OTR Hoops: Proven Grounds Day 1 Standouts – April 27, 2024
FULTONDALE, Alabama, – On the Radar Hoops returned to the Birmingham area for a second time this spring to host the Proven Grounds. Teams from around the Southeast met up to compete and showcase their talent. Our media team was in full force to shine the spotlight on the stars who played their best. Here is the first installment from this weekend.
By: Jonathan Hemingway
Rashad Bryant – Team Dr1ven – 2025
Bryant possesses a blend of physical attributes and silky skill. He is a 6-foot-7 wing-forward who showed off his soft touch on pull-up and spot up jumpers in an early game of the day. Bryant is a kid that college coaches will want to keep tabs on, because he is not close to having reached his physical ceiling. With a year of consistent weight training and adding a few pounds of muscle, we could forecast Bryant as a next level contributor.
Austin Coner – Team Carroll Premier – 2025
Coner was the difference maker down the stretch in his team’s victory on Saturday afternoon. He took the reigns as the primary ball handler, broke the 5-count, and delivered the ball to the right spot on the floor in the key moments. He delivered the most important play of the game, which was a tip-in bucket as the buzzer expired. Coner’s poise as a leader and his skill as a lead handler put him as one of the top performers from day one.
Austin Dudley – OFW Galaxy – 2025
It would be hard to find a player who had a smoother pull-up jumper than Dudley. He split time as the primary handler for 17U Galaxy squad. When he was not initiating the offense at the point, he was running off screens looking for a gap in the defense to catch and rip into the lane. His feel for how to make plays around the ball screen shows how good he is. With a simple jab step or crossover dribble he can find the daylight to drop jumpers consistently.
TJ Lewis – Carolina Pressure – 2025
Lewis turned in the performance of the day with a 34-point effort in a win over the Atlanta All-Stars. He is a 6-4 guard who is physically stout and laterally quick. His athleticism and length are matched with a solid skill set. He drained six 3-pointers while also showing touch in traffic and in transition. Lewis will be a name tracked coming out of this event.
Owen Ritger – Atlanta All-Stars – 2025
Ritger is a player whose reputation has been trending upward in recent months. The 6-9 forward proved to be just as comfortable in Birmingham as he is inside the perimeter in the Metro Atlanta area. He runs the floor exceptionally well for a big man. He glides up the court, far from a lumbering center, he is a player who can seamlessly go from running to elevating flushing dunks off pitch ahead passes. He also blends rebounding and altering shots as a defensive presence.
Talan Laird – Magic City Jayhawks – 2026
We tabbed Laird as one of our hidden gems from this event. He is a guard with size and an all-around skill set. He showed some touch when shooting off the move within the flow of the offense. And he has the footwork to create angles to score versus quicker defenders. With two more years of high school in front of him, Laird appears to be finding his stride as a prospect.
Will Dopfer – Atlanta All-Stars – 2026
Dopfer plays the game with energy and enthusiasm. He is a natural wing with exceptional size for the position. He moves well around the perimeter, changing his pace and direction to get open on the perimeter. It is what he does in the open court that opened our eyes to his full potential. He slams dunks with one or both hands with a one or two step run up. And he uses that athleticism to his advantage on the defensive end as a rebounder and a disruptor.
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.
