Talent on display in Atlanta
On the second day of the first recruiting period, Rivals.com bounced back and
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forth between two top-notch tournaments in the metro Atlanta area, the Elite 32
and the Best of the South. Both tournaments have loaded fields and top prospects
from the 2015 class down to the 2017 class.
FLORIDA FLASH FULL OF TALENT
The Florida Flash, coached by Greg Tejada, look like a group that has come to
Atlanta on a mission. Several of their players started the weekend by showing
out in the Hoop Xchange Live Player Showcase held at the same venue as the Best
of the South and they continued their strong play in pool play on Thursday
night.
John Collins, a 2015 post player, is the most highly recruited member of the
Florida Flash. At 6-foot-9 and roughly 230 lbs., Collins has soft hands and
great touch around the rim. He's a rare breed in that he's already comfortable
playing with his back to the basket and has a strong arsenal of moves he can go
to. At the moment, Collins holds scholarship offers from UCF,
Maryland, Miami and Wake Forest. Alabama head coach Anthony Grant was front and center to see Collins in their
big win over the Spartanburg Express.
Collins is a terrific player, but he receives plenty of help from his teammates.
Playing alongside him on the block is another highly talented prospect in Corey Brown. A 6-foot-8 forward out of McArthur High School (Fla.), Brown has a big,
strong, and athletic body and can finish with the best of them in the paint.
He's also skilled enough to step out and hit a mid-range jumper.
Running the show for the Flash is Derric Jean, who also attends McArthur High
School. At 6-foot-2, Jean is an electric athlete that excels in transition and
routinely gets by defenders and into the paint. Although he's a talented scorer,
Jean still does a more than admirable job keeping teammates involved.
Lastly, the Flash have a youngster to keep an eye on this time next year. When
Collins and Brown came out for a breather, 2016 forward Raynard Robinson stepped
in and the Flash didn't miss a beat. The 6-foot-8 Florida native fought hard for
position on the block and scored off some basic post moves. He's somebody to
keep on the watch list for high-major programs in the southeast.
TWIN TOWERS FOR SOUTHEAST ELITE
Most travel teams would die to have just one post player above 6-foot-8 that can play
at a really high level. The Southeast Elite 16U team out of Alabama doesn't just
have one; they have two. Not only that, they are both 2017 prospects playing up
a year. Their names are Wendell Carter and Austin Wiley.
In a close loss to Hoop Dreams (Ky.), both Carter and Wiley showed why college
coaches and recruiting analysts get so excited about them. They both are around
6-foot-9, both are skilled offensive players, and both can rebound and defend.
At this stage, Carter seems to be a little more advanced offensively with an
inside-out game. Wiley does most of his damage in the paint and is very
effective doing just that.
Southeast Elite coach Chris Monroe says schools all over the country have
already begun recruiting the duo. They have scholarship offers from Alabama,
Kansas State and
UAB at the moment with
UNC showing heavy interest.
CRUMP SHOWS KILLER INSTINCT
Showtime Hoops guard Tyree Crump got off to a rocky start on Thursday morning
against the Q-6 All-Stars. Whether it was due to the game starting 8:30 a.m. and
he just needed time to wake up or just being off his game, it didn't last long.
For the first 15 minutes of the first half, Crump had only two points and had a
minimal impact on the game. In the last minute of the first half, the three-star
prospect started heating up with a quick seven points off two pull-up jumpers
and a deep, contested three-pointer. He continued to hit tough shots throughout the
second half and led his team to an impressive victory finishing with over 20
points.
Recently ranked No. 81 in the updated 2016 rankings on Rivals.com, Crump says
Tennessee, Texas A&M
and Wake Forest. Assistants from Alabama, Georgia, Miami and Mississippi State
watched him Thursday morning.
NEWS AND NOTES
Crump's teammate
Maurice Howard has had a strong start to the recruiting period.
In the first two games of the weekend, Howard has shown the ability to handle
the ball against pressure and he's connected on his fair share of shots from
beyond the arc.
Atlanta All-Stars power
Devontae Cacok might be a bit undersized to play power
forward in college, but he makes up for it with his strength and athleticism
along with the intensity he plays with. Mid-major coaches were lined up to see
Austin WileyClick him play at both the Elite 32 and the Best of the South.Here to view this Link. and
Wendell Carter aren't the only high-major prospects on
Southeast Elite. John Petty, a 6-foot-5 wing with a smooth stroke, will join
them in playing at the highest level in college basketball. He already has
scholarship offers from Auburn, Ole Miss, Kansas State and UAB.
Click Here to view this Link.
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