#GBCALive Versatile Bigs

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of Georgia's truly great events was back at LakePoint for the first of what will be two electric weekends of June Live Period action.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Georgia Basketball Coaches Association does a first-class job putting together three days of basketball before a tremendous yearly turnout of college coaches, and Prep Hoops GA was canvassing the building.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>During my Saturday and Sunday gym time, I like to spend time away from the feature courts and see what's cooking with diamonds from other parts of town, here were some Versatile Bigs who made noticeable statements with their play:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1801910' first='Owen' last='Ritger'] | Forward | St Pius | 2025</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2474360,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/20240622_091804-rotated-crop-2740x1799-1719587798.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/20240622_091804-rotated-crop-2740x1799-1719587798.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-2474360" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='1801910' first='Owen' last='Ritger']</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Coming off a big Spring with Atlanta All-Stars that showed off his versatile game it was fun to see him back with the well-coached and fun-to-watch Marist crew and their always solid stable of guards, he has the likes of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2245660' first='James' last='Lasco']</strong> and <strong>Trace Gaynes</strong> and stock riser <strong>Stone Richards</strong> to find him both with his back to the basket (where he's much improved) and on the wing where at 6-8 he can be a face-up nightmare with the shooting ability and long strides to put it on the floor, Mercer, Wofford and Ohio are just three of the most recent to offer Ritger giving you an idea of his upward trajectory and much-deserved attention level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Will Dopfer | Forward | Lambert | 2026 (pictured at top)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>You have to initially commend the incredible work Redline 2026 UA Rise and specifically Coach Jay Gibbons has done with Dopfer, he's been for two years now clearly a gifted talent but having seen a bunch of the drilling with Gibbons up close we can see how that influence has pushed the 6-6 riser to newer heights, always showed exceptional footwork and now within his maturing body it's even more tough to deal with as a defender, crashes the glass at both ends with ferocity and takes pride in that together with guard-like passing ability, soft touch from 3-land means he can stretch the defense for fellow big 2025 <strong>Taj McLeod</strong> to work inside or he can be an effective part of Lambert's always-in-motion cutting offense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1617621' first='Ethan' last='Carter'] | Forward | Langston Hughes | 2025</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2474362,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/20240622_142538-rotated-crop-2740x1799-1719587895.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/20240622_142538-rotated-crop-2740x1799-1719587895.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-2474362" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='1617621' first='Ethan' last='Carter']</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 6-8 former Arlington Christian stock riser will put his full talents on display for the perennial playoff-contending Panthers, teaming with bullish 6-7 2025 <strong>JaRon LeMelle</strong> to form one of the better forward combos in the ATL-Metro Carter's slick movement and versatile and explosive finishing ability will be a key as they break in some new guards in Fairburn for new Coach Elliot Montgomery, playing the kind of competition level the Panthers annually face should add credence to some of the deserved and positive analysis he's already received while starring in the past for Game Elite and this Spring with Team Scoot Pro 16.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1543522' first='Charlie' last='Gersmehl'] | Forward | Gainesville | 2026</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2474366,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/20240623_131736-rotated-crop-2740x1799-1719587980.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/20240623_131736-rotated-crop-2740x1799-1719587980.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-2474366" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='1543522' first='Charlie' last='Gersmehl']</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A lot of chatter along the sidelines among Scouts and Coaches watching the 6-8 stock riser as he took the court in June for the first time with the Red Elephants after transferring last fall, he too like Will Dopfer above gained a ton from his time with Redline under Jay Gibbons and took yet another step it appears with Atlanta XPress this Spring, we got tastes of the areas he's clearly developed as his movement is crisper to go with a terrific general understanding of post play, from the use of the baby hook to the pick-and-pop out to 20+ feet adds worries for the defense and it was all the stuff of high-spirited conversation among the sideline viewers, poised for a monster season for a Red Elephant bunch that features gazelle-like rim runner 2025 big <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2471160' first='Jaxson' last='Jones']</strong> right beside him.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>JoJo McCurry | Forward | Habersham Central | 2025</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2474368,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/20240622_092024-rotated-crop-2740x1799-1719588082.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/20240622_092024-rotated-crop-2740x1799-1719588082.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-2474368" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">JoJo McCurry</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Was immediately taken aback by both how good he looks physically and then naturally by the improved movement that comes along with that, he had gifted feet as a youngster but needed time to develop the rest of his body to unlock what was a naturally ingrained cerebral post-game waiting to be unlocked, with clear work taking care of his body and reps in the weight room he has indeed unlocked new moves and the kind of catch-and-turn nimble scoring ability we all kind of knew was underneath waiting to surface, plays with a fire and intensity that you also love and looks to be embracing a leadership role on a team with plenty of veterans and high hopes for a deep playoff run.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->