HoopSeen Finale Notebook
Our HoopSeen Finale last weekend had our HSA teams at the high school age groups competing for the coveted HSA Title in a single-elimination bracket and also featured a number of other teams in the event looking to have their guys play in front of college coaches in the NCAA Live Period. We've touched on our 3 Champions a ton (& rightfully so), but let's take a look at some of the other teams and players who left their mark on the weekend.
The Norcross Heat 17U Run
Man, if there was one team that got hot at the right time it was the Norcross Heat 2027 group in the 17u division. Coming into the bracket as the #12 seed, they were faced with #5 Devin Butts Elite in the 1st round in a tough matchup against the Middle Georgia power that they took down 70-62. In Round 2, they defeated the #3 seed HoopSavannah 62-51 & in the semi's they played #6 seed Shockers that they defeated 47-45 with some last-minute heroics from the guys to earn their way into the championship game against Team Global.
Throughout the weekend, Tyler Wallace asserted himself as a 2027 guard that college coaches must start paying attention to:
v DBE 14p 4a 3r 3s
v HoopSavannah 21p 3a 4r 1b
v Shockers 16p
The Berkmar guard is a steadying presence on the court with the ball in his hands and was able to execute for his squad on the offensive end and continuously made winning plays with the basketball. He has a non-stop motor and plays hard throughout the game. A junkyard dawg you don't want to have to play against.
Kellen Downey, a 2028 playing up in the 17u division, impressed our staff a ton over the weekend as he was able to show off some insane development and improvement throughout this travel season. The Seckinger HS Forward has a frame that he'll continue to be able adding weight to & if he works physically on his body - Downey could turn out to be a very attractive prospects to scholarship-level programs. His activity has improved a ton since we first saw him this season back in March & his skill-level improvements are obvious.
v DBE 11p 3r 1a
v HoopSavannah 15p 10r 1b
v Shockers 12p 8r
v Team Global 10p 4r
Downey is a 2028 that should pick up some steam with Seckinger this HS season and will be one of our hottest names in the 17u division headed into next year.
CKLRS Dynamic Duo
The Cereal Killers 16u group has caught eyes this season (not only cause of their team name), but because of their play on the floor. The duo of Kale Martin & Brody Pryor have been a perfect pairing alongside a crew of teammates who space the floor, defend well, & move the basketball.
2028 Kale Martin has impressed the entire season on the HoopSeen platform dating back all the way to our 1st event of the season with Bama Jam. The 6'1" Stocky PG is a nightmare for defenses as he is going to make the winning play whether that means he gets the ball in the basket or one of his teammates does. In the Championship loss to DBE, Martin kept his team in it for the full-length of the game behind his 19p 5a 5r performance. He gets to the rim and absorbs contact well while finishing, he's not afraid of going through multiple defenders and looks the part of being the toughest guy on the floor at all times. As he goes into his Junior year with Siegel HS, look for Martin's name to become a popular one in Tennessee's 2028 class.
2028 Brody Pryor is the forward that holds down the inside for this CKLRS squad every time he hits the floor. Also named a Top Performer from the event, Pryor and his running-mate Martin led their squad all the way to the HSA Championship game behind their play. In the title game v DBE, Pryor kept it simple. Hard screens, physical defense, finishing at the rim, and finishing through contact. His game is a perfect example at thriving with the simple things and he did them well en route to a 20p performance in the title game. The Pickett County Forward will be one to watch this upcoming HS season in Tennessee & will be one of the hottest names on the HSA Circuit as they get ready for their 17u year.
4:44 Athletics has a FLAMETHROWER
One of our favorite things about hosting events at HoopSeen is our unique opportunity to discover new talent and guys that'll be household names in the future...& oh boy I think we found one. 2029 Kingsley Anderson had one of the most impressive performances of the weekend in a loss to eventual HSA 15U Champion UpNext Elite as he poured in 38p scoring from anywhere on the court. The Rising-Soph at Brookwood HS right here in the county looks to have a bright future ahead of him. We'll let the film do the talking below:
HoopAthens 17u & 16u Make Final 4 Runs
In a loaded field, we saw both the 17u teams and 16u teams make their way to the Final 4 of the HSA Championship brackets. 17U came into the bracket as a 5 seed and took down Georgia Suns 62-57 in the 1st round before beating the 4 seed HoopAtlanta Orange 49-43 to earn their spot in the semifinals. 16u came into the event as the 8 seed and took down 9 seed Thunder Basketball to get a quarterfinal shot against the #1 Overall seed, UpNext Elite. In that battle v #1, they took home a 50-48 OT thriller to earn their spot in the Final 4. Lets take a look at some standouts from 17 & 16U divisions for HoopAthens:
At North Oconee, much of the attention is deservedly focused on the talented Wise brothers but alongside them 2027 Tyler Blouin has put together an impressive summer both on the scholastic & club circuits. In the win over Georgia Suns, Blouin did a little bit of everything for Athens as he ended with 17p 5a 5r 3s 1b. He's an ultra-athletic Combo Guard who can get on the rim in a hurry but is cool & collected with the ball in his hands. He flies around on the defensive end forcing turnovers and has shown off a complete skill-set. Multiple scholarship-level programs have been in contact with Blouin and look for his recruitment to take off soon after a successful summer.
2027 Bo Rentz contributed in the same ways we've seen him contribute on the HoopSeen circuit for 2 years now; moving without the basketball & highly efficient shooting. In a win over Georgia Suns, Rentz finished with 14p 5r with 4 3pt FG's. Standing at 6'5", he's able to get lift on his shot over smaller defenders and hits at a high-rate. Rentz needs to improve on adding mass to his body but has a skill-set that'll easily translate to the next level.
Across the whole HoopAthens program, you have a ton of big bodies and post players. At the 16U level, 2028 JJ Adams looks to be next in line to be one of the dominant big men out of the program. The 6'7" Forward is a dominant rebounder and a physical presence in the post that is one heck of an issue for opponents to deal with. He dunks everything around the rim and put 3 or 4 defenders on posters across the weekend. With already featured Top Performer 2028 Donovan Jackson, he's deadly in a pick & roll as he sets solid, hard screens and rolls quickly out of them giving defenders decisions to make with no right answers. On the defensive end, he's most impressive with his ability to stay out of foul trouble. He stays vertical while blocking shots and has already learned how to be an effective rim protector. Look for Adams to be one of the top 2028 names on the HSA Circuit this next season at the 17u level.
Dunk of the Weekend goes to JSI
JSI Elite has always been known as one of the top programs in Alabama and we were excited to see the group of talent they'd be bringing to HoopSeen Finale. In Night One, they made a LOUD statement with 2027 Ethan Hudson taking the rim off with a transition slam. The 6'4" CG is a serious threat attacking the rim and is a prospect that coaches looking for athleticism should move to the top of their list (see below):