#OTRHoopsReport: May stock risers – May 28, 2018

Anthony Edwards stock has been on the rise since the first evaluation period. 

Atlanta, Ga – The Annual Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions was back at Suwanee Sports Academy and like always its a great spring board for unknown players to prove a point a long with those that are already seasoned names to come protect what they have already earned. Another weekend in the books and here are a few eye catchers from over the weekend.

Top Performers  

Chase Hunter 6’3 2019 SG Atlanta Xpress

Hunter is starting to put things together in terms of his consistency.  He’s a big time scoring threat that had things going this weekend due to him staying in attack mode and taking better shots.  A hand full of high major programs have jumped on the band wagon and by the likes of his play over the weekend there should be more come July.  A big difference in this weekend compared to those past this spring is that Hunter opted to put the ball on the deck more which resulted in some big time finishes above the rim.  If that athleticism is on display in July look for his recruiting to balloon.

CJ Felder 6’7 2019 PF Upward Stars Southeast

I enjoyed watching Felder play last year when he was a member of a loaded Game Elite team, a year later he’s a focal point on a competitive Upward Stars team where he had his motor revved up each game.  Successful undersized power forwards must possess elite athleticism and a nonstop motor and Felder has both.  In a Saturday afternoon game, I watched Felder pull down offensive rebounds on six consecutive possessions.  When matched up with bigger defenders Felder was able to complete straight line drives with no problem, while being a rim protector on the defensive end.

Anthony Edwards 6’4 2020 SG Atlanta Xpress

A top 10 player in his class, Edwards showed no signs of being stopped from scoring all over the court.  This spring he’s been forced to play on the ball where he’s done a pretty good job.  Not a selfish player, Edwards showed he can make the right plays including pitching the ball up for easy baskets in transition and using all the attention he gets to create open looks for teammates.  At the end of the day Edwards is a walking bucket with his deep range and strong drives to the basket.  Not surprising that when the game was on the line Edwards wanted the ball, but he also wanted to guard the other teams best player when it counted.

Talon Cooper 6’3 2019 PG Upward Stars Upstate

Cooper played an excellent game against the above-mentioned Edwards.  He didn’t let his opponents speed him up and cause silly turnovers, Cooper played at his own pace.  In looking at old clips of Cooper the shooting performance that he put on wasn’t a fluke.  Cooper hit open shots and managed to get to his spot off the dribble.  He had the play of the game by coming up with a huge block shot after Edwards drove hard to the basket with eight seconds remaining to basically seal the win.

Walker Kessler 7’0 2020 C Game Elite FL

This was Kessler’s first live action since he ended his high school and it showed a bit.  A top 25 player nationally in the sophomore class that should see a bump in his ranking as he shows face more on the scene, Kessler might be listed as a center but the 7ft 16 year old can move and shoot the ball from behind the arc.  Suiting up for the first time with Game Elite, he dunked home multiple lob passes and hauled down his share of rebounds.  He might have floated outside more than you wanted him to, but when he had an open look he didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger.  Paired next to a another big he completed high low passes with ease and showed his basketball IQ when he found a couple guys going back door.

Brinton Wright 6’8 2021 SF Middle Ga Ballers

This freshman announced himself onto the national stage this past weekend.  Wright’s body rivals a high major bound senior and his skills at this age have developed pretty well.  He did a ton of ball handling for his team, he was patient and made plays, handle pressure pretty well, and when he caught the ball in the 15ft range was very hard to guard.  Playing on the 16u level there were times he got frustrated, but that’s normal.  Going forward we will keep tabs on Wright who is also a big time wide receiver.

Tre Jackson 6’2 2019 SG Team South Carolina

A crafty scorer that mid major programs should go see during the next live period.  Jackson was a shot maker throughout the weekend, and it looks like he’s mastered the art of creating space to get his looks.  He’s a competitor that can be very crafty in the lane, already holds offers from the local South Carolina University and could turn that into many more in the southeast.

Jaylin McCreary 6’7 2019 Game Elite 

McCreary probably showed me the biggest improvement of the Spring with his weekend play.  The lefty forward just had a different bounce to him as he hung all over the rim each game.  The two games I watched him in he pulled down double digit rebounds with the majority of the being offensive.  I don’t think he dropped a single pass when it came to sprinting the floor in transition and finishing above the rim.  McCreary did a bit of damage on the perimeter as well, not settling for jumpers but instead mixing it up depending on what the defense gave him.

Kerry Willis is a contributor to On the Radar Hoops


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