Southside Swing: Top Wings

<p>Last week I went to the Southside of Atlanta to watch two Top 10 showdowns in Class 5A.</p> <p>No. 3 Tri-Cities vs. No. 4 Woodward Academy<br /> No. 7 Forest Park vs. No. 8 Jonesboro</p> <p>Here’s who stood out from a loaded double-header.</p> <p><strong>2023 6-3 SG Devon Rainey – Jonesboro</strong></p> <p>The lefty is wiry and athletic. He is able to get clean looks from the perimeter with his crossover dribble. His shot was off against Forest Park but he remained aggressive rebounding and defending. His wingspan and foot speed gives him upside as a perimeter defender. Rainey is a wide receiver on the football team.</p> <p><strong>2021 6-6 W [player_tooltip player_id="754267" first="Will" last="Richard"] – Woodward Academy</strong></p> <p>After playing a vast majority of his minutes on the wing a season ago, with [player_tooltip player_id="691431" first="Walker" last="Kessler"] and others now graduated, [player_tooltip player_id="754267" first="Will" last="Richard"] transitioned back to the role he played at Fayette County as an inside-out combo-forward. Richard, a Belmont-signee, almost played exclusively on the block vs. Tri-Cities and was a beast inside, using his athleticism, physicality and touch to score basket after basket. It was a refreshing sight. Most players that have perimeter skills want to stay outside as much as possible but not Richard. He was willing to punch opponents in the mouth with his hardnose play. He attacked the offensive glass and scored a handful of hard-fought And-1s. Richard dumped in 35 points and 6 rebounds. He sealed extremely well and powered through traffic to lead the War Eagles.</p> <p><strong>2021 6-6 W Nathan Beaulieu – Woodward Academy</strong></p> <p>Nathan Beaulieu is a big wing that can play either forward position. He’s a solid athlete that’s fairly quick for his size. He’s an effective rebounder. What most impressed me was his willingness to attack off the dribble as a playmaker. He had a handful of nice assists. He could be an interesting option at the small school level.</p> <p><strong>2021 6-3 SG [player_tooltip player_id="1045712" first="Chancelor" last="Johnson"] – Tri-Cities</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1045712" first="Chancelor" last="Johnson"] looks the part. He’s got good size on the perimeter with a pretty looking stroke. He’s buried in Tri-Cities’ balanced attack but he could be a 15 point-per-game scorer on most rosters across the state. He adds great depth to Tri-Cities’ rotation. As he continues to get adjusted to his newfound role, the better he should be. Don’t be surprised if he hits a few big shots throughout the season. Johnson could be a nice sleeper.</p> <p><strong>2021 6-5 W Mario McIntosh – Tri-Cities</strong></p> <p>All good teams need glue guys that buy into their role. That is what Mario McIntosh has done. He’s a physical swingman that provides toughness and defense when he enters the game. He will battle for second chances and will guard multiple positions. McIntosh doesn’t need plays called for him to be able positively influence a game.</p>