#RumbleInTheSouth Immediate Takeaways
The #RumbleInTheSouth was a loaded field of teams and talented players. Here are my immediate takeaways from the event… Price Foil (5’11/PG/’25/Central Hinds Academy ) IG: thepricefoil X: @Price_foil10 Price is a relentless competitor who plays extremely hard on both ends…
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Continue ReadingThe #RumbleInTheSouth was a loaded field of teams and talented players. Here are my immediate takeaways from the event…
Price Foil (5’11/PG/’25/Central Hinds Academy )
IG: thepricefoil
X: @Price_foil10
Price is a relentless competitor who plays extremely hard on both ends of the floor. He is tough in the open floor and does more with less. He is good at making one move and getting downhill. He handles the ball and is a reliable secondary ball-handler who makes good decisions with the rock in his hands. He is an active defender who provided pressure that disrupted the opponent’s offensive flow. He is a blue-collar caliber player that his coach can trust on the floor.
Derek Byrd (6’7/SF/’24/Callaway HS)
IG: dee2shxfty
X: @dee2shxfty
Derek has good positional size and showed a lot of versatility. He scores inside and out, and does a really good job drawing fouls and earning trips to the line. He has a crafty middle game and is a potential mismatch post-up player. He is very active on the glass and showed that he has double-digit boarding potential. He has a good combination of size, shooting, and versatility, which is translatable to the next level. He showed a lot of potential as he was efficient from the floor and can really emerge as a very good two-way player at the next level.
He listed the following offers on his profile:
Belhaven, Meridian CC, University of Dallas, Southern Indiana
Jonathan Pace (6’10/PF|C/’24/Harrison Central)
IG: Jonathanpace_05
X: @Jonathanpace_05
Jonathan is an interior presence who does a good job of clogging up space. He was matched up against Ebo Wilson, another 6’10 post player, so I was able to see Jonahan matched up against a similar size, unlike most times when post players have a huge size advantage against certain opponents. Jonathan was not much of a factor offensively, but he did pull down 9 rebounds and presented a problem for players looking to score off the bounce in the paint with his ability to protect the rim. Jonathan still has a ways to go on both ends of the floor and with his quickness, but he is 6’10 and could provide an interior presence for a program at the next level. He is not the most athletic and needs to work on his feet, but there is enough for someone to take a chance on the fact that he is 6’10.
Stevent Watkins (6’0/CG/’24/Ridgeland HS)
IG: sw24_
X: @stevent24_
Stevent put on display a very mature floor game as he was very efficient with his offensive production. He likes to get to his middle game, where he has nice elevation on the mid-range pull. He has a soft touch with his jumper, which was evident in his production as he shot over 80% from the field, finishing with 12pts on 5-6 shooting. He can easily be considered a polished three-level scorer with crafty handles and finishing moves. He has good end-to-end speed with the ball and looks to get to his spots as often as possible, where he did most of his production in the match-up against Harrison Central.
He listed the following offer in his profile: Copiah Lincoln.
Sam Hailey (5’10/PG/’24/MRA)
IG: samhailey_
X: @samhailey24
Sam is a listed PG but was a major scoring threat against Raymond. Early, he showed his ability to get it done from behind the arc, and as Raymond adjusted their defense, Sam showed he could put the ball on the floor and create scoring opportunities off the bounce. He is able to play on and off the ball, but it was his on-ball juice as a scorer that made him an intriguing player on the day. Sam’s offensive performance put him in the category with a few other players who are consistent and dangerous offensively. I am unsure if there is a high enough appreciation of the bankability of Sam’s scoring because there is not a lot of flash associated with his game. Make no mistake about it: he was one of the top playmakers the entire day. He finished with the following stat line: 18pts (5-11 [3-5 3-ptr]) 7-rebs, 7-ast.
Caleb Gaitor (5’9/PG/’25/Jackson Academy)
IG: caleb_gaitor
X: @Gaitor225
Caleb was one of the top-floor generals the entire day. I actually listed him as the best floor general in my #RumbleInTheSouth superlatives. He was in complete control of the offense and the pace of the game. He likes to operate at the point of attack to create offense for himself and his teammates and is most comfortable with the ball in his hands and the freedom to orchestrate as he sees fit. He makes tremendous reads out of the pick and roll, as he has good vision and very good passing skills. He was explosive at attacking the basket, making life easier for the offensive weapons surrounding him. His jump shot wasn’t falling in the match-up against Madison Central, but he did not allow it to affect his game as he made an impact on both ends of the floor from the lead guard spot.