Spring Standouts from Northeast GA: Circuit Edition

Northeast GA doesn't have a storied reputation of shoe brand talent; but narrative is changing, and it's changing fast. Current there are prospects from Northeast GA and the Athens area that are making some noise on the Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour circuits. Although there's a lot of talent to be mined out of the area, these prospects hit the travel basketball scene running, out the gates, and had a lot of moments this spring. Division I coaches should taking first, second, and third looks at this group of student-athletes and determine how these hoopers can impact their programs positively.    [player_tooltip player_id='1559461' first='Marcus' last='Gillespie'] has had a phenomenal spring and is arguably the highest stock riser in all of Georgia. He's coming off his second straight All-State selection with his high school team, and he just had his second consecutive season of averaging approximately 30 ppg. He's a big, strong guard that can take almost any defender off the dribble and get to his spots. He gets paint touches often and can get to the basket with ease, finishing around and above the rim at a high clip. During the spring, he's had some incredible performances, including a 40-point game against Game Elite 3SSB 2025. He's been playing great defense, putting pressure on ball-handlers on the perimeter, and he's been blocking shots. He's also been showing off his ability to be an elite passer and has made huge strides with his ability to read the court and make high IQ decisions. He's a playmaking, 3-level scorer that can get a bucket with the best of them. His biggest question mark has been, "can he perform against the best of the best?", and so far, now that Marcus has been playing with [program_tooltip program_id='2076604' first='Atlanta' last='Xpress'], he's shown he deserves a lot of attention from both mid and high major programs.     Another big name that's been buzzing, since the GHSA state playoffs, is [player_tooltip player_id='2046364' first='Justin' last='Wise']. Already has a freshman, he's received all-region honors, won a state championship, and hit five 3's in the championship game. Three of those 3's were scored consecutively, in a critical moment, during the GHSA Class 4A state championship, where Justin was named Championship Game MVP. He took that momentum into the spring and hasn't looked back. Justin has had some big games with the [program_tooltip program_id='2078446' first='Georgia' last='Stars'], including multiple 20+ point games at some of EYBL stops. The Stars have played him both on and off the ball and he's had great production, when running on the wing. He's deep threat that has to be guarded closely due to his ability to knock down contested shots. Justin plays with a lot of confidence and has a lot of poise while playing, seemingly not getting overly frustrated when the flow of the game isn't going his way. He runs the open court well, has great court vision, makes good decisions, moves well without the ball, and can finish around the rim. As Justin becomes more comfortable playing on the ball and improves his athleticism, he's going to be threat in almost every way.     This year as a Sophomore, [player_tooltip player_id='2413255' first='Matt' last='Allen'] joined the 1000-point club, in just his short varsity career. Most student-athletes that score 1000 points or more, during their high school career, do so as upperclassman, majority of them as a senior. But when you're averaging over 30 ppg, this feat is achievable a lot sooner. Matt's ability to knock down the 3-ball is one of the reasons he's able to score at such a high clip. While playing with Game Elite 3SSB 2026, he's had several games where he's shot for over 70-80% from deep. He's in the middle of a growth spurt and it's helping him on the defensive side of the ball, having a longer wingspan than he had earlier in the year. Matt makes good decisions with the ball and understands how to move the ball within the offense. Matt is expected to have a strong summer outing and should find himself in the rankings soon. College coaches should really do their research on him as soon as they can, as he can help their programs in several ways.     [player_tooltip player_id='2125516' first='Braydon' last='Langston'] began the spring travel season with the [program_tooltip program_id='2078446' first='Georgia' last='Stars'], on the EYBL Circuit, and has since found a better fit with Game Elite 3SSB 2027. Although he had some strong performances with the Stars, his confidence and playmaking ability has been more on display with Game Elite. Braydon has a long and lanky frame and is an elite level shot blocker on the perimeter and at the rim. His athleticism is very useful around the basket and he often times is able to finish above the rim. In addition to his length and athleticism, Braydon can knock down the open three and now that he has the ball in his hands more, he is showing he can make good decisions to get his teammates involved, all while looking to create for himself. Braydon's immediate area of opportunity to grow is in the weight room. Another 15 pounds of muscle, going into sophomore season, will be highly impactful and will boost is stock as a prospect.     Jerrin had strong year for his sophomore campaign. As a freshman, he was All-Region, and as a sophomore, he was All-State and helped lead his Winder-Barrow Bulldoggs to the GHSA Class 5A Final Four. Playing for AE5 3SSB 2026, it's been business as usual. Jerrin is a lefty that can put the ball on the floor, create for himself, and create for others. He's lengthy and can get out and run in transition and he's also 3-level scorer that allows the game to come to him. he makes good decisions with the ball and looks to get his teammates the ball in open spots and early in the possession. Last year, coming off his freshman season, during the Live Period, Jerrin picked up his first division I offer from Tennessee Tech, and he's expected to pick up more offers this summer. Mid major coaches should watch him closely as he's flown under the radar, in most cases.

Northeast GA doesn't have a storied reputation of shoe brand talent; but narrative is changing, and it's changing fast. Current there are prospects from Northeast GA and the Athens area that are making some noise on the Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour circuits. Although there's a lot of talent to be mined out of the area, these prospects hit the travel basketball scene running, out the gates, and had a lot of moments this spring. Division I coaches should taking first, second, and third looks at this group of student-athletes and determine how these hoopers can impact their programs positively.