturity, getting ejected for a silly after the ball “scuffle” leaving his team without their leading scorer heading into the fourth quarter. But the good was everything else; even Mincy’s response to his mistakes, taking to Twitter to apologize for his actions which weren’t egregious by any means. Mincy is a very good young guard. He’s lightning quick with the ball and uses his body control to slice through the defense and hang in the air when attacking the hoop. Mincy can stop on a dime and pull-up from the mid-range when he’s not drawing fouls. He went 6-6 from the line in three quarters of action, finishing with 16 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 3 steals. Kory will need to work on changing speeds a little bit. He’s shot out of a cannon and consistently attacks defenses, but sometimes depending on the situation it could be better for him to slow it down. Mincy is a hungry competitor and for his age, it’s a better problem to have to ask a player to throttle it down than amp it up. Expect Mincy’s name to become more and more prevalent around basketball circles as one of the better guards in Georgia’s 2023 class.</p> <p><strong>2021 6-2 SG Jocqua Keeton – Luella</strong></p> <p>With his running mate on the bench for the fourth quarter, it was Jocqua Keeton that helped lead the comeback before falling short 59-56 to Parkview. Keeton scored 10 of his 16 points in the final quarter and added 7 rebounds. He’s an athletic shooter that can stretch out defenses. Keeton made plays when he got to the rim, going 6-6 from the line. He’s an interesting prospect at the non-D-I level.</p> <p><strong>2021 6-1 PG [player_tooltip player_id="869607" first="Jason" last="Edwards"] – Parkview</strong></p> <p>Following a scoreless first half, [player_tooltip player_id="869607" first="Jason" last="Edwards"] flipped the script and poured in 18 points. He caught fire in the third quarter and pushed the Panthers ahead 10 points with his 13 points. Edwards netted 4 threes and helped out on the glass with 5 rebounds. Edwards played more of facilitator in the first half during a low scoring affair, but it was his microwavable offense that spurred Parkview to victory. Jason is never short on confidence. The Miles-commit knows how to score the ball.</p> <p><strong>2022 6-3 SG [player_tooltip player_id="1049115" first="Asher" last="Woods"] – Parkview</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1049115" first="Asher" last="Woods"] was consistent throughout. He does a nice job mixing up his offense. Woods can put the ball on the floor to get to the basket, but can also score from the mid-range and beyond. His length gives him an advantage when taking the ball into the teeth of the defense. He did a good job at getting to the foul line, going 8-9 from the stripe and finishing with 19 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal.</p> <p><strong>2024 6-2 W Michael Matthews – Parkview</strong></p> <p>The energy of Michael Matthews off the bench was infectious and helped turn the tide of the game. Matthews is pretty positionless right now. Long term he will likely be a guard but Coach Jon Collins is able to use him in a variety of ways thanks to his athleticism and nose for the ball. Matthews plays larger than his size with his explosive lift. He cleans the glass and uses his fast-twitch fibers to make plays on defense, jumping passing lanes and protecting the rim. He got a steal and went coast-to-coast showcasing his guard skills. Continuing to work on his ball handling and outside shot will elevate his game. He collected 7 points, 9 rebounds, 4 steals and 2 blocks. Matthews has a ton of tools to become a standout out for the Panthers. Stay tuned.</p>