The River City Basketball Classic : Day 2 Notebook

<p style="text-align: left;">Day two of the inaugural event at the River City Basketball Classic was quite eventful. The amount of talent under one roof was exceptional, to say the least; I had front-row seats to indulge in the match-ups from numerous teams from the southeast. It was a pure joy to watch.</p> <p>Scores for the day are as follows:</p> <p>Game 1:</p> <p>Westminster Academy 66</p> <p>Fletcher 62</p> <p>Game 3:</p> <p><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Augusta Christian (GA) 51</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Alonso 49</span></p> <p>Game 4:</p> <p>Word of God (NC) 90</p> <p>Potter’s House 57</p> <p>Game 5:</p> <p>North Broward Prep 72</p> <p>McEachern (GA) 35</p> <p><strong><em>Top Performers</em></strong></p> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">[player_tooltip player_id="1060261" first="Guilherme" last="Tesch"] l 6-8 F l North Broward Prep</span></p> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Tesch was effective on both days of the showcase. The ability to stretch the floor is a plus; Tesch has volleyball line range from the perimeter. He was a consistent perimeter threat, not afraid to attack the basket and finish through traffic. Finished with 22 points on the day and 20.5 overall over the two days. Tesch is an underrated 2023 prospect. </span></p> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">[player_tooltip player_id="709227" first="Jaylen" last="Carey"] l 6-8 F l Westminster Academy</span></p> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Carey’s performance on the day was solid on both ends. His performance could’ve gone unnoticed due to [player_tooltip player_id="1301705" first="Alexander" last="Lloyd"] averaging 34 pts throughout the weekend. Carey was a menace on the inside. He was a tough match-up for Fletcher to handle as they were undersized compared to Westminster Academy. Carey continued to be a driving force as teams doubled him constantly. He has a good sense of making a play out of the post. Carey showed patience and vision. Willing to make the extra pass and displayed good body language. I like the contributions and versatility of Ricky Ballard as well. Great team player.</span></p> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true"><strong>Gustavo Mendez</strong> l 5-11 G l Alonso</span></p> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Mendez was huge in the big comeback by Alonso. They were down by as much as 20 in the second half. Alonso managed to come back to take the lead late in the fourth before losing by 2. Mendez was working hard on both ends of the court. He seemed to be a ball magnet on the defensive side. There were plenty of deflections and steals caused by Mendez and Jasen Stovall. A few finishes to make one jump out of his seat. He is a nice solid piece to go along with [player_tooltip player_id="1065438" first="Trent" last="Scott"].  </span></p> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true"><strong>Luke Wilson</strong> l 6-9 F l Augusta Christian (GA)</span></p> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">His rim protection and soft touch around the basket were on full display. Wilson was impactful for Augusta Christian. When Wilson was out, Alonso made runs, it was just that evident. When he was in, he provided rim protection and rebounding. Wilson altered a significant amount of shots on the inside as well. Wilson has a college-ready frame standing at a solid 6’9, 240 lbs. Keep an eye out for this 2023 prospect. An excellent piece to pair with Elijah Crawford (2024); Crawford showed flashes of taking over a game. </span></p> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true"><strong>Braden Sparks</strong> l 6-1 G l McEachern (GA)</span></p> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">The squad struggled offensively on the night overall. Sparks seemed to be the only spark of life for the Indians. There is some undeniable talent on the team overall. Sparks hit a few shots from the perimeter as he seemed to be the only one to get his shot off with ease from outside the arc. Sparks worked for his 13 points but led McEachern in scoring. Watch out for his teammate, Airious Bailey. Bailey had a broken thumb. He showed heart playing through it even in a soft cast. Bailey is as athletic as they come; Good potential. </span></p> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">[player_tooltip player_id="1163154" first="Christian" last="Richardson"] l 7-1 C l Potter’s House</span></p> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Richardson has made strides over the past year. It is starting to show on the court. Still a project in the making, he is going in the right direction. He was rebounding everything and contesting shot after shot. His confidence is growing along with his role on the team. Richardson led the team in scoring with 10 pts on the day. Could be a steal for the right program on the next level. </span></p> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true"><strong>PoBoigh King</strong> l 6-4 G l Word of God (NC)</span></p> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">King has a solid game as an off-ball guard. He shoots at a high clip on the perimeter. It is a great one-two punch to handle with King and Dilione running the backcourt. King hit big shot after big shot throughout the weekend. When the lights were on, he showed up big for his team. King is consistent in his play. Not afraid to shoot the ball from the volleyball line. It is hand down man down with him. </span></p> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">[player_tooltip player_id="956783" first="Lajae" last="Jones"] l 6-6 G l Fletcher</span></p> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Fletcher had consistency with Jones, [player_tooltip player_id="829423" first="Seth" last="Allen"], and [player_tooltip player_id="1164281" first="Juan" last="Bruce"] on the day. Those three combined for 50 of the 62 points for Fletcher. Jones didn’t shy away from the competition at all. When the team needed a basket down the stretch, Jones got to his spots with ease to provide a score. He is a match-up nightmare for most squads with his athleticism, length, and skill on both sides of the basketball. Jones is a versatile player that can play multiple positions; A legit point forward. **Cover Photo Athlete**</span></p> <p><strong><em><span data-preserver-spaces="true">For any North Florida Prep Hoops news or information, contact Mark Holland on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/mark__holland">https://twitter.com/mark__holland</a></span></em></strong></p>