Atlanta Saturday: How good can Josiah James be? Bossi's takeaways
EMERSON, Ga. - If you followed along with our live blog of Saturday action in the Atlanta area, you know that there was a lot to digest. Maybe the biggest question is just how good is five-star Josiah James? National Basketball Analyst Eric Bossi has his takeaways from Saturday's action.
JOSIAH JAMES BELONGS WITH THE ELITE POINT GUARDS
When myself, Corey Evans and Dan McDonald reworked the latest rankings, our only fear with 6-foot-6 point guard Josiah James was that we ranked him too low.
As it turns out, No. 15 nationally may indeed be a little too low. The skilled lefty deserves to be in the conversation for top point guard in the glass honors.
James is a big-time playmaker and passer and the 6-foot-6 size combined with scoring ability make him pretty unique for the class.
What we haven't yet gotten to see is how James fares against the other top floor generals in his class. That will change soon as James said he'll be trying out for USA Basketball's 18U team in June.
Clemson, South Carolina, Tennessee, Florida, Florida State, Stanford and others have offered. Duke and Michigan State are turning things up and it seems to be only a matter of when not if them and other big time programs offer.
BRAKEFIELD IS A BIG TIME OFFENSIVE TALENT
When it comes to pure offensive talents that I saw on Saturday, 2020 five-star Jaemyn Brakefield rated pretty high on the list.
A skilled four man who is originally from Mississippi, Brakefield is a fluid athlete who handles, shoots and rebounds very well for his position. He's probably about 6-foot-9 now and is starting to fill out which means he's able to play with some physicality.
The class of 2020 is looking strong and the spring performances by guys like Brakefield hasn't changed that thought. Kentucky, Ole Miss, Baylor and UCLA are among those heavily involved.
SATURDAY PLAYER NOTES
... I don't think many people are familiar with power forward Ishan White of TMP but he's a lot of fun to watch and is surely going to pick up a lot of interest after this weekend. White has some young Montrezl Harrell in his game with his motor, above the rim style and quickness of the floor. The native of South Carolina is a big time competitor. So far, Oklahoma State head coach Mike Boynton has watched while Stetson, Winthrop, Presbyterian and South Carolina State have offered.
... Another big-time competitor is EBO power forward Prince Gillam. Gillam is from Congo and is a powerfully built and explosive post player who loves physical play. He's a workhorse with a relatively quiet recruitment but should see strong interest from West Coast programs who watched him closely.
... I was intrigued by unsigned prep school wing David Wingett of Team Loaded North Carolina. Wingett is a skilled wing with 6-foot-6 size and shot it really well from deep on Saturday. He has offers from programs like South Dakota State, Eastern Michigan and UIC and could easily help at that level next season.
... Finally, although four-star shooting guard P.J. Fuller didn't shoot the ball great while I watched him Saturday, he's pretty clearly a high major guard. Fuller is great in transition where he's quick to the rim, he can create shots off the dribble and he plays with a lot of confidence. His recruitment is pretty Pac-12 strong with Oregon State, Washington, USC, Arizona State, Arizona and Cal all dropping offers while others, including Florida State and Texas A&M, are also involved.