Southern Jamfest Day 1 Standouts

It’s that time of year that we all wait for in the state of VA, as the top independent AAU tournament on the east coast came back to Hampton. The Hoop Group Southern Jamfest features some of the top shoe company and independent teams in the country, and is loaded with talent throughout the field. Here’s a look at some of the day 1 standouts. [player_tooltip player_id="1403958" first="Timayahs" last="Bracey"] | 5’11” CG | VA Havoc 17U <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/05/Bracey-Timayahs.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1455585" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/05/Bracey-Timayahs-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> Bracey was fantastic for Havoc as they pulled the biggest upset of day one beating Boo Williams EYBL convincingly in their opening round matchup. The 5’11” combo did what he does best as he shot the basketball well from deep hitting 5 three-pointers, he showed improvement in his handle and ability to get in the lane and make shots and plays in the midrange and he showed good feel on both ends of the floor. Curtis Blair | 6’5” WF | VA Havoc 17U <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/05/Blair-Curtis-Havoc.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1455586" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/05/Blair-Curtis-Havoc-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> What a revenge game it was for Blair who started the season for Boo Williams and ended up moving to Havoc where he met up with Boo and helped pull the upset scoring 12 of his 14 points in the second half and showing off an array of shot making ability. He showed his ability to get to spots with one-to-two dribble pull-ups and knock it down, he showed he can catch and shoot from deep consistently and he came up big for them when he needed him to. [player_tooltip player_id="1231822" first="Leland" last="Coleman"] | 6’6’” WF | Team Richmond 17U <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/05/Coleman-Leland.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1455587" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/05/Coleman-Leland-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> Coleman is off to a great start here at Southern where a lot of independent players are able to show off their abilities to play against the best and win their come from behind win over Crusader Nation he did just that scoring 19 points and gettin gate go ahead tip in. He played with good energy on both ends of the floor, he showed he can score it in different ways and he was great down the stretch for them. Tucker Shiflett | 6’0” PG | Team Richmond 17U <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/05/Shifflett-Tanner.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1455589" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/05/Shifflett-Tanner-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> Shiflett is one of the guys I didn’t know much about with Team Richmond when I watched them, but he was really good and very steady for them on the basketball. He got them into sets and made good decisions with the ball, he showed he can score it from deep and in the midrange off the bounce and he was scrappy and made plays on both ends of the floor. Michael Ojo | 6’7” F | BWSL Gold 17U <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/05/Ojo-Michael.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1455590" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/05/Ojo-Michael-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> Ojo may be the top late bloomer in the 757, as he possesses great skill for his size to go along with athleticism and a lot of room to continue to develop moving forward. At 6’7” he has great ball skills on the perimeter as he can put it on the deck and get to spots or attack the rim and finish above the rim, he can score from multiple levels and he has good switch ability and shot blocking ability defensively. Sam Brannen | 5’11” PG | BWSL Gold 17U Brannen continues to play well after a very good junior season at King’s Fork and shows that he may be one of the most underrated prospects in the 757. He’s a very cerebral and skilled guard that plays with great pace and makes good decisions, he can create space and knock down shots consistently from multiple levels and finds his way to the free throw line often. Jaylen Curry | 6’3” PG | Boo Williams EYBL 17U Curry is arguably one of the most talented guards in attendance, and he put that display on scoring 21 points in their loss to Havoc showing his elite athleticism and ability to create off the bounce. He has great speed in the open floor and knows how to get to the rim, he can rise up and make shots over smaller defenders and he simply makes plays others can’t even think about.