South Atlanta Fall Showcase
Morrow, Ga - Sunday - 10/14/2018 - Clayton State University the site of the 2018 South Atlanta Fall Showcase. A great event put on by EYA Sports and their owner Braderious Martin for some of South Metro-Atlanta's top hoppers. The player received an SAT/ACT prep course, a quick warm-up, some challenging skill work and finally, they were split into teams and got down to business.
Some of the notable players on hand starting with a couple sophomore from the class of 2021. 6'1 PG Peyton Daniels (Tri-Cities High School) and 6'8 Forward Jabari Smith, Jr. (Sandy Creek High School). Also in attendance were several seniors from the class of 2019 including 6'4 Combo Guard Mekhi Cameron (Elca High School), 6'8 Forward Ibrahima Jarjou (Holy Spirit Prep, and 6'9 Forward Joshua Nwafor (Eagles Landing High School.
Peyton was dominant from the tip of the first game, hitting three straight 3 pointers off the dribble, all while talking a little trash to his defender. From there he began to slice of the defense as he attacked the basket finishing with either hand in the lane. Lastly, he shared the wealth with a few drive & kicks for open 3's and a couple of nice drop off's for easy dunks.
Jabari was a little laid back to start, seemed to want to let the game come to him. He started off hitting a couple of catch & shoot 3's from the right wing and corner. A couple of plays later he received a quick drop off pass for an easy two-hand dunk. Then he got cooking, pulling down defensive rebounds, pushing the ball in transition and creating off the bounce for a couple pull up 3's.
As the seniors go, they were all business!
Mekhi was impressive with his ability to score at all three levels (rim, mid-range, and 3pt range. He is physically strong and athletic enough to score through contact at the rim. Has a great ability to slash to into the lane for mid-range pull-ups. Finally displayed a great ability to create off the dribble and make long-range shots with a hand in his face.
Ibrahima was a MAN among boys, he is physically imposing with broad shoulders, a strong frame and is super quick off his feet. I was most impressed with is desired to go after every shot the opposing team put up in the paint, I mean he challenged everything and what he didn't block he altered. He also dominated on the board, snatching every rebound he could get his hands on, even battling his own teammates on a few occasions. He is a little raw on the offensive end but I think the motor he plays with and his superior athletic ability makes up for that.
Joshua simply plays hard and the campers and coaches noticed alike. At one point during one of the drills, a camper said to one of the coaches "Where did y'all find him, Jail" implying that Joshua's physicality was too much for him to bear. I was surprised/impressed with his footwork on the block, he was patient making moves as he displayed a bevy of shot fakes, drop-steps and up & under moves to score around the basket.
Overall, I was very pleased with the talent on display and can't wait to come back next year, until next time....
