#OTRHoopsReport: January Stock Risers – January 29, 2015
Class of 2016 guard Josh Langford of Huntsville, Ala., lit up the scoreboard at the Hilton Invitational last weekend. You can see him in action on the @SUVtv. Photo cred – Ty Freeman
Our OTRHoopsReport.com team was busy after the new year watching talented basketball players on the biggest stages. Here is a look back at which players started 2015 the right way.
A January to Remember
By: @JLHemingwayPSB
Traci Carter – Life Center (Burlington, N.J.), – 2015
Finding an unsigned point guard that can affect the game on the highest levels has been akin to finding Bigfoot this year. However, we located Carter at Hoop Hall Classic and tabbed him as the biggest point guard target left unsigned in the senior class. The 6-foot-1 guard dominated Life Center’s game on both ends of the floor versus Orangeville Prep en route to a 18 point 10 assist 7 rebound MVP performance. As a result schools like Connecticut, Louisville and North Carolina State have all been linked to his recruitment in the past week.
Malik Ellison – Life Center (Vorhees, N.J.), – 2015
Teaming up with Carter in their win versus Orangeville Prep was Ellison who scored a game high 28 points. At 6-6 the wing forward showed a lethal combination of athleticism and skill in this showing. The son of Louisville legend, Pervis Ellison, Malik is also currently unsigned and perhaps flown under the radar for the past year. No longer off the charts of college coaches any longer, the senior has had a dozen or more schools contact him in the past week. He plans on taking an official visit to Minnesota before the season is out.
Markelle Fultz – Dematha (Upper Marlboro, Md.), – 2016
The biggest jump of any player outside of the ELITE 60 in the junior class had to be taken by the 6-5 shooting guard. On back to back weekends in front of our staff, Fultz proved to be in the conversation as one of the ten best shooting guards in the country currently. In a MVP performance at the Hoop Hall Classic Fultz put up 25 points and then followed that up with an equally efficient game at the Hilton Invitational in Norcross. Watch for his name to enter the BrandonClayScouting.com 2016 rankings when they expand in the spring.
Alani Moore – Montrose Christian (Hyattsville, Md.), – 2016
Not far behind Fultz as a name to watch in the junior class is Moore. The point guard single-handedly took over a game versus Covenant Christian at the Hilton Invitational last weekend. His quick first step and equally impressive body control led him to score multiple buckets in the lane on Saturday afternoon. What Moore lacks in ideal height, he more than makes up for in court savvy and basketball IQ. Coach Brian Bartley has a winner in the back court that should bring him more success this year.
Josh Langford – Madison Academy (Huntsville, Ala.), – 2016
It seems ludicrous to say that a 5-star prospect could raise his stock anymore in the second half of his junior year. However, that is exactly what the 6-6 shooting guard did at the Hilton Invitational last Saturday evening. Langford produced points, rebounds and assists at an impressive rate even though the Norcross defense keyed on him all evening. Langford had his jumper rolling from beyond the arc and finished effectively in the lane. Perhaps the most notable part of his game, however, was his vision with the pass when the help defense came. Langford is still wide open in his recruitment, however Florida and Michigan State have been two schools that have been mentioned most often recently.
Exposure & Showcase Opportunities
Jonathan Hemingway is a National Evaluator for the OTRHoopsReport. He is also on the Board of Selectors for the Naismith Trophy. He is the publisher of CoachHemi.com. He has been involved in the community since 1996 as a coach, camp director and evaluator. You can reach him via email at JonathanHemingway@PeachStateBasketball.com and follow him on twitter @JLHemingwayPSB
