OTR Hoops: Sweet 16 Weekend Standouts Part II (Hinds) – May 22, 2024

Atlanta, Georgia, – The Live Period is here, and, On the Radar Hoops, scouts are flooding the scene across the greater Atlanta area. Teams from across the Southeast region is on full display putting in the hard work. Here is who stood out at the Sweet Sixteen.

By: David Hinds

Messiah Millin – SMB – 2026

Messiah Millin was the heart and soul of his tough SMB 2026 squad this weekend. The prolific scoring point guard ran the show and lived with two feet in the paint. Millin was the picture of efficiency from the lead guard spot as he seemed to set teammates up for open shots at will and took advantage of nearly every open jumper that I saw. Millin has the potential to be a high impact varsity player this upcoming year and should cement himself as a potential college prospect in short order.

Jaden Culver – Kentucky Ambition – 2026

Jaden Culver is a shifty point guard that hit one of the most clutch shots of the weekend. In an overtime battle with SMB 2026 Culver took possession of the ball with 10 seconds left off of an Iverson Cut. Culver proceeded to break his man down and hit an ankle breaking fallaway jumper with 2 seconds left to propel his KY Ambition squad to a well-contested victory.

Jakavious Dubose – 904 Elite – 2027

Jakavious Dubose is simply a man amongst boys at this stage in his development. The current 9^th grader is built like a starting varsity power forward and makes a living on the glass. Dubose’s teammates must love playing with him as he cleans a ton of the offensive boards for second chance points. A well-developed frame makes him a handful to deal with for opposing bigs. Dubose is an instant impact varsity player with room for skill development that would increase his ceiling even higher.

Nelson Marshall – NineStrong Elite – 2025

Nelson Marshall is the focal point of his teams gameplan. The offense begins and finishes with the ball in his hands, with a positive outcome more often than not. In the game I watched the opponent had to resort to a box and one defense to try slowing down Marshall to no avail. Marshall has a quick first step with a solid pull-up game. A good frame allows him to finish strongly around the basket.

Christopher Exis – Team Knight – 2026

Christopher Exis is one of the top shooters from the class of ’26 that was present at the Sweet 16. I watched him single handedly will his team to a victory by knocking down perimeter jumper after jumper. The lanky guard has a plus wingspan and high release point that allows him to shoot over contests quite easily. Not a slouch on the defensive end either, uses his length to play the passing lanes very proficiently.

David Hinds has been an Evaluator for On the Radar Hoops since 2024. He is the Program Director/17u HC of the Rocket City Suns and is the Head JV/Assistant Varsity Coach at St. John Paul II Catholic HS in Huntsville, Alabama. You can reach him at rocketcitysuns@gmail.com and follow him on twitter @CoachHindsRCS.