OTR #Elite32 – Interior Gems Pt 1
MARIETTA, GA – After a busy June for high-schoolers back on their homefronts, OTR was back at it with its 4-day long basketball extravaganza and once again teaming with Recruit Look Hoops for another incredibly diverse field of teams from all regions.
For the first of two July live periods for prospects, our crack team had main venue Next Play 360 covered with multiple evaluators canvassing the 4 courts, I took to outer venues Kell HS and Sequoyah HS to see if we could uncover some gems.
Some willing and skilled interior guys who impressed:
Jamal Ali | 2025 | AZ Select Tucson
Long and lean and a bit raw but the activity level made up for a lot of that as he was a quick and decisive finisher right around the basket, hovering around 6-6 if he can grow a couple more inches he won’t have to add a ton of face-up game from the perimeter and can just be a menace in close off the catch.
Justice Decker | 2025 | Louisville Legends
Became a fan of Decker (pictured left, player on right) after seeing Legends last year with OTR and he was back bigger and stronger, might only stand 6-5 but plays a whole lot bigger in part because of the good frame as just an incoming junior and a really classic variety of moves around the basket, should be a name we hear much more as we move closer to next spring as he was in visiting Bellarmine back in June.
Montrell Martin | 2025 | All Arkansas Red
Did nothing but produce all weekend against whatever variety of size he and his mates saw, extremely efficient and a much better mover than he might first appear as a wide-bodied guy, not the tallest guy but he uses that leverage well to push folks around but I was particularly impressed with how well he moved and how he and all his All Arkansas guys got after it.
Marcis Ponder | 2026 | Team Breakdown (pictured at top)
In rumbled Ponder and his talented 15U teammates from South FL playing up in 17u and demolishing all comers, you can hardly miss the 7-footer as cuts through the O2 earth atmosphere like a Saturn 5 rocket booster, more than once after a thunderous jam the rim had to be adjusted as his power for a 15-year old is astounding and is obviously is already garnering high major D1 attention with so much upside still untapped in his young game.
Jozohn Price | 2024 | Charlotte Aces
Price’s game was super intriguing as he’s got terrific length at 6-10 and moves really well at both ends as a defender and back-to-the-basket guy, soft touch on the intermediate jumper is always something I take note of as he didn’t feel it necessary to bull-drive everything to the rack, stepping out to 3-land and looking comfortable upped the ante and a noteworthy uptick in his recruiting is right around the bend with the measurables, natural talent and a bump from the comfortable deep shooting.
Jeremy Innocent | 2024 | South Florida Elite
We’ve seen Innocent and his SFE teammates several times through OTR events as he and Hedrens Bartelus in particular have been tremendous, you have to love the seemingly endless length Innocent possesses which makes him a terror as a shot-blocker but also so tough to contend with as a wing attacker with the strides and long arms up above the rim, should be a really good college player.
Jayden Pretty | 2024 | Carolina Pressure
Guys don’t always have to score a ton to catch my eye particularly post players, Pretty did some bucket work around the basket but it was the intangibles I liked the most, vocal and a clear leader among his teammates he was a solid defender with a strong body to back it up and did a lot of the dirty work needed to get others in good positions, soft hands and good feet even as a smaller post are advantages he can bank on.
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 also spent 3 years as a sports writer at two newspapers in New Jersey. After a championship-coaching background on the HS-level also in NJ, he accepted the Girl’s Basketball Head Coaching position in May 2022 at Mt Bethel Christian Academy and now balances scouting and coaching still with a keen eye on talent around the region. You can reach him at keithagran1@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @BracketSage.
