Standouts From Battle 205
The inaugural Battle 205 event lived up to the hype, and I am already looking forward to next year’s event. Some amazing hoops was played over the three days, with teams from the Metro area taking on City school teams.…
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Continue ReadingThe inaugural Battle 205 event lived up to the hype, and I am already looking forward to next year’s event. Some amazing hoops was played over the three days, with teams from the Metro area taking on City school teams. In the end, the Metro captured the inaugural prize with 15 victories to the city’s 4 wins. The teams invited to participate gave fans three days of exciting basketball, so let’s dive into some of the standouts from these fantastic teams.
Kenneth ‘KJ’ Beck (6’2/Point Guard/2023)
School: John Carroll HS
Instagram: Kjbeckjr
Twitter: @kj10135205kj
One thing that you quickly notice about KJ is the impact that head coach Ronald Steele has on his game. Steele was an outstanding player during his high school days at John Carroll and collegiately, and for KJ to be able to learn from a talent that has been there and done that is a plus for KJ. KJ has a smooth game with a loaded arsenal of weapons at his disposal. He is the engine to the squad and will be one of the key factors, if not the key factor, to JC potentially getting to the BJCC. KJ was looking to push the rock in transition, putting a lot of pressure on Gadsden City’s transition defense.
He is a playmaker, whether in transition or in the half-court.
He is a very good on-ball defender as he made life tough for ball-handlers. His instincts on the defensive end of the court cannot go unnoticed as he knows how to play the passing lanes and has quick hands that lead to deflections and steals. He accumulated 6 steals in the match-up against Gadsden City. Look for his stock to continue to rise as he learns under the tutelage of Coach Steele.
Dasean Jameil Sellers (6’5/Shooting Guard/2023)
School: Wenonah HS
Instagram: dasean.sellers
Twitter: @dasean_sellers
Dasean just recently transferred to Wenonah from Jackson-Olin and has immediately made his presence felt and changed the Dragons’ trajectory. He might just be the missing piece Coach Lane needed to make a solid push to the BJCC. The team is still learning one another but give this team until the middle of January as Dasean gets acclimated to Coach Lane’s style of play, and the conversation around this team might be very different. Simply put, Dasean has added an element to the Dragons on the offensive end of the court that is a luxury to have.
He is a player that you can give the ball to and tell him to go make a play or go get us a bucket.
He can put the ball on the deck, shoot the rock, and is a volume scorer who thrives in iso situations. The door is wide open for Dasean to increase his stock in his new system. His size and length are a strength of his game, and he will be able to shoot over and post smaller guards while at the same time taking players with a similar size off the bounce. Don’t be surprised if my next evaluation on Dasean includes his emergence as the leader on this Dragon’s squad.
Dy’Lan Sawyer (6’3/Combo Guard/2022)
School: Gadsden City HS
Instagram: sg_dylan1
Twitter: @DYLAN_SAW1
The slim-framed combo guard got a lot of people’s attention as he made play after play after play. In a back and forth battle in the John Carroll match-up, Dy’Lan did not shy away from making tough plays to keep his team in step and in a position to get the win. Even though they fell short on the scoreboard, D. showed that he is a competitor.
He got it done at all levels but was very impressive with his long strides off the drive and finishing at the rim.
Even though he has a slim frame, he was rarely pushed off his line of attack. He is a volume shooter that his team looked to for offense. He can score in a variety of ways, and he kept defenders on their heels and had a knack for drawing fouls and getting to the line. Not sure how his recruitment is looking, but he could find himself on a college campus next year.
Anthony Johnson (6’4/Guard/2022)
School: Midfield HS
Instagram: PigGlizzy
Twitter: @Luhamp1
One of the most explosive players at the #BHMBATTLE205 was Anthony Johnson. His versatility and athleticism were on full display. This was my first time watching Midfield play this year since I had done a preview on the team during the pre-season. Coach Courtney Jones tried to put in words what AJ brings to the court, but his words did not do justice. AJ can absolutely go and is a beast on the offensive end of the court.
He has length that creates problems for defenses as he scores in numerous ways at all levels.
He has a variety of tools in his toolbox that he can choose from whenever defenders try to take away a particular portion of his game. AJ is an alpha scorer who has good ball-handling skills, an attack mentality, knows how to use his length to create high-quality looks, knows how to get to the line, and even rouses the fans with monster dunks in transition. He is a complete player who will find himself at the next level; the route he takes remains to be seen, but he will definitely be on someone’s campus next fall.
DeMarcus Williams (5’10/Combo Guard/2025)
School: Jackson-Olin
Instagram: demarcus_williamsbabylebron
Twitter: @MvpDemarcus12
Dwill is the youngest on my first article on standouts from Battle 205, but he earned this ink. After losing Dasean Sellers to Wenonah a few weeks ago, D has had to shift his game from being able to facilitate the offense to now having to increase his production of scoring the rock. Even though he is a freshman, he has a solid build, and when he gets going, he is like a boulder getting downhill. With having to do more offensively, look for D to be at his best for the Mustangs when he is in transition and in half-court action, and he is slashing to the rim to score. As aggressively as he attacks the rim, he has good body control once he gets near the rim.
D is having to grow up quickly with Sellers leaving, but it will benefit his game in the long run.
Asking a freshman to carry the team to the BJCC might be a long shot for the Mustangs, but with the confidence that D. plays with, I guarantee you his mindset is to try and do just that. As with all freshmen, his game has a lot of areas for growth, but to be playing the way he did in #BHMBATTLE205, he proved that he is one of the young players in the state that will be emerging as a high-level prospect.
Stay tuned…More is coming…