Southern Jamfest Standouts

Hoop Group Southern Jamfest took place a few weekends ago at Boo Williams and the Virginia Beach Sportscenter, and as always it was one of the most talent filled events in the country. The field included shoe company teams from all three major circuits from all over the east coast, as well as some of the top independent teams in the country as well.   Here's a look at some of the standouts from the NY and NJ teams in attendance.   [player_tooltip player_id='1195555' first='Ian' last='Jackson'] | 6'6” PG | NY Wiz Kids 17U   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Jackson-Ian.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Jackson-Ian.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1973985" /></a></figure>   Jackson is widely considered one of if not the best guard in the 2024 class in the country, and the UNC commit showed that as he had some of the best performances when his team needed him to. In their quarterfinal matchup against Garner Road he went for 39 points showing his ability to score it from all three levels with his creativity off the bounce, he shot the ball well from deep even with a hand in his face and when he gets downhill he's a fantastic finisher in traffic with his size and athleticism to go along with his body control.   [player_tooltip player_id='1199070' first='Elijah' last='Moore'] | 6'6” WG | NY Wiz Kids 17U   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/07/Moore-Elijah.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/07/Moore-Elijah.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1508414" /></a></figure>   Moore and Jackson are considered by some as the top backcourt in all of grassroots basketball, as they are both committed to ACC schools and they compliment each other very well. Moore will head to Syracuse after his senior season and is one of the top shooters in the country which he showed by hitting a remarkable amount of threes in his time in Hampton, he showed the ability to create space off the bounce and work to get open when he's off the ball, he has effortless range and is consistent from deep and he can attack closeouts and score it in different ways when he needs to.   [player_tooltip player_id='1050395' first='Deuce' last='Jones'] | 6'3” PG | Shoreshots Rio 17U   Jones is the straw that stirs the drink for a talented Rio team, and while he's a dynamic scorer that isn't the only thing he does as he makes winning plays on both ends of the floor. He's a true floor general with good size that can get downhill and works the pick-and-roll well to make plays for others, he can score it in the midrange and around the rim when he gets downhill and he is a good on ball defender that sets the tone on both ends of the floor.   Jamir McNeal | 6'0” PG | Shoreshots Rio 16U   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/Jamir-McNeal.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/Jamir-McNeal.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1150142" /></a></figure>   McNeeal is the catalyst for the Rio 16s team that went on a run to the championship before losing to DC Premier, and it's hard to not like him as he has a lot of toughness and winning attributes to his game. He's a hard nosed defender who picks up the length of the floor and jumps passing lanes off the ball, he is quick and shifty off the bounce and is able to touch the paint to make plays for others and he hits tough shots from multiple levels and hit clutch shots in big games for them.   [player_tooltip player_id='1595674' first='Aiden' last='Derkack'] | 6'6” WF | Shoreshots Rio 16U '26   Derkack may just be a freshman but he showed over the weekend while playing up that he's going to be a very talented prospect to keep an eye on in the mid-atlantic region. At 6'6” he already has good size and should fill out much like his brother who plays at Merrimack, he moves well and is a fluid athlete, he works to get open and knocks down shots on the move and he can put it on the deck where he's a good finisher through traffic too.   Jaron McKie | 6'2” CG | NJ Scholars 16U   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/Jaron-Mckie-2025-3-2.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/Jaron-Mckie-2025-3-2.jpg?w=692" alt="" class="wp-image-1704682" /></a></figure>   The son of former 76ers star Aaron McKie, Jaron had a great showing for a talented young Scholars team that is chock full of division one talent moving forward. The 6'2” combo guard has a knack for scoring the basketball as he can get to spots off the bounce and gets good elevation to knock down the pull-up, he can work off the ball where he can shoot from deep and he touches the paint and makes plays for others as well.

Hoop Group Southern Jamfest took place a few weekends ago at Boo Williams and the Virginia Beach Sportscenter, and as always it was one of the most talent filled events in the country. The field included shoe company teams from all three major circuits from all over the east coast, as well as some of the top independent teams in the country as well.