Gauntlet on the Gulf: Top 16U Eye-Catchers

Keith Agran

May 18, 2021 @ 05:16 PM

We had a small group with us in Marietta, GA for the Gauntlet this past weekend, but the basketball didn’t suffer as the teams brought great fire and skill with them from Alabama, Florida and home state Georgia. In 16U, we look at some of the players who may have just missed out on All-Tournament honors but still performed too well in a variety of facets to be ignored (in no particular order). [player_tooltip player_id="1204747" first="Shamarrie" last="Hugie"], 6-4, SG, Georgia Ignites 16U TRAITS: Great length at the guard spot, serious speed and power bundled together as an offensive package, an absolute runaway train getting to the basket off the break, nice creativity in the halfcourt, can handle the point when needed or slide down and play with his back to the basket, blocks shots like a center, a sure-fire monster riser coming out of the Savannah-area with oodles of upside. [player_tooltip player_id="1045883" first="Keith" last="Floyd"], 6-1, PG, Georgia Ignites 16U TRAITS: Electric speed be it out in the open floor or slicing up in the halfcourt, great feel as a scoring PG to break down defenses but not at all a ball-hog type, quick handle moving left to right makes him a tough matchup, excellent defensive instincts and among the best hands of the weekend, loves running the break and made some of the tournament’s best and most-sound feeds in the open floor. Charles Moore, 5-10, PG, South Florida Shockers 16U TRAITS: Had scoring games of 25 and 26 Saturday with 11 threes combined, that shooting stroke means he can draw defenses way out where he can utilize plenty of quickness and slick ballhandling to knife his way to the basket, another scoring PG with plenty of all-around instincts as lead man, was just flat out impressive across the board. Joachim Ametepe, 6-5, PF, South Florida Shockers 16U TRAITS: Great quickness off the deck in an athletic frame, a real handful near the basket with that kind of swift movement, a top weekend rebounder and shot-blocker he affected the game outside of scoring, an intriguing prospect because the offensive skill is there to be further honed while the body and athletic gifts are exceptional. VJ Edgecombe, 6-4, SG, South Florida Kings 16U TRAITS: Fluid athlete who did a lot of gliding on his way to 20 points Saturday against Georgia Ignites, a true slasher in the classic sense with a flair for acrobatics around the basket, tremendous vertical led to several spectacular moments at both ends whether he was rejecting shots of throwing down follow-jams, an elite rebounding guard who showed off plenty of handle leading the break or going coast all by himself. Qurahn Anderson, 6-3, SG, Team Intensity 16U (pictured above) TRAITS: Would make a list of near college-ready players in the division for sure based on body and natural ability, serious slashing athleticism and seems much bigger than 6-3, was nearly unstoppable finding his way to the basket and was even tougher on the O-glass, stepped out and showed nice range to 15 feet and as that expands past the arc with consistency he enters D1 territory. [player_tooltip player_id="1147608" first="Zyere" last="Edwards"], 5-8, PG, Team Intensity 16U TRAITS: The unquestioned best defender I saw all weekend either backcourt or frontcourt, put in an on-ball defending clinic combining incredible foot speed with a real understanding of how to force handlers away from their preferred destination without fouling, did plenty of pick-pocketing during that clinic, offensively he was almost as exciting as he showed off plenty of shooting range and outstanding vision in making some of the tournament’s slickest feeds. Joshua Verdine, 6-4, SG, TEAMIAMHE 16U TRAITS: Love the size and frame for the 2-spot, big-time 3-point bomber got hot and stayed that way for 23 points Saturday against Jupiter Jaguars, when not stationed out at the line he showed off an advanced understanding of how to exploit gaps and find good spots to score. Ben Cahill, 6-0, CG, Jupiter Jaguars 16U TRAITS: Combined with the likes of Jackson Baer and several others to form a multi-headed, sound backcourt grouping that did a lot of things well - shoot from range, drive it with surprising efficiency, break down and handle pressure leading to offense, and defend with gusto, Cahill stood out for his fight and sneaky skill on and off the ball. [player_tooltip player_id="709217" first="Jeremiah" last="Augustin"], 6-6, SF, Jupiter Jaguars 16U TRAITS: Athletically-gifted on a high scale is this D1 football recruit, still finding his way on the ball court but showed off wondrous movement and lift, ended the weekend as one of the elite shot-blockers and glass cleaners, high effort guy got his points in spots and combined with Juan Bell and [player_tooltip player_id="1164266" first="Khamari" last="Accursio"] to form a trio of effective bigs, whether he chooses football or basketball is a must-see attraction.