OTR Carolina Mania Standouts Part III – April 6, 2023

BOILING SPRINGS, South Carolina, – On the Radar Hoops took to the road last weekend to bring exposure and competition to the Palmetto State with the Carolina Mania. The main site of the event took place at Boiling Springs High School, which is located just outside of Spartanburg. Teams from South Carolina, Georgia, and North Carolina received top competition and attention at the event. Here is a third look at a few of the notable names from the event.

By: Jonathan Hemingway

Class of 2024 guard Caden Caskey turned in one of the best individual performances of the weekend with a 30-point game with Ace SD. A 6-foot-2 prospect, Caskey fills the role of point guard for his team typically. Yet in this setting he showed he can be a lead creator and play finisher. Caskey’s jumper is smooth and solid, but it was his ability to get to the rim and score that drew our attention. He took contact, finished plays, and got the free throw for easy points. Let us keep Caskey in our periphery for he could make a solid contribution to a regional program at the next level.

One of the premier athletes in the building last weekend was Randall King with Team Trezz. We watched him put up 18 points in a high-profile win over Wood Elite on Sunday afternoon. King is a bouncy wing who punches dunks with space in the lane. His high energy attitude and willingness to get after it on both ends of the court are key reason for Team Trezz’s success this past weekend. Keep an eye on King during the open periods this spring and summer. The 2024 guard should garner a fair amount of interest with this type of production.

Another high riser enters our list in class of 2024 guard Ty Stanley with Upward Stars Pee Dee. The 6-3 prospect rattled the rims with fastbreak flushes and in-the-lane jams at the Carolina Mania. Stanley is superb athlete who can accelerate past the defense and finish at the rim consistently. In the open court he is difficult to contain given his strength and athleticism. Programs looking to add athleticism to their roster should check in on Stanley later this month.

There was a theme to last weekend’s event: big time athletes who deliver high flying finishes. There is an argument to be made that class of 2024 wing Jalik Nicholls may have been the tops of them all. He has a slender 6-6 frame and appears to have springs for legs. He elevates quickly and if he gets within a modest radius of the rim, he will flush it regardless of who is in his way. When Nicholls has the ball on the perimeter in the half court set, we took note of his quick first step and his ability to create separation on the arc. We expect a big year from while playing with 1 of 1 Elite on the grassroots circuit.

Lamont Guy is a wing-forward who made our list due to his high productivity. The class of 2024 prospect brought a workman-like attitude to the court when we watched him. He executed the plays, did his job, ran the court, and found himself with 23 points in a win with the Charlotte Aces. He is the type of player a coach can seem to rely upon and build his offense around in the half court. The lefty rarely tries to do too much but keeps his dribble efficient when splitting the defense.

There were several available senior prospects on hand at the event. Many were talented and showed promise. One of those names that we were able to track down was Chrisean Oree from the Palmetto City Hurricanes. We caught the second half of his final game on Sunday afternoon and became intrigued with the physical attributes that the 6-2 point guard possesses. His explosive first step and his long arms make him a threat to finish at the rim consistently. He also showed upside as an on-ball defender. He is a kid that can not only move his feet to cut off the ball handler but can use his length to take away passing angles.

One of the top shooters we took note of from the event was Brett Wright with the Atlanta All-Stars. He is a 6-7 wing out of Chattanooga, Tennessee. His combination of size and range make him a terrific compliment to any number of rosters at this level and at the next. His release comes out high and smooth. We saw glimpses of other skills that Wright has that can be useful. We will be watching more see how impactful he can be with these in the future.

Jonathan Hemingway has been a National Evaluator for On the Radar Hoops since 2013. He has been involved in the basketball community since 1995 as a coach, camp director and evaluator. You can reach him at JLHemingway@gmail.com and follow him on twitter @JL_Hemingway.