Atlanta Xpress shooting guard
M.J. Walker is currently a four-star prospect and ranked No. 16 overall in the 2017 Rivals150, yet he says the only schools which have offered him basketball scholarships to date are
Auburn and
West Virginia.
That's about to change.
In a Saturday afternoon overtime win over the Indy Hoosiers, Walker pumped in 17 points for the Xpress. The 6-foot-5 wing had his jumper going and made some athletic plays around the rim. Later, he chipped in 18 more in the evening game against KC Run GMC. Walker had the three-point stroke going during the second game of the day, too, but it was the way he went into attack mode down the stretch in a tight game that left the biggest impression of the day. He simply refused to let his team lose, and they didn't.
If somehow the basketball offers don't come Walker's way, he'll be just fine. He's also a talented wide receiver on the gridiron and holds offers from
Ole Miss,
Miami,
North Carolina,
N.C. State,
Louisville and
Georgia after making the all-state team as a sophomore. Walker did add that Maryland, Alabama, and Kansas have shown interest in him for basketball, and he has already visited Georgia and met with the basketball coaches, but it's too early for him to know which route he'll go in college.
"I have thought about it, but I haven't made a decision yet," Walker said. "If I can play both sports, that would be great."
The bad news for Team Breakdown is they might be receiving a bill at some point this travel season from a tournament director asking for money to repair a broken rim. The good news is they also are going to find their way on to several mix tapes with the amount of dunks they throw and the quality of said dunks.
The majority of the dunking being done by Team Breakdown in Saturday night's win over the Juice All-Stars came from four-star power forward
Dewan Huell and fellow Rivals150 prospect, small forward
Troy Baxter. Huell, who went for 22 points and 10 rebounds, prefers to attempt to rip down the rims when he goes up with power, while Baxter is more likely to fly through the air with more finesse for his.
Huell has sprouted up into the 6-foot-9 range now and has the strength and the length to be an impact player in the paint on both ends of the court. He's also willing to mix it up in the paint with opponents who are bigger and stronger than him. His offensive skill-set is always improving as he showed off some back to the basket game as well.
Arkansas head coach Mike Anderson took in the action alongside an assistant and there were also assistant coaches from
Florida State,
Georgia Tech,
Miami,
South Carolina, UAB and
Virginia Tech sitting courtside. Baxter currently holds offers from
Arizona State,
USF and
Texas, while Huell's lengthy list of offers includes
Florida,
Florida State,
Georgia,
Louisville,
Miami,
South Carolina and others.
Team Thad has been one of the better teams on the Under Armour circuit for a few years now, and this year's team possesses as much talent as any in the past.
Four-star point guard
Jaylen Fisher and
SMU commit
LaGerald Vick led the way in a win over Louisiana Elite on Saturday morning.
Fisher, a 6-foot-1 floor general who has played on the 17U team for the past two season, continues to be one of the most efficient lead guards around. He always seems to make the right decision when he has the ball in his hands. Case in point: He recorded 17 points, five rebounds, five assists, and most importantly for a point guard, no turnovers on Saturday morning.
Fisher has a lot of help on the wing. Vick, a Rivals150 prospect, had a terrific morning, going for 20 points and six rebounds. The lanky 6-foot-5 off guard oozes athleticism and got his points off a combination of three-pointers and dunks. The biggest improvement in his game over the past calendar year is his comfort level putting the ball on the floor and attacking the rim. He's going to be a good one in Dallas for Larry Brown, and is due to see his ranking rise significantly if his play continues at a high level.
Along with Vick, Team Thad received a late boost from
Nathan Hoover, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard with as pure of a stroke as you will see. In a close game, Hoover connected on three, three-pointers to help create some separation and seal the victory.