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Five-stars Trevon Duval and Collin Sexton headline holiday in Atlanta

Trevon Duval
Trevon Duval

ATLANTA -- The top two ranked guards in the senior class, Trevon Duval and Collin Sexton, staged an epic showdown over Thanksgiving. They were just two of several big-timers putting in work around the Atlanta metro over a holiday weekend stacked with events.

FIVE-STARS DUVAL AND SEXTON DELIVER

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The anticipation and hype leading up to a battle between the nation's top two guards -- Trevon Duval of Bradenton (Fla.) IMG and Collin Sexton of Mableton (Ga.) Pebblebrook -- meant that the game couldn't possibly live up to the buildup. Until it did as Duval and IMG scored a memorable 99-94 win in a wildy entertaining game in front of a lively crowd at the Holiday Hoopsgiving.

Duval certainly played like the top point guard prospect in the nation as he pumped in 24 points and handed out six assists in a 32-minute effort. Duval’s athleticism is what gets the fans out of their seats, but he’s a terrific finisher at the rim. Even some of his misses ended up being beneficial to IMG Academy as junior teammates Emmitt Williams and five-star Silvio De Sousa cleaned up with several put-back dunks.

One of Duval's five finalists, Duke, had assistant Jeff Capel on hand and the Blue Devils have now offered. Duval said he's hoping to set up visits with them and his other four finalists Arizona, Baylor, Kansas, Seton Hall.

Speaking of Williams, the four-star forward certainly satisfied the mixtape video crews in attendance. On his way to finishing with 21 points and 9 rebounds, he threw several monster dunks, blocked five shots, and it seemed like he altered several more. At 6-foot-7 and just over 200 pounds, Williams will be slightly undersized to play power forward in college, but he’ll more than make up for it in athleticism and explosiveness.

In a loss, the Alabama bound Sexton still had plenty of success and backed up his No. 7 overall ranking. With a Bama assistant on hand, he finished with an efficient 39 points on 11-18 from the field, 5-9 from beyond the arc, and 12-13 at the charity stripe. Sexton can get too caught up in his own offense and forget about keeping others involved, but he’s such a spectacular scorer that he usually gets away with it at the high school level. His impact in Tuscaloosa should be instant and significant.

AUBURN-BOUND JUNIOR MONTGOMERY BACKS UP TOP 10 STATUS

E.J. Montgomery, the No. 9 prospect in the 2018 class, moved to the Atlanta area this summer to transfer to powerhouse hoops program Wheeler High School after spending the last two years at Montverde (Fl.). If his first game of his junior season is any indication, the transition has been a smooth one.

In a close win over Jonesboro, it was Montgomery’s energy and dominance in the paint that sparked Wheeler. The Auburn commit was the biggest player on the court at 6-foot-9 and he certainly used that to his advantage, but he also showed just how skilled he is. Along with a variety of dunks in transition, Montgomery showed the ability to step out and shoot the ball out to three-point range. Despite his thin build, he fought hard on the boards as well.

Auburn assistant coaches Chad Dollar and Chuck Person were sitting courtside to see Montgomery and could hardly contain their excitement watching their future star post player.

SOPHOMORE EDWARDS COULD BE A BIG-TIMER

He's not even a household name in his hometown of Atlanta, but explosive shooting guard Anthony Edwards is on the verge of becoming a national recruit in the class of 2019.

Edwards led his team to a hard-fought victory over Mays High School out of Atlanta in the opening game of the Atlanta Hardwood Jam Fest on Friday. Despite coming off the bench and missing most of the first quarter, he rattled off a relatively effortless 36 points while also dishing out five assists.

On his very first possession, he crossed over a defender and knocked down a smooth pull-up. In the second half, he connected on five three-pointers and knocked down seven for the game -- some of which came from NBA range. For most of the game, Therrell put the ball in his hands in ball-screen situations and he just created for himself and others. At the next level, he’s probably more of a shooting guard.

Auburn, Georgia Tech and Georgia State were on hand to see Edwards. Texas A&M has already offered.

MORE ATLANTA NOTES

Tom Crean and an assistant were in Atlanta on Friday. First, they stopped over at the Atlanta Hardwood Jam Fest to see four-star wing Jordan Tucker. Afterwards, they made the 20-minute drive over to the Hoopsgiving event to see IMG Academy vs Pebblebrook along with Norcross vs Greenforest.

Josh Pastner, Bruce Pearl and Mike Dunleavy were also seen at the Hoopsgiving throughout the day watching several different prospects. Pearl watched four-star senior point guard Davion Mitchell and four-star sophomore Jared Jones, who are both committed to the Tigers.

One of the prospects Pastner and Pearl were tracking was Will Richardson, a 2018 guard from Liberty County (Ga.). The lanky 6-foot-4 guard pumped in 33 points on Friday in a loss to Newton (Ga.), and followed it up with 20 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists and 6 steals on Saturday. Auburn, Georgia and Georgia Tech have offered.

In Newton’s 104-71 win over Liberty County, the backcourt of Ashton Hagans, J.D. Notae and Isaiah Miller combined for 86 points. Hagans, a four-star point guard in the 2019 class, had a team high 32 points, five assists and zero turnovers running his team. Notae, a Jacksonville signee, added 23 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists, while unsigned and likely junior college-bound guard Miller showed off his elite athleticism on his way to 31 points.

Louisville signee Lance Thomas continues to progress as a prospect. Already a four-star, the 6-foot-9 power forward has the goods to make a lot of money playing basketball someday. He’s the ideal player for his position these days as he’s very skilled offensively as a “stretch four”, but his length and athleticism allow him to be a rim protector.

Babatunde Akingbola looks like a prospect that high-majors will want to monitor the next few years at McEachern High School (Ga.). At about 6-foot-9, he’s always improving offensively and plays with relentless energy. Defensively, his athleticism allows to swat shots and he’s terrific on the boards.

Trey Doomes, a 2018 guard from Allatoona, had moments where he showed why he’s on the radars of high majors all over the southeast. The 6-foot-3 guard struggles with his shot from deep, but is super crafty attacking the basket and finishing in traffic. Clemson had an assistant in attendance to see him.

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