Buford-Habersham Central: Standouts

<p><strong>Buford-Habersham Central: Standouts</strong></p> <p><strong>2023 6-7 F [player_tooltip player_id="709232" first="Osmar" last="Garcia Araujo"] – Habersham Central</strong></p> <p>In from Riviera Prep, FL, the midseason transfer brings Habersham Central to another level. Ranked 163^rd nationally, Garcia is an interesting prospect. What sticks out first is his physical frame. He’s a burly 6-6/6-7 with a mature body. I quickly got a dose of what Osmar brings to the table. He’s a highly skilled point-forward that can play 1-5. Against Buford’s vaunted press, Garcia emerged as a primary ball handler as he used his strength to keep defenders at bay when advancing the ball up the floor. He has very good vision and delivers bullet passes. Garcia implements ball fakes before finding the open man. He can create off the dribble and dump off assists in the process. While he handles the ball very well for his size and can play point guard, Osmar’s offense comes in the paint. He seals hard and does a great job of finishing through contact. Once he gets a defender on his back, he knows how to score with spin moves, hook shots and raw power. The one potential knock on the junior is that he seemingly plays below the rim, not as bouncy as others, but his effectiveness and knowledge of how to use his body helps negate any detractions. Garcia is a strong rebounder that grabs and goes, igniting his own fast breaks and finishing coast-to-coast. Osmar isn’t a huge shot blocker, but he can alter shots around the rim and uses his bulk to body up opposing posts to keep them from scoring. Garcia posted 15 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 block in his GHSA debut. Only a junior, Osmar Garcia-Araujo is a major game changer in Class 6A. With his skill level and strength, D-I schools should have him on their radar. D-II North Georgia was first to see him on Friday.</p> <p><strong>2023 5-11 CG [player_tooltip player_id="1060263" first="Landon" last="Suarez"] – Habersham Central</strong></p> <p>Another move-in from Florida, Suarez provides outside shooting. He has a funky shot with a sling-shot release, but when left open, Suarez makes defenses pay. He hit a pair of threes and finished with 10 points. Landon has a little wiggle to the basket and can pull-up from the mid-range. He’s more of an off-ball guard but can help handle vs. pressure.</p> <p><strong>2023 6-3 W [player_tooltip player_id="1363541" first="Bryce" last="Pittman"] – Habersham Central</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1363541" first="Bryce" last="Pittman"] brings important energy and athleticism to Habersham Central. He’s got a strong body and serves as a jack-of-all-trades for Coach Mawdesley. Pittman helps out on the glass, can guard multiple spots and of course can score around the rim when getting downhill. He had 10 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. Pittman is a solid player that has a chance to pop up on college radars his senior season.</p> <p><strong>2022 5-11 PG [player_tooltip player_id="1133904" first="Malachi" last="Dooley"] – Habersham Central</strong></p> <p>The senior leader has taken a backseat in scoring, not quite matching his 20-point-per-game average from last season and instead making sacrifices for the betterment of the team. Dooley can be an explosive scorer when he pairs his outside shooting with his driving ability. He got most of his offense on slashes to the rim on Friday and finished with 10 points. Dooley has good body control in the air and can score with either hand.  Malachi set the table for his teammates, creating for others as he recorded 5 assists to go with his 3 steals. Dooley is a very good option for smaller schools. Piedmont, Sewanee, Toccoa Falls and Lakes CC have offered. His three-level scoring, facilitating and leaping give him nice upside in college.</p> <p><strong>2022 6-6 W [player_tooltip player_id="1043321" first="Mekhi" last="Mawdesley"] – Habersham Central</strong></p> <p>No one gets hotter in the blink of an eye than recent Reinhardt-commit [player_tooltip player_id="1043321" first="Mekhi" last="Mawdesley"]. The long and lanky shooter came on strong after scoring three points in the first half, pouring in 11 in the fourth quarter to finish with a team-high 18 points. Mawdesley is a marksman from the three-point line. Hard closeouts are dangerous as Mekhi has a knack for kicking out his legs and flailing to draw fouls, something he did down the stretch in the fourth quarter to frustrate Buford defenders. Mawdesley has improved his athleticism over the past 12 months and can play above the rim with ease now. As he gets stronger and stronger, expect Mekhi to add even more dimensions to his game.</p> <p><strong>2024 5-10 G [player_tooltip player_id="1055502" first="Brannon" last="Gaines"] – Habersham Central</strong></p> <p>The pink-haired lefty plays with confidence. He’s got a smooth game off the bounce. Gaines did a nice job getting into the paint for floaters and short pull-ups. He has a very bright future as a crafty scorer and opportunistic defender.</p> <p><strong>2022 6-3 SG [player_tooltip player_id="1223215" first="Alahn" last="Sumler"] – Buford</strong></p> <p>Mr. Consistent came through for Buford, posting 19 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal. Alahn hit a pair of threes and had great footwork in the paint, scoring on step throughs, playing off two feet and hitting turnaround jumpers out of the post. Sumler is steady as a rock offensively, able to beat defenses from all three levels. His ability to contribute aside from just scoring has really risen his stock. Sumler should be high on D-II wish lists.</p> <p><strong>2022 6-7 W [player_tooltip player_id="810386" first="Jaylon" last="Taylor"] – Buford</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="810386" first="Jaylon" last="Taylor"] scored six of his 17 points in the fourth quarter to go along with 6 rebounds, 1 assist and 3 steals. Taylor had his mid-range game working, getting to his spots and hitting tough contested jumpers. His length helped him shoot over top of the defense, his toughest shot a turnaround jumper from 15-feet. Taylor spent time defending 5-foot-11 [player_tooltip player_id="1133904" first="Malachi" last="Dooley"], showcasing his defensive versatility. Jaylon is a toolsy swingman that has a lot of potential. He holds a Jacksonville State offer and received an offer in 2020 from UAB.</p> <p><strong>2023 5-11 PG [player_tooltip player_id="820269" first="Malachi" last="Brown"] – Buford</strong></p> <p>In a battle of the two best point guards named Malachi in Georgia, Brown tallied 13 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists and 2 steals. He got off to a hot start with seven points in the first quarter, scoring on acrobatic drives and sinking a three. Brown is a heady playmaker that efficiently orchestrates fastbreaks. He knows where his teammates’ sweet spots are and still manages to find points for himself when need be.</p> <p><strong>2023 6-5 PF [player_tooltip player_id="820320" first="London" last="Williams"] – Buford</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="820320" first="London" last="Williams"] hurt his ankle in the third quarter and didn’t play a big factor after, but when healthy he chipped in 8 points and 6 rebounds. Williams is a physical post presence that gets on the offensive glass. He scored on two putbacks and had a nice spin move into a hook shot. Williams doesn’t need plays called for him to be effective but when the Wolves do throw the ball inside, Williams has enough in his arsenal to find points around the rim. He can power through his man with a drop step and score through contact.</p>