November 5th-11th Report
This report includes notes from November 5th-11th. Included in this will be Belmont at Tishomingo County, Hickory Flat at Blue Mountain, New Site at Wheeler and the Bank of Pontotoc Shootout (after Saturday the name should be changed to Da House/ Da House White Showcase).
Player Notes
2018
Conner Allison 6-0 G Belmont HS (Belmont): 14 pts, 9-10 ft, 6 reb, 8 st, 2 ast, 1 blk vs Tishomingo County. Conner didn’t have his best showing in this intense game. He played hard and played with a lot of heart. Heart shows up on defense with his 8 steals and 6 rebounds. He connected on a high percentage of free throws. NAIA’s need to be checking him out.
Jarvis Harris 5-11 PG Hickory Flat HS (Hickory Flat): 33 pts, 7 3’s, 7 reb, 6 st, 1 ast, 3 blk vs Blue Mountain. I watched him at 5-6 last year and he was a good player with heart. This year he is 5-11 with heart and a really good player. He has a really extended NBA range shot. The farther the better. He nailed a buzzer beater to end the 3rd quarter from inside the half court circle with ease like a pull up jumper. He played solid on the defensive end. He is a very quick one on one defender with very fast hands. He jumps passes and creates chaos. JUCO’s need to get an eye on him this season.
Ramsey Ivy 6-1 G New Site HS (New Site): 22 pts, 2 3’s, 3 blk, 9 reb, 2 st, 2 ast, 1 charge taken, 2 free throws with no time on the clock for the win vs Wheeler. Clutch. That’s all you can say about that. He has signed to play baseball at Northeast MS CC but he is a freak athlete. He has a crazy vertical. He swatted several shots well above the rim. He rebounds at a high level. He can score around the basket or knock down open shots from outside.
Luke McBrayer 6-6 F/C Wheeler HS (Wheeler): 18 pts, 7 reb, 1 st, 1 ast, 1 charge taken vs New Site. The team leader for Wheeler in points on a high percentage. He could’ve dropped 40 if he was able to get the ball. He showed a variety of nice fakes and drop steps to score the easy baskets. He shot well from mid-range. He played good on the offensive end moving without the ball. He worked hard all night. D3’s, JUCO’s and NAIA’s should be giving him a look.
Brinten Morgan 6-4 C New Site HS (New Site): 2 pts vs Wheeler. Here I go again, talking about guys that don’t put up numbers. There should be a new stat invented by me called lack of touches allowed. He was the main reason the aforementioned McBrayer couldn’t get the touches. He played extremely hard working on the defensive end. Fighting down low, running the lane, fronting, backing and anything he needed to do to keep Luke from getting the ball. Ramsey Ivy might have won the game with the free throws but here would be the MVP for keeping Luke from dropping 40 on them.
Terry “TJ” Wallace 6-3 G/F Amory HS (Amory): 16 pts, 5-5 ft, 7 reb, 1 blk, 1 st vs North Pontotoc. TJ is a nice looking project. He has a little bit of handles to go with this length. He had a solid game but his best is yet to come. One of Da House White players.
Ma’Darius “MayDay” Hobson 6-3 G/F Houlka HS (Houlka): 36 pts, 9-10 ft, 13-17 fg, 8 reb, 1 blk, 1 ast, 2 st vs Ripley. Da House representative was the centerpiece of this game and he didn’t disappoint. It wasn’t anything like his game Thursday night at the Bank of Pontotoc Classic against Shannon which needs to be mentioned. He finished with 31 pts, 13-25 fg, 4-5 ft, 15 reb, 6 ast and 5 st. Both were impressive. He is the master of efficiency on the court. He does everything at such a high level. He also added a monster put back. I can see him at a low major, D2 or JUCO.
Jortavious “Smoody” Turner 5-8 PG Houlka HS (Houlka): 5 pts, 3 reb, 5 st, 7 ast vs Ripley. He was representing Da House White. He is a great on ball defender with really quick hands. He has really good handles and runs the team. He is a natural distributor that looks to set his guys up and not for his own shot. He can be a great addition to a post grad program.
Iverson “Ivo” Smith 5-11 G Ripley HS (Blue Mountain): 37 pts, 12-13 ft, 3 3’s, 9 reb, 2 st, 2 ast vs Houlka. Everyone, including college Coaches, showed up for this game to see MayDay but they left talking about Ivo. Iverson was a Da House White player. He had a monster game but it’s even better than what it appears. He put these numbers up in only 3 quarters of action. He come into the game firing on all cylinders once he got in. I had him unofficially with 9 boards but I’m thinking it should’ve been more like 12 or 13. He pushed the pace of the game and scored on all levels whenever he wanted to. JUCO’s might want to check him out before someone swipes him up.
Cameron “Beno” Smith 6-6 G/F Okolona HS (Okolona): 26 pts, 17 reb, 7 ast, 7-8 ft, 1 st vs Corinth. Da House at it again. Cam looked comfortable playing. He looked better at handling the ball and running the guard spot. He was masterful at getting a defensive board and throwing a td pass for an easy fg on the other end. He played strong when double teamed. His level of play is still up in the air but he is a good one to watch this season. He’s D1 when playing at his best and healthy.
Jaylon “Jay-Mo” Bailey 6-1 G Okolona HS (Okolona): 12 pts, 5 st, 2 ast, 1 reb vs Corinth. Most people look at the size of Okolona and get carried away. I agree they are mesmerizing but the heart of Okolona comes from the guards on most nights. Jaylon is a fast defender that plays the passing lanes and help side good. He gets up the court fast on the offensive end and makes the best of the fast breaks. He is a good one for JUCO’s to check out.
Axavius “Tada” Stricklen 6-0 G Corinth HS (Corinth): 31 pts, 3 3’s, 4 ast, 8 reb, 3 blk, 2 st vs Okolona. Another member of Da House putting up good numbers. The recent Morehead State signee had the crowd oohing and aughing on several occasions. He tried to put one of his Da House teammates on a poster but drew the foul. His blocks were crowd-pleasers. He a must see this year for hoops fans before he heads off to eastern Kentucky.
John Fleming 6-3 G/F Pontotoc HS (Pontotoc): 24 pts, 9 reb, 2 ast, 4 st vs Lafayette County. Da House White player got off to a slow start but he finished strong. He’s a guy that just does a little of everything. JUCO and NAIA Coaches need to be checking him out. He can be a valuable piece to the puzzle.
2019
Tucker Hill 6-8 G/F Tishomingo County HS (Burnsville): 8 pts, 7 reb, 2 st, 2 blk, 1 charge taken, 1 ast vs Belmont. Talent, talent, talent. So much talent and potential. I really hate he missed the last part of the summer due to an injury. The multi-talented, multi-handed wing can do it all. He can clear the defensive board and bring the ball down. He sees the court so well. He can score with finesse down low. He can stroke it from extended range. He hit 8 in a row in shoot-around from NBA range. He uses his length to block shots and interrupt the passing lanes. High potential.
Braxton Pritchard 6-0 G Tishomingo County HS (Iuka): 19 pts, 4 3’s, 5-6 ft, 4 ast, 2 reb, 1 st vs Belmont. He scores easy around the rim. The smooth and shifty ball handler can also knock it down from outside. Defensively, he only had 1 steal but he created or caused 8 or 10. He has very fast hands and creates havoc.
Jalon Beene 5-10 G/F Wheeler HS (Booneville): 7 pts, 10 reb, 1 st vs New Site. Beene has a 46 inch vertical and he comes out of nowhere with it. He has an automatic pull up jumper from mid-range.
Stephon Isom 6-7 G/F Lafayette County HS (Oxford): 5 pts, 4 reb, 3 blk, 1 st vs Pontotoc. Potential. He didn’t have a good game but he has massive potential. He is long and lanky. He has a good outside shot. His wingspan allowed him to contest and swat shots away on the defensive end.
2020
Walker Moreland 5-11 G New Site HS (New Site): 5 pts, 2 reb, 1 st, 1 charge taken vs Wheeler. He doesn’t demand a lot of attention but he has to be picked up at the half court line because that is his range. He can knock them down all day from Steph range. He runs the team as a good point by controlling the tempo of the game. He slowed the game down and kept Wheeler from playing a fast paced style. He operates smoothly through and around double teams. Don’t let his nice and innocent look fool you, he can stick a dagger in you when you least expect it from deep.
Isaiah Thompson 6-3 F/C Amory HS (Amory): 15 pts vs North Pontotoc. I didn’t have a chance to keep up with his rebounds and defensive stats but his boards were high. He plays much bigger than 6-3. He has a soft touch around the basket to go with a monster size body. He took advantage of his scoring opportunities and kept mistakes to a minimum. He has a nice future if he continues to develop.
Da’Shun “DB” Berry 6-0 G Houlka HS (Houlka): 24 pts, 7-7 ft, 2 reb, 1 ast, 1 st vs Ripley. Very much improved from the year before. He has made a big jump. He has turned into a great scoring option. He has improved his ball handling and he gets to the hole easy. He plays big around the basket. He still continued his defensive intensity trying to lock his guy down.
Asa Howard 6-2 G Ripley HS (Ripley): 5 pts vs Houlka. Asa didnot have one of his better games stat wise but he was a big factor in the win. The smooth shooting lefty showed that he can contribute on the defensive end as well. He played good help side and on ball defense.
Jesus Ruedas 5-9 PG Ripley HS (Ripley): 16 pts, 8-11 ft, 2 3’s, 3 ast, 2 st, 11 pts in 4th quarter vs Houlka. Jesus is making me look really bad. What’s my take on him? He is a smooth ball handler thank can put you on skates or shake you up. He is a true point and a distributor. I tell people he’s nothing like his older brother, Ismael, who played at Blue Mountain and averaged nearly 30 points per. He is not really a scorer but a true point. Then he goes and does this to me. He scored 11 of his 16 in clutch time of the 4th quarter. He got to the basket and connected on an and 1. He made the game controlling steal followed by 2 free throws to help put it away. Either way, he can play.
2021
David Peterson 5-10 PF Blue Mountain HS (Blue Mountain): 12 pts, 14 reb vs Hickory Flat. He plays with hustle and effort. His on ball defense is top notch and he applies aggravating pressure. He closes out and recovers on his guy fast. He rebounds hard on both ends. He takes advantage on the offensive glass and gets put backs. He can finish around the basket. A very pleasant surprise as he recorded a double/double in his first ever varsity game. Expect many more to come.
Tyrese “Ty” Roberson 5-10 G North Pontotoc HS (Ecru): 14 pts, 2-2 ft, 2 3’s, 12 pts in 2nd half, 3 reb, 1 st vs Amory. He started the game off slow but picked up in a hurry in the send half. The smooth lefty showed that he can score around the basket by maneuvering in and around traffic. He nailed his pull up jumpers and his outside shots. He looked controlled and composed when double teamed. I watched him a couple years ago at the Rodney Hood Camp and he has improved by leaps and bounds in the last few years. Expect great things out of him in the future.
Rock Robinson 6-4 SG Pontotoc HS (Pontotoc): 7 pts (all in 2nd half), 9 reb, 1 st, 1 blk vs Lafayette County. I was told before this game began that Pontotoc had a freshman that I would like. Boy was my source right. He played with composure in a hard and physical game. The long and lanky wing has potential to be really good. I didn’t get a chance to see if he shoot from outside but I was told he can. He played mostly from 15 and in for his team. I got a feeling that he will be a fun one to watch in the next few years.
Team Notes
Corinth Warriors: Keep this in mind for Corinth in the future. They played so many players that no other player really just stood out but they all looked like they had potential, and they were really young. 2 sophomores (DT Sheffield 5-9 G 6 pts and DK Gaines 6-2 F) and 1 freshman (Will Crawford 5-9 G 9 pts) started while 2 other freshmen (Kito Windom 6-1 G and Quamarzriea “Q” Wimsatt 6-3 F 6 pts) got solid minutes.
Magnolia Hoops 