NYBA Southeast Showdown Standouts
June has typically been a month teams take off, rest, and prepare for July. Older teams wait for their players to finish up with school ball, but more younger teams are looking for places to play, and one of the…
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Continue ReadingJune has typically been a month teams take off, rest, and prepare for July. Older teams wait for their players to finish up with school ball, but more younger teams are looking for places to play, and one of the fastest-growing events, picking up where they left off pre-covid, in the month of June is the Southeast Showdown. Here are some of the top performers that caught my eye.
Bryson Dials / 5’6 / Point Guard / On-Point Ballers 2027 / Martin County School (Inez,KY)
Instagram: Bryson_dials
I knew that Bryson had game when I watched him warm-up; well, let me just say I knew he had swag. This was my first time seeing Bryson in action. I was excited about watching him play from the confidence that exuded from him. Well, I was a little disappointed the 1st half, and I can hear some of you now wondering why is he in this standout article. Well, what happened during half-time changed the rest of the tourney for B, and what I thought I was about to see, he began showing me. At the half, after a subpar performance, a lady, whom I later found out was his mom, came over to the bench, said some ‘encouraging’ words in his ear, then kindly walked back to her seat on the other side of the court. I watched intently to see if B’s demeanor was going to change. To my surprise, it did not, but what did happen was a scoring machine was awakened. B put on a show by scoring at will and making it look easy while doing so.
Whether it was from a couple steps behind the arc or getting in the paint and converting, B. showed what was in the toolbox.
He has the handles, handles pressure when the ball is in his hands, has the court vision, drops dimes, makes tough shots, and is not afraid of making the tough plays. He has excellent shooting mechanics and touch from all levels and can flat-out score. As I sat down to write this article, I thought he was a 2027 kid as his team was playing in that division, but I just found out that B. is a 2028 kid. Needless to say, he was very impressive at the Southeast Showdown. Opportunities for Growth: This will come as he grows and hits certain life stages, but he has to get stronger. His handles have to get quicker. He has to continue to improve on moving without the ball, especially when teams begin face guarding and denying him the ball. B. has to understand that he has the potential to be the best player on the court at any given time. I saw at times that he did a lot of standing and watching instead of having the offense run through him and giving himself a chance to create for teammates and himself.
Mike-E David Holloway / 5’2 / Point Guard / NYBA 2028 / Blackman Middle
School (Murfreesboro, TN)
Instagram: mikeeholloway
Mike-E was a joy to watch. Let me just start off by saying that facilitating is the strength of his game. At a young age, he has an excellent understanding of the game. His decision-making is above his playing level. He can handle the rock in tight quarters and in the open floor, and he stayed in what we once called dribble triple threat. He showed that he can knock down the trey and create his shot off the bounce. He brought it on both ends of the court, and he often turned his defense into offense. He impacts the game in all facets, and he was a warrior, as he played the entire game that I saw, that even went into OT.
Mike-E has a crazy bounce to his game, and he is so comfortable handling the rock.
I liked how he has learned early how to kick the ball ahead, which requires eyes up, as his eyes were always up seeing the entire floor. In the championship game, he poured in 12 points in a losing effort, but one thing for sure is that this kid is not a loser. Opportunities for Growth: Has to continue to work on his outside shot as he needs to be more consistent from behind the arc. Continue to work on creating space off the dribble to get his shot off against bigger and stronger guards.
Deonte Jiles / 5’10 / Guard & Forward / GPSA 2028 / WJ Christian School (Birmingham AL)
Instagram: Etdjxo
Deonte’s height and length alone separated him at the Southeast Showdown. He has a thin frame but gets it done as scoring is the strength of his game. At the end of the day, he is an emerging prospect as long as he continues to work to improve his skills. At his age, I was thoroughly impressed by his ability to do so many things well on the court. His handles for his size were impressive; his willingness as a passer and his ability to score inside and out was a glimpse into his long-term upside.
He led his team to the championship at the Southeast Showdown with a game-high 15pts.
I had a chance to speak with Deonte’s coach at WJ Christian, Coach Michael Jordan, and he could not stop raving about Deonte. WJ has produced some talented players in the past, and it looks like Deonte is next. Opportunities for Growth: He has to get his body prepared for physical play as teams will try to shake him with rough play. I challenge Deonte to spend the rest of the off-season working on being consistent with his perimeter J. Set measurable and trackable goals. A goal to be an 80% shooter against air (when no one is guarding him).
Joel Wyatt / 6’2 / Forward / Team Tennessee Pride 2026 / The Webb School (Shelbyville TN)
Instagram: 2_joelwyatt
Joel, at times, was just too tall for his opponents. His length and wingspan helped him on the boards, and he got easy put-backs often throughout the weekend. I was impressed at how he defended at the top of the zone his team played, which was another place on the court that his length caused problems, this time for ball-handlers. On the offensive end, he is still developing, but the tools that he uses now are effective in his production.
He was productive inside and out.
When he was on the perimeter, his ability to use fewer dribbles to get to the rim was next level. As he continues to learn how to use his wingspan and legs, it will enhance his game. I am sure that J. has more growing to do, and his size, with his ball skills, will have many interested. Opportunities for Growth: I mentioned that J. played at the top of his team’s zone. As he learns to play the passing lanes a little better, he will be an even bigger problem on the defensive end. Continue to work on finishing around the rim with both hands. He can be more aggressive with his attacks and finishes at the rim. He seems to like the floater in the paint, so continued work with that is needed as well.
Jackson McCutcheon / 5’3 / Guard / Team Taft 2026 / JT Moore School (Nashville TN)
Instagram: N/A
Jackson is a fiery competitor with a lot of grit and heart. Saturday’s performance at the Southeast Showdown was average compared to what Jackson showed on Sunday. On Saturday, Jackson showed that he was a steady presence on the court. He has good hands, footwork and is a crafty young player. His hesitation dribble kept defenders off balance as he got in the paint often off the dribble. The noticeable thing about his game was that he never forced the action but chose his spots to attack. He waited for lanes to open up. Then attacked using angles that got him to the areas of the court where he could produce.
He has a balanced floor game in which he facilitates and scores the rock.
As I said, Saturday was an average day compared to Sunday. On Sunday, Jackson had a monster day. He came out ready to play and put on a show on the offensive end. He was scoring in various ways and had a lot of confidence while doing so. I loved the passion he showed on Sunday, and if he can play in that vein all the time, his game is going to continue to improve every time he hits the floor. Opportunities for Growth: Jackson has a slim build and needs to get stronger as he prepares to enter high school in another year. He has to work on his speed and quickness. It is a given that whatever level you are on, as you go to the next level, the game is always stronger and faster.
Lincoln Cosby / 6’2 / Guard / NYBA Elite 2027 / Mill Creek Middle School (Nolensville TN)
Instagram: lincoln_cosby
I have put ink on Lincoln before, and I think that it is time to provide an update. Let me start off by saying that his offensive game has improved, which is what you want to see when you see a player again after several months. On the offensive end, he is playing with a lot of confidence. His combination of size and shot-making ability from both inside and outside the arc was a separating factor when it came to his competitors at the Southeast Showdown. If you live anywhere in the southeast region and you are in the grassroots basketball arena, you have probably heard of this kid. If you are an adult and have not, your son or the players on your team may have heard of him. With that being said, I literally saw players come at him determined to prove that the chatter that surrounds Lincoln is all hype, but they found out quickly that he can back it up. As an emerging prospect, he can light it up from anywhere on the court.
His toolbox is growing, and he showed a nice turnaround J that he has been working on.
I like his poise and demeanor with the spotlight on him. I credit his dad and coaches for keeping him emotionally balanced. Lincoln is still developing, and I cannot wait to see him in another 6 months to a year to see the growth. On his way to leading his team to the championship, he dropped 21pts on OnPoint Ballers. Opportunities for Growth: I think I have said this in a previous article, but he has to continue to work on getting stronger. It was evident in this tourney; players will definitely try to be physical to rattle him. Continue to work on his speed and quickness. There was a moment when his coach was trying to set up an isolation play for him. Lincoln was looking over to the bench for the instructions. The ball got stolen and being the caliber playing that he is, that should never happen again. I hope that he has learned that using his ears and not his eyes is the best way to operate in those situations.
Elijah Isaiah Beck / 4’11 / Point Guard / Team Tae Elite 2027 / Bellevue Middle School (Nolensville TN)
Instagram: luh.yugin
Simply put, Elijah was one of the best shooters that I saw at the Southeast Showdown. Getting straight to the point is that he knocked down 4-3’s, finishing with 15pts in a losing effort against Clarksville Crossovers. However, he does not shy away from the moment as he made some big buckets keeping his team in striking distance. He is a skilled scoring guard and is developing at the PG spot.
He has the foundation to build upon, and he is in a program that will help make that happen.
Opportunities for Growth: Has to continue to work on his scoring arsenal. Until that growth spurt comes, he will be forced to score in more ways than from behind the arc, as teams will run him off the line and will put longer guards on him. Also, I want to see him learn how to probe defenses more for attacking lanes and opportunities. I saw several times that he hesitated when opportunities to create off the bounce opened up.
More standouts from the Southeast Showdown are coming.