Friday in Atlanta – Ramsey’s Notebook

<p>It was another day full of hoops down in Atlanta and the surrounding area on Friday. I’ve been burning up the road making it to all three events today to provide the best wall-to-wall coverage possible. Friday began at the Georgia World Congress Center for NY2LA Best of the South, then went to the Cobb Galleria Center for a quick afternoon stop at Prep Hoops Live Atlanta, before ultimately finishing at Woodlan High School for UAA/UA Rise Session III. Let’s run through some of the games, top performers, and more from my Friday in Atlanta.</p> <h2>Dramatic Comeback for 94 Feet Elite 16u</h2> <p>The morning got off with a bang for those who joined the 8:00 a.m. crew on Friday morning at the Best of the South. This game was all Tennessee Blazers early on. They built a 15-point lead as Tanner Kirk (McNairy Central H.S. 2024) and [player_tooltip player_id="1382741" first="Ace" last="Mahaffey"] (Dyersburg H.S. 2024) were scoring the ball at will. 94 Feet Elite still trailed by double figures with eight minutes to play in the game. However, that is when the fortunes started to turn.</p> <p>5’9" point guard [player_tooltip player_id="1158207" first="Lamontae" last="Cross"] (Bowman Academy 2024) started getting to the basket and scored on three straight possessions to cut into the lead. Then, it was Jerimya Sims (Gary 21st Century 2024) who continued to chip away and put some serious game pressure on the Blazers. A steal and layup with under a minute to go gave 94 Feet their first lead which grew to three points after a couple of free throws. The drama wasn’t done yet though.</p> <p>Blazers sharp-shooter [player_tooltip player_id="1382741" first="Ace" last="Mahaffey"] nailed a 35-foot three-pointer as time expired to send the game into overtime. However, 94 Feet took control during the two minute period and escaped with an 87-81 victory. Jermiya Sims led the way with 25 points in the game while [player_tooltip player_id="1158207" first="Lamontae" last="Cross"] added 21 points.</p> <h2>[player_tooltip player_id="1295363" first="Evan" last="Haywood"] Goes Off</h2> <p>On Thursday night it was Cam Casky (Pike H.S. 2024) who went for 26 points to help lead Progeny Blue 16u to victory. On Friday morning, it was [player_tooltip player_id="1295363" first="Evan" last="Haywood"]’s (Brebeuf Jesuit 2024) turn. The 6’3" guard scored 30 points in the contest as Progeny cruised to an easy 61-40 win over SR1 All-Stars.</p> <h2>Kyle Guy 17’s Feature Balanced Scoring Attacks</h2> <p>Both the Kyle Guy Elite 17u Black and Kyle Guy Elite 17u White squads won on Friday afternoon featuring several scorers in double-figures. Kyle Guy White cruised to a 71-42 victory over the Smyrna Stars on the back of 14 points from [player_tooltip player_id="868264" first="Drew" last="Cook"] (Northview H.S. 2023), 12 from [player_tooltip player_id="1226596" first="Cade" last="Brenner"] (NorthWood H.S. 2023), 11 from [player_tooltip player_id="935736" first="Logan" last="Webb"] (Linton-Stockton H.S. 2023), and 10 from [player_tooltip player_id="1295339" first="Logan" last="Reinhart"] (Carmel H.S. 2023).</p> <p>As for Kyle Guy Black, their game was much more competitive but they still came away with a 52-45 win against a talented No Guts No Glory squad. [player_tooltip player_id="1049171" first="Dylan" last="Moles"] (Greenfield-Central H.S. 2023) led the team with 15 points while [player_tooltip player_id="1049165" first="Jacob" last="Cherry"] (Eastern Pekin H.S. 2024) added 14 points and [player_tooltip player_id="868230" first="Preston" last="Roberts"] (Noblesville H.S. 2023) chipped in 11 points.</p> <h2>George Hill All Indy 17u Rolls On</h2> <p>It isn’t really hyperbole to consider George Hill All Indy one of the most talented teams in the country at this point. Led by 5-star [player_tooltip player_id="868219" first="Xavier" last="Booker"] (Cathedral H.S. 2023) this group is absolutely loaded and has been imposing their will on opponents at The Best of the South. On Friday afternoon they rolled past G1 17u by the score of 57-30.</p> <p>In front of a contingent of assistant coaches from the likes of Kansas, Oregon, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio, and Purdue, Booker scored a team-leading 13 points in the blowout victory. Under recruited point going guard [player_tooltip player_id="868243" first="Keyon" last="Garrett-Miller"] (Southport H.S. 2023) was excellent in the second half finishing with 11 points and [player_tooltip player_id="868259" first="Joey" last="Brown"] (North Central H.S. 2023) provided the spark in the first half also scoring 11 points.</p> <h2>Notes From Prep Hoops Live Atlanta</h2> <p>On Friday afternoon I made the quick trip over to the Cobb Galleria Center to catch EG10 16u and EG10 17u, but also was able to get eyes on a few additional prospects. Let’s run through some of what I saw at this event.</p> <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="1391283" first="Ahmere" last="Carson"] (Anderson H.S. 2023) was doing what he does best from the tip. The 6’2" left-handed guard was scoring the basketball offensively, stealing it defensively, and mixed in a couple of beautiful assists. Carson finished with 26 points but EG10 17u fell to P.L.U.T.O Prospects 66-62.</li> <li>5’10" point guard [player_tooltip player_id="1049176" first="Devon" last="Woods"] (Pike H.S. 2023) and 6’5" forward [player_tooltip player_id="1273740" first="Shaun" last="Arnold"] (Ben Davis H.S. 2023) were also bright spots in the loss for EG10 17u.</li> <li>Speaking of prospects showcasing their best skills, 6’5" guard [player_tooltip player_id="1215287" first="Jake" last="Fiegen"] (New Trier H.S. 2023) had his shooting ability on full display for Full Package Black. His physicality helps him finish at the rim off of the dribble and in the rebounding department as well.</li> <li>I had the chance to see him for the first time out at our Prep Hoops event in Kansas City, but 6’7" forward [player_tooltip player_id="1159181" first="Trey’Dez" last="Green"] (East Feliciana H.S. 2024) out of Louisiana has become one of my favorites to watch. Also a Top 100 football prospect, Green lives above the rim on both ends of the floor. He is always involved in the action. The LA Broncos are one of the best teams, especially in the 2024 class, at Prep Hoops Live Atlanta.</li> <li>6’7" forward [player_tooltip player_id="1285495" first="Malcolm" last="Morris"] (Urbana H.S. 2024) was one that stood out for EG10 16u on Friday afternoon. The big body forward is a very good rebounder, physical on the block, and has a nice touch around the basket. Was very active on both ends of the floor against the talented front court of the LA Broncos. </li> </ul>