ATLANTA, GA – We’ve given quite a bit of attention to guards recently as they so often dominate the headlines and the stat sheets, but here are the first 12 of 24 underclass bigs I’ve seen in the ATL-Metro whose stock has either risen this season or are ones who have a chance to use the coming spring and summer to prep for big breakout seasons in ’22-23. By: Keith Agran Jaiun Simon | 6-6 | 2023 | Pebblebrook Will soon be regularly mentioned among the top players in the class regardless......
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CUMMING, GA – NFHS technical difficulties amazingly and randomly cost me the couple of views I was looking forward to, so just two trips on the road last week to recap. Chattahoochee at Centennial (2/4/22) WHAT HAPPENED: Centennial W 69-61 – The home Knights had to fend off a big effort from Hooch guard Tomiwa Adetosoye, but defense and veterans again paid dividends. CENTENNIAL STANDOUTS: Taking full advantage of their size edge, the 2 senior bigs for Coach Matt Barksdale were huge particularly in the 2nd half. It was Wade Kahl early......
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CUMMING, GA – We’re rolling on after 3 parts so far in this series, as we hit Part 4, with Part 5 set to be the next and last. By: Keith Agran London Johnson and Mier Panoam | both 2023 | Norcross With the Blue Devils seriously hitting their stride right now it’s no surprise that these two are posting impressive numbers up and down the stat sheet. Watching Johnson (pictured above) you see the incredible polish of the high-profile recruit he is, but also the down and dirty necessities of a......
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CUMMING, GA – And now some 6A members of the 2024 class who could have a lot to say about this year’s Region and State brackets. By: Keith Agran John McQueen | SF | Langston Hughes | 6A-Region 4 Very competitive region with Westlake and Tucker sitting above them right now and Morrow and Lovejoy clipping at their heels just below in the standings. McQueen has been an intriguing offensive addition to what is always among the Metro’s best defensive programs, so well-drilled are the Panthers under Coach Rory Welsh he’s fit......
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CUMMING, GA – With the Region playoffs and state brackets just off on the horizon, experience is always a welcome recipe to any deep playoff run. But here we look at players from a strong 2024 class here in GA who have a chance to be impact players for their teams in the postseason. We start in 7A: By: Keith Agran Ace Bailey | SG | McEachern | 7A-Region 2 For my money, the state’s best sophomore at a highly-skilled 6-7, he was the best 8th-grader I saw 2 years ago while......
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CUMMING, GA – Part 3 now of non-senior backcourt duos I’ve seen that are impacting seasons as we speak and will into the future. By: Keith Agran Christian Anderson Jr and Kyle Walters | 2024 and 2023 | Lovett Anderson continues to assert himself on the scene as one of the top scoring PG’s in the ATL-Metro, defying the limits of size to consistently post numbers any coach or player would envy. The sophomore already has committed to Michigan, but having the security of such a high-profile offer hasn’t stopped him from......
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MILTON, GA – We looked at out-of-state top performers from Saturday’s Longhorn 5-Star Showcase hosted by Milton Basketball, we now look at homegrown guys who couldn’t be missed, as the many of the stars on the local scene borough their A-games to North Fulton. By: Keith Agran Jeremiah Wilkinson | 6-2 | CG | Hillgrove | 2024 Was looking forward to seeing Wilkinson after last seeing him suit up early with his new Hillgrove teammates back at the June Live Period camp, all that I’d heard about the kind of season he......
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MILTON, GA – Milton Basketball and Longhorn Steakhouse hosted the 5-Star Showcase this past Saturday, and 3 out of state teams came into town to participate. Here are some of the guys who impressed from that group: By: Keith Agran Styles Phipps | 6-2 | PG | 2024 | St. Mary’s (AZ) From the Phoenix-area the Knights ran into a host Eagles team playing really good basketball right now and dropped a 65-55 decision, Phipps though made a statement as a sophomore going up against the future D1-trio of Milton guards Bruce......
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CUMMING, GA – Moving through my notes so far this season, we look at still more non-senior backcourts that I’ve seen that have work still to do this season, but will be providing us thrills beyond. We’re into Part 2, and we’ll keep going until I run out of exemplary pairs (in no particular order). By: Keith Agran Jalen Lee and Orion Champion | both 2024 | Solid Rock Academy Lee has become a must-see headliner off of an impressive fall performance with his prior school as well as on the Showcase......
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CUMMING, GA – Let’s not take anything away from the Class of 2022 and the backcourt gems we all know and love, but as we get toward Region and State playoff time, let’s take a look at some guard combos (that I’ve seen) who may well have a lot to say about who hangs banners this year, and those who’ll be back next year to either win another or get another shot at one that got away. As I roll through my season notes, we open this series (in no particular order)......
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