MARIETTA, Ga. — “I miss the December HS schedule,” a friend formerly in these trenches texted me earlier in the week. “It’s such a great month for hoops.”

He’s right. December is the best. Holiday tournaments, showcases fill every weekend. No shortage of action, there’s an abundance of evaluation opportunities. 

One of the best events, every year, is the Tournament of Champions Holiday Classic. Hosted at Wheeler High School, the event is a marathon day of interesting matchups for Georgia hoops heads. 

Saturday was another great edition of the TOC Holiday Classic. It’s an event that annually delivers a perfect array of talent that ranges from the elite to emerging names. This year was no different. 

Because of the breadth of prospects to discuss, this’ll be broken up into four parts via two game segments. 

Here’s who used the first two games to leave an impression: 

Justin Cunningham, St. Francis (5’10, PG, 2026): It was a slower first half for Cunningham, but anyone who’s watched him enough would have bet that wasn’t going to carry over after halftime. Easy win for those bettors. He hit shots that felt like the catalyst to get himself going a bit. From then on, he started to get to the rim and finished with craft, creativity, toughness at the rim. Per usual, Cunningham looked to share the wealth, racking up several assists. Cunningham delivering in the second half gave the Knights the extra boost to get the win in this one. 

Jaylen Samuel, St. Francis (6’6, W, 2027): Samuel was the best shotmaker in this game. With solid size on the wing, and his reliability from deep, he was one of the more intriguing immediate prospects of the morning session. It was one of those days when every shot he hoisted looked and felt like it was going in. A healthy percentage of them fell through the bottom of the net. His combination of size and skill should lend well to the next level. 

For clarity’s sake, he’s listed on MaxPreps as “Jaylin Sammuels”, so apologies for any misspellings on Twitter. 

Carter Gates, Heritage (5’8, PG, 2029): When game pressure amplified, late in a tight contest, Gates stepped up for Heritage and responded when his team needed someone to make a play. A shifty guard, Gates was able to maneuver his way to the rim where he was solid as a finisher. He mixed in some shotmaking as well. He finished with 11 points, a solid number, but the context behind that number is what makes it more impressive. Freshmen don’t normally take over in late-game scenarios the way Gates did. 

Alex Mufu, Heritage (6’6, F, 2030): An 8th grader, Mufu is already establishing a reputation at the high school level. His first half on Saturday was a promising one. It showed a more-than-solid foundation to build upon when he gets into high school. With him, it starts on the glass. He’s a more powerful 6-foot-6 than your average high school underclassman, and reminder, he’s still an 8th grader. He also looks like he has plus length and a competitive rebounding motor. All of that blended makes a double-digit rebounder. He also used the aforementioned physical traits well on defense to protect the paint. He came up with a couple blocks, and was generally a sturdy presence to thwart drivers. 

Makari Townsend, Heritage (6’5, W, 2029): It’s a youthful roster over at Heritage. There’s plenty to be excited about for the Hawks. Makari Townsend made it clear that he’s going to be one of the names to monitor moving forward. Early on, it was his rebounding that stood out. He was able to rise above the crowd and secure boards, but as the game progressed, he started to show touch on his jumper that increased intrigue in his future as a prospect. We’ll see how his career continues to play out, but this was a good first impression. 

Sean Alicea, Meadowcreek (6’2, G, 2026): This Meadowcreek team is built on all-out effort and depth. It’ll be rare for them to have an eye-popping statline for box score watchers. That’s just not how they win. They win on balance. On Saturday, they got that, but one of the guys that came in clutch for them was Sean Alicea. His game, his effort was highlighted by an offensive rebound and putback that sealed the game for the Mustangs in the waning seconds. It wasn’t just a game-deciding bucket that Alicea delivered though. He was a consistent source of offense for Meadowcreek. Most importantly to this team’s identity, he hassled on defense. A pest on that end. 

Jayden Beckham, Meadowcreek (6’0, G, 2026): Beckham was among the best defensive players of the day, and it was based on the motor he plays with on that end. He wasn’t afraid of taking one for the team. A hustle play that defined his afternoon involved him chasing down a defender and diving for a steal like a shortstop fielding a ball up the middle. Ozzie Smith type beat for my old heads out there. To put it as bluntly as possible, he plays his ass off on defense. You win with guys like that. On the other side of the ball, he made meaningful contributions on offense with a couple of made 3-pointers and points that came within the flow of the game. 

Max Cook, Kell (6’3, G, 2027): Kell doesn’t have a ton of size this year, but what they do have is a bunch of guards capable of going off during any given game. On Saturday, it was Max Cook’s day. He poured in 26 points for the Longhorns. Four-made 3-pointers were included in that total. Cook was a play finisher for them throughout the game. Whether from behind the arc or at the rim, he delivered more often than not when his teammates found him. 

Trey Smith, Kell  (6’1, G, 2027): Continuing a breakout junior campaign, Trey Smith completed another good game for Kell. What’s been most impressive about his first month or so of the season is how he’s been able to find different ways to impact games. He can do a little bit of everything. Smith’s stat lines tend to be robust, and the positive plays that don’t have easily identifiable numbers are usually there too. He finished with around 13 points, had a handful of assists, rebounds and defensive plays that defined his ability to produce in one way or another. 

Josh Tec has been covering prep basketball in Georgia and nationally since 2020. He has served myriad roles as a writer and evaluator, including editor-in-chief. Tec has a degree in journalism from Georgia State. Follow his work on X (Twitter) @_joshtec.