2024 Hoopwave Classic Day One Recap + Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2024-25 High School Basketball Season is here. My first stop of the season was Easley High School in Pickens County, South Carolina for the 2024 Hoopwave Classic featuring Easley High School, Walhalla High School, Mountain View Prep, and the Greenville Hurricanes. It was a fun night of action, a great appetizer for feast week, and a great way to get the 2024-25 Season started! <strong>Check out some notable performances, game recaps, and the six standout prospects from Friday Night's action:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Final Scores: </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mountain View Prep 61, Greenville Hurricanes 57</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Easley 87, Walhalla 38</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Notable Performers: </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2678766' first='Termaine' last='Williams']</strong>: 14 Points + 12 Rebounds</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kaden Epps</strong>: 23 Points on 3-5 3PM</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2825162' first='Miles' last='Campbell']</strong>: 18 Points, 5 Assists + 5 Steals</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1419747' first='Daniel' last='Hutto']: 3 Points, 7 Rebounds + 3 Blocks</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mountain View Prep Victorious in First Official Game</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first-year program Mountain View Prep matched up with the Greenville Hurricanes for the opening game of the 2024 Hoopwave Classic. The Hurricanes' leading scorer <strong>Kaden Epps</strong> started the game with a corner three and helped get his teammates involved with a pair of early assists. However, the Stars quickly shifted into some heavy-pressure looks on the defensive end led by [player_tooltip player_id='2392453' first='Aveon' last='Payton'] off the bench. They forced some turnovers in the backcourt and made life difficult for the Hurricanes in the halfcourt, but when they looked to break the press quickly it did lead to some open run-outs. Mountain View Prep's big man <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2678766' first='Termaine' last='Williams']</strong> was a dominant force early, putting up 11 Points and 8 Rebounds in the first half and a 14-Point, 12-rebound double-double on the night. The Guard combination of <strong>Drayton Proctor</strong> and Payton got frequent penetration while Williams cleaned up any misses, but it was the defensive effort led by <strong>Ma'ori Henderson</strong> and <strong>Noah Byrd</strong> - particularly in the second half - that I will take away from this game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Green Wave Roll To Big First Win </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The second of the two matchups at the 2024 Hoopwave Classic wasn't nearly as tight. The Easley Green Wave got it done over the Walhalla Razorbacks and were dominant for the full 48 minutes, including a running clock in the 4th Quarter. Easley opened the game on a 21-5 run, putting up 36 Points in the 1st Quarter with 11 Assists and 4 3PM. [player_tooltip player_id='1986981' first='Dreyton' last='Jackson'] helped run the show in the first half, getting the Green Wave out in transition where he could open the floor and find his shooters and bigs. In the second half though, it was all <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2825162' first='Miles' last='Campbell']</strong> and [player_tooltip player_id='2087479' first='Ethan' last='Crews']. The two wings for Easley combined for 32 Points on 6 3PM and 9 Steals. The Green Wave were dominant in the points in transition and points off turnovers department, as they rarely allowed a composed possession for the Razorbacks who never established an offensive rhythm in the loss.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Biggest Standouts:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2641785,"width":"425px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/Image-11-23-24-at-11.17-AM.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/Image-11-23-24-at-11.17-AM.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2641785" style="width:425px;height:auto" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2392453' first='Aveon' last='Payton'] (Mountain View Prep) - My first standout from the Day One of the 2024 Hoopwave Classic is [player_tooltip player_id='2392453' first='Aveon' last='Payton']. Payton is a Senior who transferred to the Stars from Dorman High School. He came off the bench for his team on Friday but changed the style of the game once he entered. Aveon was crucial to the success of MVP's defense with intensity and extremely quick feet. He stayed in front of his man on seemingly every possession and made life difficult for the Hurricanes' Guards. On the offensive end, he got frequent paint touches and earned trips to the free-throw line. He also sees the floor well, is a strong jump shooter, and is good in Pick-and-Roll. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2641786,"width":"422px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/Image-11-23-24-at-11.16-AM.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/Image-11-23-24-at-11.16-AM.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2641786" style="width:422px;height:auto" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2678766' first='Termaine' last='Williams']</strong> (Mountain View Prep) - The second Standout Star from Friday's proceedings is <strong>Termaine "Deuce" Williams</strong>. Williams is listed as a 6'4" Junior Forward and he made his way to MVP by way of Spartanburg High School. Deuce dominated the glass all night long putting up a 14-Point, 12-Rebound double-double in the win over the Greenville Hurricanes. He has good footwork in the paint and is strong in frame. Williams was active for all of his minutes and was seen running the floor in transition and diving on the floor for loose balls. He is a capable ball-handler and knocked down a three in the game, too.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2641788,"width":"422px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/Image-11-23-24-at-11.17-AM-1.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/Image-11-23-24-at-11.17-AM-1.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2641788" style="width:422px;height:auto" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kaden Epps</strong> (Greenville Hurricanes) - <strong>Kaden Epps</strong> was the biggest bright spot from the Hurricanes' loss to MVP on Friday, finishing with a game-high 23 Points. Epps had the ball in his hands a lot, but was lights out from behind the arc when spotting up. Kaden kept defenders off-balance with the threat of perimeter shooting while also having success getting the ball into the paint. He earned several trips to the free-throw line by putting his head down and getting to the rack but also showed craft in finishing around rim protectors.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2641790,"width":"425px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/Image-11-23-24-at-11.18-AM-1.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/Image-11-23-24-at-11.18-AM-1.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2641790" style="width:425px;height:auto" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2087479' first='Ethan' last='Crews'] (Easley) - Switching over to the late game, three members of the Green Wave stood out in their dominant victory on Friday. First is their Senior leader, [player_tooltip player_id='2087479' first='Ethan' last='Crews']. Ethan is a prolific shooter who started and finished the game hot with a corner three on the first Easley possession of the game and several transition buckets in the third quarter, earning some extra rest in the first game of the season. He put up 14 Points + 4 Steals knocking down 2 of his 3 attempts from behind the arc. When run off the three-point line, Crews showed an ability to finish at the rim or dump off to his bigs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2641791,"width":"426px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/Image-11-23-24-at-11.18-AM.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/Image-11-23-24-at-11.18-AM.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2641791" style="width:426px;height:auto" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1986981' first='Dreyton' last='Jackson'] (Easley) - Next up is Easley's Point Guard, [player_tooltip player_id='1986981' first='Dreyton' last='Jackson']. He looked great in transition, getting the Green Wave out in the open floor and speeding past Razorbacks on his way to the rim. Jackson will do so by forcing turnovers and through defensive rebounds, putting up 3 Steals and hauling in 6 Rebounds. Dreyton also did a great job of putting his teammates in positions to score, putting up 6 Assists to go with his 14 Points. Jackson displayed his good handle, confidence in the mid-range, and feel for the game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2641792,"width":"425px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/Image-11-23-24-at-11.18-AM-2.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/Image-11-23-24-at-11.18-AM-2.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2641792" style="width:425px;height:auto" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2825162' first='Miles' last='Campbell']</strong> (Easley) - The third and final standout from the Green Wave had probably the most impressive performance of the day. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2825162' first='Miles' last='Campbell']</strong> looked as confident as I have seen him on the court and he went for 18 Points, 5 Assists, and 5 Steals in the big win. Campbell is a long and lanky Sophomore Wing listed at 6'1" with a plus wingspan. He had lots of success poking the ball away both as a primary and secondary defender, leading to transition buckets on the other end. Miles was also extremely efficient as a scorer, both on and off the ball. But the most impressive stretch of the night came early in the 3rd Quarter where he hit back-to-back threes including a nasty crossover into a step-back that created lots of space. If this is the <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2825162' first='Miles' last='Campbell']</strong> the Green Wave will get every night, they will be in for a very successful 2024-25 Season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Day Two Matchups:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>12:00 - Consolation - Greenville Hurricanes vs Walhalla</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>1:30 - Championship Game - Easley vs Mountain View Prep</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->