Georgia Cup I: Friday Night Notebook Part 1

Keith Agran March 22, 2021 @ 01:45 PM

In what was sure to be a busy weekend with AAU season set to rock here in GA, I was able to swing by Suwanee Sports Academy Friday night for HoopSeen’s Georgia Cup I event. Here’s a look at some players who shined: Fabian Desilva, PF, Quiet Storm (2022, Eagle’s Landing) Like so many terrific ELHS talents all over town riding the wave of their state tile right into AAU season, man among boys this early in the season and it will be fun to see him when the competition-level rises, a tremendous mover at 6-4 with a college-ready body, owns the glass, a high-rising finisher who can both blow-by you off the bounce from the high post or jump over you for pretty conversions near the rim, looking for a big summer from this one. [player_tooltip player_id="1050046" first="Ahmed" last="Soumahoro"], SG, Quiet Storm (2022, Berkmar) A bit puzzling he didn’t crack the Berkmar rotation more frequently this year, but his summer impact will be felt on this team, a special athlete whose inherent gifts are so vast you have to keep the camera trained on him for fear of missing a highlight-reel play, is as a good an open-floor finisher as you’ll find and should see his perimeter shooting consistency continue to move northward as he preps for a big senior season. Charles Gauthier, PG, Quiet Storm (2022, Marietta) Big fan of the mix Quiet Storm has put together there and the engine is Gauthier, had a solid season for the Blue Devils and is a must-see lead guard prospect at around 6-2, composed with the ball he has superb vision and doesn’t mind at all assuming a pass-first mentality, but is a more than capable scorer with a smooth jump shot that covers past the arc, another Storm player poised for a breakout summer. Quay Harrison, SG, Atlanta Astros (2022, Columbia) Another player coming off an impressive postseason run brimming with confidence, good length at 6-3 with impressive lift off the floor, can be a lot to handle with his quickness when posting smaller guards, has another gear attacking from the rim and can sky to the bucket, excellent rebounding guard as well, one to watch on an Astros roster with a whole load of underrated talent. KeShawn Evans, PF, Atlanta Astros (2022, Druid Hills, pictured above) Showed off his defensive and rebounding chops, can be a serious rim protector at 6-6 with excellent timing and instincts, has enough of a catch and finish game in close to be a factor right now but I see that getting a lot better with reps as the primary big man for this group, the 2nd of two good-looking DHS products on this team (the other, speedy PG KaRon Strickland, was also impressive). Stephen Lewis, SG, Atlanta Astros (2022, Stephenson) Massively overlooked playing out in Stone Mountain in 4A away from the massive glare and particularly this year with Covid-abbreviated seasons in DeKalb, so athletic he literally can get out ahead of himself on a play, with more reps and a full AAU season he’ll reign that in and show off a combo of those natural gifts together with a high-flying wing attack game at 6-2 that can bring the house down or change momentum in a tight game. [player_tooltip player_id="1045096" first="Amaru" last="Grosvenor"], PG, Pure Performance (2022, Alpharetta) Loved his play when I saw Alpharetta over Christmas time, an emerging PG talent that must be paid attention to, was a knockdown scorer against the Astros and got whatever he wanted off a combination of his slick handle and sweet quick release on the J, truly a combo guard though undersized for the 2 but is such a capable scorer he’ll hurt you there, a lockdown on-ball defender as well, can be a Hooch’s [player_tooltip player_id="830573" first="AJ" last="White"]-like, under-6 foot kind of breakout star in my view.