#OTRSweet16 Session 2 – Saturday Eye-Catchers (Hillgrove)

POWDER SPRINGS, GA – After both a terrific turnout and great results in both coaching attendance and completion level during Session 1, OTR put on its second monster Live Period event of April with 250+ teams once again at Session 2 this past weekend.

With more evaluators spread out over more locations, we were able to cover more ground than ever, and I spent a good portion of the day at Hillgrove HS. Here are some guys who were hard to miss:

By: Keith Agran

Jeremiah Long | SG | Showtime Ballers | 2024

Showtime’s 2024 group played up and faced off with a really good Jupiter Jaguars 17U team that had been feasting on OTR competition through the prior 2 tournaments, Long was bouncy and all over the place at both ends, impressive athlete was dangeorus coming off the wing and in the open floor as a finisher, defended 3 spots.

Grant Zeiler | PF | Q6 Elite All-Stars Baety | 2023

This is Krishen Atwal’s team and the recently re-classed 2023 big guard was terrific again in Saturday action at Hillgrove after being one of the better players I saw at OTR’s The Florida Opening, Zeiler caught my eye as well with his terrific frame and good size as a 4-man to bang, he too was bouncy off the deck and played the perfect role of rim runner and glass cleaner to add up some buckets, like his college prospects a lot at around 6-7.

Mekhi Turner | SF | All Georgia Elite | 2024

This group was playing up with a slew of good-looking 2024’s from Columbia HS in particular with guards Jamarcus Hatcher and Trevian Callaway showing they too are set for a breakout with the Eagles, Turner at 6-8 is a tad raw in the polish department but the sticky hands and impressive movement means there’s a lot of shaping available and it’s all exciting, can easily see him blossom over this next 10 months and enter next spring as an absolute must-see forward attraction in the ATL-Metro.

Demondre Graham | SG | MEBO Team Hood | 2023

A sterling athlete who glided and leaped his way past folks in playing both guard spots with equal aplomb, has all the tools of a college-level guard with a good frame and speed at both ends, well-drilled and physical defender, confident and polished there wasn’t much he couldn’t do out there.

VJ Edgecombe | SG | South Florida Kings | 2024 (pictured at top)

If you count last summer with the Kings and then this fall at Hoop Exchange’s Fall Showcase at The Big House in Florida you can maybe count on one hand better athletes I’ve seen over that span than Edgecombe, the incredible lift and glide is a god-given gift and he uses it with both explosive and highly effective results on the basketball court, around the basket it’s spectacular and eye-catching and away from the basket he has the moxie and the jumper to go with it all, at 6-4 he’s sure a D1 player to me even in a tough climate for HS guys right now.

Alfonzo Ross | SG | Georgia Ignites | 2023

Windsor Forest’s Larry Pounds was also superb for the Ignites in their good game with GA Man Up DeKalb, when I saw Ross back at Wheeler during TOC he stood out for the same reasons he did this past weekend, he’s a super physical guard at just 6-0 or so but because of the way he forces his will and uses a running back frame to get things done he seems and plays bigger and that should help him, he can handle the point just fine or be a really destructive wing with the way he moves and powers his way around, the Woodville-Thompkins product was one of my favorite guys of the whole weekend.

Jeremiah Edwards | SG | GA Man Up DeKalb | 2023

Coming over from the Norcross Heat has opened up some really intriguing possibilities for the 6-4 Edwards as he was particularly noticeable Saturday playing a lot of point guard and looking really good doing it, with his size and a good handle he can be a lot to deal with the way he shoots in the mid-range and uses long strides to get by people, the lift off the deck has always been a weapon and the defense has always been top-notch, could emerge as a sleeper PG-prospect if Dutchtown is wise enough to let him handle it more even with fellow 2023 Davarri Barthell in place.

Dominic Gooden | PG | Florida Bayhawks National | 2023

It was a good day for PG play at Hillgrove as Gooden was top flight in all the key areas as a distributor, penetrator, shooter and overall decision-maker, had a little smooth to go with all that sound play and he was able to unleash an extra gear at times that separated him, a smart defender he never seemed forced out there and with a ton of options to find on their roster he showed off the full PG game with the vision and skillful scoring chances.

Andrew Daniels | SF | COD Elite | 2022

Great to see the COD guys back on the floor together with the likes of 2022 guard Parker Axam and other Decatur products joining Duluth’s Daniels, he’s always been a hard worker making him seem more like a power forward than a wing but at 6-4 it was good to see him facing up more and creating from further away, he can still get down near the basket and be effective as a rebounder and versatile defender.

Jaylen Carrington | SG | Auburn Raptors | 2023 

Big man Tobias Stoutemire intrigued as well as his game is still on the come and is yet to be fully molded, Carrington is the more fully-formed player at the moment and the slithery slasher was versatile and easy to spot at both ends, like most Raptors guys he was working hard all over the place and the grit combined with a skillset that translates well to the next level at 6-1 means the Hoover-product has a chance to get noticed.

Luke Mosley | PG | North Alabama Elite | 2024

This roster is about a half and half mix of 2023s and 2024s playing up and it was hard to highlight just one guy when this team plays so well together (2023’s Cylas Yarbrough and Byron Parrish Jr also stood out vs Auburn Raptors), Mosley though was all over the place in his lead guard role knocking down shots from deep and getting into the teeth with a fearless and effective approach, his finishing is both clever and sound and he’s a better athlete than he appears as he gets by people, has the understanding and look of a future college PG.

Nicholas Robinson | SG | Promise Elite | 2024

Playing up this 2024 group took a few lumps but showed the kind of grit we’ve come to expect from Promise teams, love the backcourt combo they have with Decatur’s young star Quay Wallace joining the athletic Robinson of Rockdale County, while Wallace playing nearer to the ATL-Metro has earned him a spot on my radar already Robinson is a new addition but one that has to be marked as an up and comer, can do the high-flying stuff at 6-3 but also is a dangerous perimeter threat from past the arc, has the look of a breakout guy.

Jonathan Sawyer | SF | Tennessee Panthers | 2023

Size and length at 6-7 immediately stand out as his arms seem to go on forever making him a legit rim-protector as well as a difficult matchup in close on the catch, good movement on the face-up drive and he was a glass cleaner with good hands with the look of a double-double type machine, the measurables alone make him a must-see but the game has a lot to like as he makes a push toward his senior year.

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 has both a championship-coaching background on the HS-level and daily newspaper writing experience, both from New Jersey. You can reach him at keithagran1@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @BracketSage.