Southern Jam Fest 16U Standouts (Part 2)
Every year Hoop Group puts on one of the best events in the country at the Boo Williams Sportsplex called the Southern Jam Fest, but this year it was a little bit different. Some of the best shoe company and…
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Continue ReadingEvery year Hoop Group puts on one of the best events in the country at the Boo Williams Sportsplex called the Southern Jam Fest, but this year it was a little bit different. Some of the best shoe company and independent programs from up and down the east coast came to Southern, including the number one team in the country Team Final featuring the top two players in the country.
There were double digit shoe company teams from all three major circuits, and plenty of other talented teams making it one of the most talented events I’ve ever been to. We will have tons of content from it, starting with part one of the many 16U standouts, focusing on the Team Durant and Wildcat Select teams.
Jamie Kaiser Jamie Kaiser 6'6" | SF IMG Academy | 2023 State #67 Nation FL | 6’5” WG | Team Durant
Kaiser is one of the top athletes in the state of Virginia as he’s a standout on the football field, basketball court and baseball diamond, holding offers in all three of them. A traditional two guard with good size, Kaiser is a knock down shooter from deep and an athletic finisher at the rim, making him able to score it in a number of ways and in bunches. He’s also a high IQ defender, and should project well as a three-and-d guy moving forward.
Shawn Simmons | 6’7” F | Team Durant
Simmons is one of a number of nationally ranked players for this 16U Team Durant group, and the potential he has moving forward is as high as anyone I’ve seen in the class. At 6’7”, he’s long and super athletic and he uses that to play above the rim, rebound and guard multiple positions. He has a budding skill set that he’s shown improvement in so far, and as he continues to improve he has a chance to be very good moving forward.
Jahnathan LaMothe | 6’4” PG | Team Durant
It was my first time getting to see Lamothe who has quickly established himself as one of the top guards in the Baltimore area and he showed why with his ability to play both guard positions and make others on the team better. He has great feel and vision with the ball in his hands, he can change pace and get in the lane well and he’s very strong and uses it to his advantage on both ends of the floor. His mix of physical tools and playmaking ability makes him very effective in a number of ways.
Amani Hansberry Amani Hansberry 6'7" | C Mount St. Joseph | 2023 State #52 Nation MD | 6’8” C | Team Durant
Hansberry has shown over the past few years he’s one of the best young prospects in the DMV, and he’s starting to see his offer list pile up. He’s a strong big man who can play inside-out, he has great touch in the paint with good hands and feet and he is a good defender in the paint as well. He can muscle other bigs in the paint and is a mismatch with his skill set and athleticism as well.
Kwame Evans | 6’9” PF | Team Durant
Widely considered one of the top prospects in the country in the 2023 class, Evans is a long 6’9” forward that has perimeter skills and is a mismatch nightmare. At his size it’s impressive how he can put it on the deck whether it’s bringing the ball up the floor or creating in the half court, and he’s a knock down shooter from deep who can shoot over people with his size. He showed a good competitive streak and the ability to take over games with his elite scoring ability.
Khali Horton | 6’8” PF | Wildcats Select
Horton was fantastic for a talented Wildcats Select team, as the 6’8” forward showed great stretch ability and takeover ability when his team needed him to as well. He’s a long and athletic forward that can guard multiple positions, play above the rim and rebound in traffic and he played with a lot of energy throughout the game I watched. He showed he can really shoot it from deep, and he came up big for them time and time again when they needed him to.
Darryn Pederson | 6’4” CG | Wildcats Select
While there were 5 top 5 players in attendance in either the 2022 or 2023 class, Pederson wowed quite a bit of the scouts in attendance as he was a 2025 playing two age groups up and was one of the best players on the floor against a talented Team Takeover group. With the Wildcats team struggling, the 6’4” eighth grader took over ball handling duties and started making plays for both himself and others. He plays with great poise and pace for his age, he can score it from multiple levels and he handled pressure well throughout the game. While it’s hard to project kids this young, Pederson already has good size at the guard position and the fact that he’s doing it playing against older guys is impressive.