North Atlanta HS Fall League – Backcourt Combos

ATLANTA, GA – Northside Parkway is a great way to get around traffic on 75-N as you make your way up to 285, Cobb and beyond, but you couldn’t get around the sweet backcourt combinations I saw at North Atlanta HS’s Fall League last weekend.

Let’s get a snapshot:

By: Keith Agran

TJ Lewis (6-1, Senior) | K’hamani Olivacce (5-9, Senior), North Atlanta

The hosts are not quite rebuilding but have to replace a lot of production off of last year’s 20-win team that drew the unfortunate long road trip to Richmond Hill in last year’s 6A 2nd round and dropped a 42-39 squeaker, anchoring this group will be Lewis and Olivacce, both coming off productive summers and both equipped with maturity and confidence for miles, Lewis is a slightly undersized 2-guard but can put up a bunch of points in a hurry and has a lot of perimeter game and variety to work with, Olivacce is a classic floor general who uses his lightning speed to ignite the break and play terrific on-ball defense, an intriguing third guard in the mix is senior Jalen Lane, who opted out of the season last year due to Covid and has a lot of intriguing skills at 6-1 both on the attack and from range.

Chi Shannon (6-6, Senior) | Khirus Doucet (6-3, Junior), Chapel Hill

There’s a lot back from last year’s 5A Final Four team, enough to make another run as the Panthers are seemingly always so athletic and make for such matchup issues, headlining that effort is the long and fluid Shannon who has always tantalized with his incredible athletic gifts but Saturday showed more of the overall extension of his game as he was able to cut and slash and do a lot inside and out with the ball, he’s a true matchup nightmare with that size and movement, playing mostly the point but able to slide over and be a definitive threat as a wing too is Doucet (younger brother of 2021 KJ Doucet, now at Fort Valley St), like all of these Panthers it seems he too has great length at 6-3 but really makes his hay as a savvy lead man with solid instincts and an ability to see the best options, he’s a real riser a PG-prospect in the class, keep an eye as well over on senior Peyton Weathersby playing the point and allowing Doucet to slide over (listed at 6-1 but has arms and more length than that it appears) as he gives them a veteran presence and more lineup options.

Karris Bilal (6-3, Sophomore) | Jaeger Ouanounou (6-5, Sophomore), Riverwood

With no Jalen Lee (the 2024 being among the area’s fastest risers) Saturday or junior CG Joseph Campbell the Raiders backcourt looked a little different aside from Bilal’s consistent brilliance, before Lee’s transfer from Grayson he was already a monster prospect on the rise with all the ability in the world to develop into the high-major guard he appears, he can handle the point or be a true 2 if needed yet in either role he’s a 20+ ppg guy every night with the smooth stroke, the patented blow-by off the dribble and the physicality to take it right at the rim, liked what Ouanounou brought to the table in the others’ absence as he was aggressive off the catch both pulling the J and trying to attack gaps off the bounce, he’s someone to watch develop for sure with his good size and court sense.

Albert Taylor (6-0, Senior) | Autrey Barnes (6-5, Senior), Midtown

You have the love the fight and grit Midtown plays with, they have a roster of under0-achievers or under-appreciated guys who play so hard and give so much every possession, both Taylor and Barnes epitomize that battler-mentality with Taylor manning the point and showing his veteran presence on the attack and on defense as a sparkplug, he can get hot from the mid-range and isn’t afraid to drive it hard at the cup, Barnes makes his living in that same mid-range area but at a long 6-5 with great hops is a much more dynamic above-the-rim threat in the halfcourt and off the break, he’s been showing out on the Showcase circuit since last Spring, 6-0 sophomore Charlie Kane has a chance to be something special after a summer with Inspire-ATL that turned heads while seniors Isaiah Douthard and Joseph Crawford add shooting, depth and maturity to the group.

OTHERS TO WATCH:

Kyle Greene, Jr | Sophomore | Pace Academy

Sebastian Reed | Junior | Lakeside-DeKalb

Mansir Williamson | Junior | Centennial

Syncere Harris | Senior | Mt Vernon

Keith Agran has lived in Georgia since 2011 and joined OTR as a National Evaluator in 2021. He previously scouted for Prep Hoops dating back to 2019 and has both a championship-coaching background on the HS-level and daily newspaper writing experience, both from New Jersey. You can reach him at keithagran1@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @BracketSage.