Pete Hollis Showcase: National Event, National Profile

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The nation's top teams and most of the top players in the country descend on Greenville South Carolina's [program_tooltip program_id='2076455' first='Legacy' last=''] Early College (LEC) Prep High School Event. Teams such as IMG Academy, Brewster Academy, Montverde Academy, with their stacked rosters of the country's top prep basketball players have arrived and started to complete in the Pete Hollis Showcase. LEC who is hosting the event also has a national profile team and they all compete on a national level in the newly formed EYBL Scholastic Conference, which is in partnership with Nike. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Who was Pete Hollis: Hollis was a legendary figure in and around Greenville SC who was a long-time basketball coach, educator, and administrator. In addition to that history, he was someone who tried to make the lives of those in the community better with certain social programs and then was a leader in the integration of the schools. He lived from 1883-1978, a graduate of South Carolina in 1095 and stayed the rest of his life. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Below are some of the top impactful players that made the biggest impression during the event. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Day One:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2145508' first='Darius' last='Acuff'] | 6'2" | PG | 2025 | Detroit | IMG Academy</strong> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This one is the real deal! Some outlets have him as the top point guard in the country for the class of 2025. He did nothing to disprove that notion on the first night of the event. He handles the rock with ease and a very rare silkiness. Some of the other things that make this one really special is that he does not see close-outs from the defense, meaning he can and will shoot the ball with a hand in his face. Next, I noticed his assortment of finishes at the hoop. Instead of just going to the hoop hard with an attempt to draw the foul only, he uses his superior finishing skill to put the ball up over the defender, on the board or hoop, with the intention of scoring; Then he draws the fouls. He is currently leading the EYBL Scholastic in scoring and still has another year of high school to go. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2197284' first='Donnie' last='Freeman'] | 6'9" | W | 2024 | Washington, DC | IMG Academy </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Freeman is a Syracuse commit and it is easy to see why, he is just different than most. When you walk into the gym your eyes are drawn to him, in that he looks every bit of the part. He is long and lean with solid athleticism, and then possess a very high level of basketball intangibles. He went for 14 points in his contest and was usually always around the ball. I thought he was maybe too slight for the physicality of the other athletes, but believe that once he fills out, he has a chance to be a big impactful player in a Power 5 conference school. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Zion Paleo | 6'1" | PG | 2025 | 2025 | Diamond Bar, CA | Veritas Academy </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I do not have much to say about this prospect except for WoW! He was playing against top players, maybe someday future NBA players, and for a moment in the second quarter he controlled the ball game. He just took over and it was special. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1454289' first='Cooper' last='Flagg'] | 6'9" | W | 2025 | Newport Maine | Montverde Academy</strong> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This was the second time for me watching Flagg who most believe is the top player in the country. The Duke commit was indeed impressive. I was trying to figure out if he did a particular thing better than everyone else. Yes, he can typically shoot with range well. Yes, he can be impactful on the boards, he tallied 7 in the game. Yes, he could do a lot well in the game of basketball, but what impressed me most was he had a switch that he can just take his play to another level. At one point he flipped the switch and got intense. He was right up applying defensive pressure on the opponent, then made several plays on the other end. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Liam McNeely | 6'8" | G | 2024 | Richardson, TX | Montverde Academy </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This player could do it going to the hoop with an impressive slam down the lane, he got it done with a nice slash to the hoop, and he certainly can shoot with range. He went 5-7 from deep and never got out of rhythm in the contest. He tallied 21 points and 4 steals, which of course, means he got it done on the defensive end too. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->