Action from the Peach State Classic

ATLANTA, GA - Every year the Peach State Classic at Morehouse College seems to bring in a number of talented teams from across the country. This year was no different.

Scoring guard shoot-out

There is a great debate in Georgia about who the best shooting guard in the state is. Meadowcreek junior Chris Allen and Savannah senior Casey Mitchell both made their cases.

Allen scored 36 points in a thrilling 75-73 Meadowcreek win in the opening round of the tournament. After starting off a little slow, Allen found his stride and came up with a number of big buckets time and time again. He knows how to find the zone and stay in it.

While Georgia and Michigan State may top his list, there are a host of other schools knocking on the door wanting to get in with him. Georgia Tech and Tennessee were both on hand for the game to see him in action.

Mitchell didn't disappoint either. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound unsigned shooting guard put on a show to the tune of a high school career high 40 points. He came out from the tip and banged home a pair of three pointers and showed off his uncanny ability to score the ball. The well-built guard uses his size to absorb the contact in the lane and scored at will inside the paint.

Mitchell may be playing himself into some high-major offers with his play at the Peach State Classic. A lot of schools have put him on the watch list. Don't be surprised to see a number of those schools shift him over to the must-recruit list.

Prior to Bob Huggins and, most recently, Keith LeGree's firing at Cincinnati, Mitchell said the Bearcats were his favorite school and looked like a possible commitment for the Big East school. But now that both coaches are no longer at the school, Mitchell said he has not heard from Cincy and is looking at other options.

The schools in the race for Mitchell include: Georgia State, Georgia, NC State, Alabama, UNC-Wilmington, Central Florida, South Florida and Winthrop, he said.

Other notables

TeAndre Williams, a 6-foot-4 sophomore at Meadowcreek, continues to show off an array of skills. The bouncy athlete is starting to come into his own and has caught the attention of a number of coaches in attendance with his ability to create offense for himself, his desire to play high above the rim and a respectable perimeter game.

Charlotte commitment Cameron Tatum did his thing to the tune of 24 points in a 53-44 loss to Clover. He's got a wow factor to his game and improved his perimeter game quite a bit (try NBA range) but just didn't have enough in him or his Tucker squad to get the W.

Georgia Tech Zach Peacock is in Atlanta with his Miami (Fla.) Norland team and getting a chance to see his future hometown for the first time since he committed to the Yellow Jackets. Early foul trouble put him on the pine and took the bruising 6-foot-8 forward out of his game.

At 6-foot-10, 235-pounds and as an unsigned senior Tyronne McNeal is going to attract some attention from all levels of schools. In the case of this Clover (S.C.) center, junior college may be the route he's headed. McNeal said he took the SAT three weeks ago and is awaiting his test score. In the meantime, McNeal said he's looking at South Carolina State, Miami, UNC-Charlotte and Georgia.

The South Dade (Fla.) trio of Tremayne Russell, Jamari Maduro and Jervan Jackson put the dagger in Creekside (Ga.) early and kept digging in their monstrous lead into their opponent.

Russell, a 6-foot-2 point guard, turned up the defensive pressure and bothered Creekside from end to end and showed off a respectable offensive game. He's being courted by a number of mid to low-majors and showed why.

Maduro, a 6-foot-3 senior combo guard, loves to play in the open floor. South Dade head coach John Herron said Maduro is under the radar because he spent last season in his native Virgin Islands. Maduro has been a starter since his freshman season.

Jackson, a 6-foot-6 junior, raised some eyebrows with his style of play. He's got a good motor, attacked the glass and showed off nice athleticism.

News & Notes

Assistants from Appalachian State, Auburn, Charlotte, Georgia, Georgia State, Georgia Tech, Kennesaw State, Maryland, South Florida, Tennessee, Troy State, UAB and a number of Division II and JUCO coaches.

There were a number of college coaches asking "Where is Josh Guillory?" The high-flying senior from Tucker (Ga.) High School was still in California, his home state, for the holidays. He will be at the tournament on Wednesday. It will be interesting to see what schools stick around to see him. He has a number of high-level schools wanting to see him play.

Chris Barnes, a 6-foot-8 four-star junior forward at Riverdale (Ga.) High School, is watching games from the bench. He won't be eligible until Jan. 7.