3SSB Birmingham: 2023 Standouts (Part 1)

<p>After almost two full years, we finally were able to have an AAU live period with division one college coaches in attendance, the first one happened this past weekend with a four day live period ranging from July 7-11. I made the trip to Birmingham, AL where there were a number of events I attended including the Adidas 3SSB Session One and the Prep Hoops Circuit "The Platform."</p> <p>With so many talented players in one area for coaches to see, it will be tons of content coming out with standouts from both events.</p> <p>Here’s a look at part one of the 2023 prospects that stood out to me at the 3SSB Birmingham stop, looking at guys from Georgia, Minnesota and Ohio.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="820302" first="Kenric" last="Lanier"] | 6’3” WG | Atlanta Celtics</strong></p> <p>While I only got a chance to watch this Celtics group one time, Lanier brought it against a very good Team Loaded NC 16s group and was huge for them in their overtime win that they clawed back to get it done. While he’s a two guard, Lanier did show that he can put it on the deck and create for himself and others, he has a burner from deep with good range and he showed good toughness and a competitive chip as well. He’ll be one to keep an eye on in the next few years in the ATL area. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1049219" first="London" last="Johnson"] | 6’3” PG | GAME Elite</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/Johnson-London.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1236076" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/Johnson-London-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>Johnson was one of the most impressive prospects I watched in the 16U division at the 3SSB Gauntlet, and you know a kid is special when there’s high major head coaches watching him in person on a 16U team. Johnson is both smooth and dynamic, as he has good burst but is also able to change speeds, he has a tight handle to create space and get in the lane with the ball in his hands and he has good feel and vision to make others better too. He’s able to score it from all over the floor off the bounce too and he’s the next in a long line of talented Atlanta area point guards.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="962198" first="Taison" last="Chatman"] | 6’4” PG | D1 Minnesota 17U</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/Chatman-Tyson.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1236079" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/Chatman-Tyson-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>Chatman is the only guy who plays up on a very talented D1 MN group, and it’s easy to see why as he has a mix of skill and IQ that makes him able to impact the game in a number of ways with the ball in his hands. He has good size at the point guard position and he has a good handle to create space, he makes tough shots late in the shot clock and can catch and shoot from deep and he’s crafty in traffic and at the rim. He really knows how to play as he is able to make tough passes but often makes the easy pass instead, and he rarely makes mistakes or turns it over.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1223070" first="Patrick" last="Bath"] | 6’7” PF | D1 Minnesota</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/Bath-Patrick-1.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1236082" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/Bath-Patrick-1-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>Bath, who is Chatman’s teammate over at Totino Grace in Minnesota (coached by Prep Hoops CEO Nick Carroll, FYI), showed a lot of tools this weekend that should have division one schools coming very soon for him in the next few years. He has all the tools you love out of a stretch four as he’s big and strong, he has good mobility both end-to-end and laterally and he has good touch both inside and out to the three-point line. He’s likely still growing into his body and has room to get better on both ends, and as he continues to improve it will be interesting to see what he can develop into.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="867934" first="Gabe" last="Cupps"] | 6’1” PG | Midwest Basketball Club 17U</strong></p> <p>Cupps absolutely stole the show in day one as he went for 27 points on 11-for-14 shooting, and while he didn’t continue that kind of scoring throughout the event he was one of the top 2023 guards in attendance. He’s far from the biggest or most athletic guy on the court but he commands the game and runs a team so well with his mix of IQ, feel and skillset on the basketball. He’s shifty off the bounce with a tight handle, he can create space and is a threat to score from anywhere and he makes great reads and puts his teammates in positions to succeed.</p> <p><strong>Reed Sheppard | 6’2” WG | Midwest Basketball Club 17U</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/Sheppard-Reed.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1236085" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/Sheppard-Reed-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>While Cupps stole the show the first day, it was Sheppard who stole it on day two when he went for 26 and hit 6 triples against New World, prompting Kentucky to offer the local star. An absolute killer, Sheppard is one of those scorers that is in range as soon as he comes across half court, he has a quick release and supreme confidence in his ability to shoot it and he can put it on the deck and create space late in the shot clock. He has a swagger and moxxy about him that’s almost impossible to hate and when he gets it going he’s almost impossible to stop.</p> <p><strong>Jacob Meyer | 6’2” PG | Midwest Basketball Club</strong></p> <p>While the 17U group was doing their thing, Meyer was filling it up for the 16U group in their game I watched against Team Loaded VA and will be a welcome addition next year to those two. A smooth lefty that got wherever he wanted on the court, he showed the ability to finish over bigger guys consistently and he shot it well from deep both off the catch and off the bounce. It will be interesting to see how he is with other guys as talented as him but he showed he can absolutely score the basketball in bunches.</p>