AAU Workout Visit: SEBA F.C.I. Warriors 17U

<p>It was great once again to be dropping in on my friends at SEBA last week, Billy LoPresti and crew do such an amazing job with their young men on and off the court, and their message is one that resonates with both players and families.</p> <p>A lot of his 17U kids are familiar to me both from last summer and this past regular season. He’s added a few new names to the SEBA fold, but the whole roster is fascinating and a 4-0 performance at OTR’s Sweet Sixteen I a couple weekends ago is testament to the talent.</p> <p>Unsigned 2021’s [player_tooltip player_id="1020673" first="LePra" last="George"] (Sprayberry) and [player_tooltip player_id="1004879" first="DeCameron" last="Porter"] (not present, LaFayette) are key contributors on this team, but we’re going to focus in on the 2022’s.</p> <p><em><strong>Jack Dempsey, 6-6, PF (2022, Pope)</strong></em></p> <p>Jumped out to me at LakePoint’s fall league last year and continued his swift improvement throughout Pope’s regular season as he was on the end of many a [player_tooltip player_id="869626" first="Will" last="Kolker"]-assist, has now added some deft post play to a well-sized, athletic package that was already present, a true catch and turn post man with excellent feet and soft mitts he can also spot up from 15 feet and hurt you, certainly among the best 2022 rebounders in the whole class and can’t be ignored for his shot-blocking prowess either, will draw in a ton of eyeballs this summer.</p> <p><em><strong>Cayden Charles, 6-3, SG/SF (2022, Allatoona)</strong></em></p> <p>Speaking of LakePoint it was there that I too got eyes on Charles for the first time playing with a veteran group of seniors for the Bucs, even with all the returnees he starred in the game I saw with a series of athletic downhill drives and exciting finishes off the break, that’s what he brings to a lineup with his gliding smoothness and sinewy power, it can look like he’s not moving or efforting but he’s really just a 1/2 step ahead and is the kind of form-able athlete that a school at the next level can unleash and develop to his full potential, part of that development will include extending his shooting range, but give me the athlete and we can make a shooter.</p> <p><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="870199" first="Davis" last="McCarn"], 6-4, SG (2022, Georgia Force, pictured above)</strong></em></p> <p>Pure knockdown paradise off the hands of McCarn, would make most lists of best pure shooters in the ATL-Metro, with a super quick release and pure rotation it fits the mold of how a shooter’s touch should look, his good size for the 2-spot makes him a tough matchup as he can shoot over a lot of people, his dribble-drive game has taken a step as well as his foot speed has improved, this summer is massive to establish him on coaching radars as more than just a shooter and playing at such a small program during the regular season.</p> <p><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1130590" first="Jack" last="Hewitt"], 6-3, CG (2022, North Cobb Christian)</strong></em></p> <p>Emerged from last regular season in my book as one of the true breakouts I saw all winter, such a good feel for the game allows him to play up to 3 spots with a combination of good size, terrific ball-handling and deadeye shooting from range means he can sneakily blow-by you or bury a deep one in your grill, when he has the ball in his hands he’s among the best passers I’ve seen since November and is such a good athlete that when he slides over to the 2 he immediately shifts into a handful of a wing scorer, it will be impossible for next-level teams to not fall in love with his versatility.</p> <p><em><strong>Jayden Clark, 6-0, PG (2022, Hiram)</strong></em></p> <p>Hiram guys are tough and disciplined from my experience watching them and Clark fits that mold well, he has a sneakiness about his quickness with the ball either out on the break or busting through a seam in the half court, a powerful frame allows him to make up for not being the tallest and his composure with the ball is another facet that has served him well in some good early outings for SEBA, a true lead guard prospect who guards the ball hard with some shooting touch to go along with it.</p> <p><em><strong>JoJo Bell, 6-2, SG (2022, Central-Carrollton)</strong></em></p> <p>Fascinating athlete, a bit like Charles in his exceptional movement but not quite as big and lengthy, still he gets downhill to the rim with a ferocity and his energy and enthusiasm on the floor is both contagious and fun to watch, an excellent defender who can create offense from his defense, there’s plenty of ball-handling and quickness off the dribble for that to be a viable weapon, expanding his shooting range and percentage from past 15 feet will be huge for his next step.</p> <p><strong>OTHERS TO WATCH: Brian Bain (Central-Carrollton), Areeb Khan (Pope), Jerry Meder (2023, Cherokee Christian)</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p>