Airline Team Camp Evening Standouts

<p>Airline hosted the first of their June, one day team camps with a litter of north Louisiana teams and talent.  Peabody, Evangel, Airline, and Franklin Parish were among the schools who participated in the morning session of the camp while the afternoon/evening saw the likes of Ouachita, Lakeview, Parkway, and Captain Shreve grace the Airline gym.  A host of talented guards ruled the evening session with some great individual efforts.  In this team camp review, we will take a look at players who played well on Tuesday evening.  </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1347467" first="Brandon" last="Henderson"] (Woodlawn-Shreveport - 6’0" - 2025)</strong></p> <p>Henderson impressed over the weekend during the Mud Bug Hoopfest.  This evening, he came out and did the same thing against a challenging Lakeview squad.  He is dazzling in the open floor and always has his head up looking to make the pass ahead to an open teammate.  His willingness to take contact on drives shows his toughness.  He is one of the top talents at the lead guard position in his class.  </p> <p><strong>E-Jayden McDonald (Captain Shreve - 5’6" - 2026)</strong></p> <p>The Gator guard will be entering the Swamp this coming season and is already showing maturity beyond his years.  He is as quick as a hiccup changing ends with the ball in his hands and he already has a feel for how to run the point.  McDonald did an excellent job during the JV contest taking contact and finishing at the glass.  He is a player with a high basketball IQ and will be a freshman to watch this season. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1347460" first="Marcus" last="Lofton"] (Captain Shreve - 5’9" - 2025)</strong></p> <p>Lofton showed what he was capable of in limited minutes on the floor against Lakeview tonight.  He showed his ability to handle the ball and how he uses the dribble to get by would-be defenders.  Once in the lane, he scored a bucket while taking contact within four feet of the goal on one possession and drained a jumper right inside of the paint on another.  He is a smart and crafty guard who gets the job done.  </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1213566" first="Dillon" last="Pikes"] (Lakeview - 6’1" - 2023)</strong></p> <p>I do not think there was a guard in the building who played any harder than [player_tooltip player_id="1213566" first="Dillon" last="Pikes"] during the Gators three games at Airline.  Pikes is masterful at creating turnovers.  His quick hands allow him to get a hand on the ball consistently.  Even when he is beaten, he finds a way to poke the rock out.  Pikes is also good at driving to the cup and rebounding.  He may be small but he plays like he is 6’10" the way he rebounds and takes hits.  Pikes displayed every ounce of his toughness during the evening at Airline.  </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1213600" first="Jamil" last="Brooks"] (Woodlawn-Shreveport - 6’2" - 2023)</strong></p> <p>Brooks put on a mini dunkfest during game play with the Knights during the evening session. He finished in pirouette, elevated and finished above the rim on one possession and caught a dunk putback minutes later.  He is the Knights primary post option and was stout in the post as well finishing with his left hand repeatedly.  Brooks played rim protector as well showing his vertical and denying several shots at the rim.  He has definitely grown as a player and showed it Tuesday evening.  </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1330583" first="Zion" last="Weeks"] (Ouachita - 5’11" - 2025)</strong></p> <p>Weeks showed that he is a guard who can do it all when he is on the floor.  In the Lions loss to Lakeview, Weeks was one of the catalysts that helped the Lions cause turnover after turnover against the Gators.  Weeks is a guard who dove on the floor for loose balls, secure rebounds on the defensive and offensive glass, and scored around the bucket when given the opportunity.  His team may not have been happy with the outcome but his play was definitely a bright spot.  </p> <p><strong>Jeremiah Smith (Parkway - 6’3" - 2024)</strong></p> <p>Smith and the Panthers did not have much luck earlier playing Woodlawn.  However, he made up for it with his play against BTW-Shreveport.  Smith was solid from the arc making three triples during the contest,  Smith added a breakaway dunk and layup to go along with his shooting.  He is a long and lanky, athlete who is beginning to figure things out at varsity speed.  His evening at Parkway may be only the tip of the iceberg.  Smith has a big upside and gave us a peak of it on Tuesday.  </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1105592" first="Collosians" last="Mason-Jones"] (BTW-Shreveport - 5’9" - 2024)</strong></p> <p>CJ Mason-Jones has been patient and biding his time to play the point guard for the Lions.  He displayed what he can do on Tuesday evening by leading the Lions to a 49-46 victory over Parkway.  Early in the second half, his ability to score from the mid-range and behind the arc helped BTW push a lead to seven which they never let go.  He has great elevation on his jumper and can make it anytime.  Mason-Jones may be just what the doctor ordered for BTW at the point. </p> <p>Guards are what north Louisiana teams are known for and today was an example that they have plenty of them.  The small point guards are playing with a tone of confidence and making teams pay for leaving them open.  These standouts from the first day of Airline’s weekly team camps will be pillars for their teams as the months and days move on.  Looks like we are headed for an exciting June.  </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <!-- wp:paragraph --><!-- /wp:paragraph -->