December 26-29 Report
This week didn’t go as planned with me seeing as many games as I wanted to. Car issues derailed me a few days and really threw the week off. It was still a good week of basketball with the tournaments I was able to attend.
The stats listed are unofficial but are close to what the players accomplished on the court (mostly because I run my mouth too much and don’t pay the closest attention the entire game).
Thursday December 27, 2018
Kirk Classic
From Kirk Academy
Grenada, MS
(B) Leake Academy Rebels 4-1 (AAA Madden, MS) 52
MS #110 AAA #3
Indianola Academy Colonels 0-2 (AAA Indianola, MS) 49
Notes: Matt Clair (6-2 ’19 C Leake Academy) earned Player of the Game honors. Will-Lawson Harkins (5-11 ’19 PG Leake Academy) is a smart player and solid shooter. Clayton Malone (5-11 ’19 F Leake Academy) posted a solid double-double while also stepping out and knocking down 3 three’s. Stefon Smith (6-1 ’19 Indianola Academy) notched a big double-double of his own in the losing effort.
Leake Academy (traveled 94 miles) 52
’19’s
Will-Lawson Harkins 5-11 PG 15 pts 8 reb 2 ast 3 st
Daniel Young 5-9 SF 4 pts 2 reb 5 ast 1 st
Sam Wilder 5-7 SG 8 pts 2 ast 2 st
Clayton Malone 5-11 F 15 pts 3 3’s 12 reb 4 st
Indianola Academy (traveled 64 miles) 49
’19’s
DeDe Willis 6-0 19 pts 3 reb 1 ast 1 st
Randy Kimble 4 pts 6 reb 1 ast 3 st
Josh Hill 6-1 6 pts 7 reb 3 ast
’21’s
Ashton Powell 5-11 6 pts 5 reb 2 ast 4 st
Magnolia Hoops Player of the Game
Matt Clair
Leake Academy
6-2 ’19 C
8 pts 5 reb 2 ast 4 st 1 blk
Katie Roberts Photography
Senior Snapshot
Stefon Smith
Indianola Academy
6-1 ’19
14 pts 18 reb 2 ast 2 st
(B) Washington School Generals 2-0 (AAAA Greenville, MS) 50
Royal Ambassadors Lions 0-1 (Independent Jackson, MS) 48
Notes: Dawson Gray (6-3 ’19 G Washington School) stepped up to score 25 points in the win. One of his baskets on the way to 25 was the game winner which can be seen here, game winning basket on twitter. Gray also topped his game-winning, Player of the Game performance with 10 boards too. He is a big, strong player with some handles. He is a good player that needs to be seen by next level Coaches. Senior stud, Stephon Hemphill (’19 G Washington School) suffered an injury in the first quarter and was unable to come back in the game.
Washington School (traveled 88 miles) 50
’19’s
Brett Etheridge 6 pts 1 reb 2 ast 2 st
’21’s
Kell Hodges 6-0 12 pts 3 reb 4 ast
Royal Ambassadors (traveled 111 miles) 48
Shamar Moffett 13 pts 3 reb 2 ast
Joshuah Dawson 4 pts 8 reb 3 st 2 blk
Zauron Montgomery 7 pts 2 reb 1 st
Magnolia Hoops Player of the Game
Dawson Gray
Washington School
6-3 ’19 G
25 pts 10 reb 1 ast 2 st 1 blk
Katie Roberts Photography
Senior Snapshot
Stephon Hemphill
Washington School
’19 G
3 pts 1 ast 1 st
(B) Kirk Academy Raiders 2-1 (AAA Grenada, MS) 61
Tunica Academy Blue Devils 1-2 (A Tunica, MS) 20
Notes: Chase Rose (6-3 ’21 G Kirk Academy) has a chance to be a very good next level prospect. He has very high potential with his length and ability to handle the ball. He can shoot from a very long distance and gets high elevation on his shot. He will be a fun one to keep an eye on his progression. Alex McDurmon (5-10 ’20 G Kirk Academy) just had a knack for making the ball go in. He scored in multiple ways and you knew it was points when the ball was in his hands. Rashad Ladd (’22 G Tunica Academy) is a very solid and impressive looking freshman for Tunica.
Kirk Academy (home team) 61
’19’s
Jake Franklin 5-11 7 pts 6 reb
’20’s
Alex McDurmon 5-10 G 20 pts 3 reb 2 ast 2 st
’21’s
Luke Beissel 6-1 2 pts 7 reb 1 st
Tunica Academy (traveled 92 miles) 20
Ethan Houston 6 pts 3 reb 1 ast 1 blk
’22’s
Rashad Ladd G 4 pts 3 reb
Magnolia Hoops Player of the Game
Chase Rose
Kirk Academy
6-3 ’21 G
18 pts 4 3’s 5 reb 1 ast 3 st 1 blk
Katie Roberts Photography
Senior Snapshot
Alex Cochran
Kirk Academy
5-10 ’19 G
5 pts 1 reb 4 ast 5 st
Friday December 28, 2018
St. Andrew’s Holiday Classic
From St. Andrew’s Episcopal HS
Ridgeland, MS
(B) Madison St. Joseph Catholic Bruins 9-7 (2A Madison, MS) 72
MS #122 2A #16
Forest Bearcats 4-8 (3A Forest, MS) 30
MS #198 3A #27
Notes: St. Joe was missing two key players and it really didn’t look like they skipped a beat. Douglas Watson (5-10 ’19 G St. Joseph) has developed into a player. He’s a lefty shooter with some ups. He has a fast first step that allows him to get separation then he will hit you with the step back once you recover. He scores on all three levels. He knocks the three down if he has his feet set. He has a killer pull up jumper. He can finish after or around contact. He can also finish above the rim so don’t jump. Next level Coaches need to get in and get an eye on him asap. Jhatavious Slack (6-2 ’22 SF Forest) was an impressive young player for Forest.
St. Joseph (traveled 4 miles) 72
’19’s
Nathan Nickens 5-11 G 10 pts 3 reb 2 ast 3 st
’20’s
Grayson Foley 6-6 PF 7 pts 6 reb 2 blk
’21’s
Caleb Wilson 5-9 PG 14 pts 7-7 ft 2 reb 1 ast 2 st
Forest (traveled 55 miles) 30
’19’s
Jordan Stewart 6-1 G/F 7 pts 2 reb 1 st 3 blk
’21’s
Jakolbi Smith 6-3 C 7 pts 5 reb
’22’s
Jhatavious Slack 6-2 SF 14 pts 2 reb 2 st
Magnolia Hoops Player of the Game
Douglas Watson
St. Joseph
5-10 ’19 G
22 pts 7-9 fg 7 reb 2 ast 3 st 1 blk
Katie Roberts Photography
Senior Snapshot
Kiland Harrison
St. Joseph
5-11 ’19 G
11 pts 5-5 ft 7 reb 4 ast 2 st
(B) Heritage Academy Patriots 6-1 (AAA Columbus, MS) 50
MS #79 AAA #1
Richland Rangers 6-6 (4A Richland, MS) 43
MS #100 4A #20
Notes: This was a really great and interesting game for me. Heritage Academy pulled out the W with the strong play of Jared Long (6-4 ’20 G/F Heritage Academy). This was the best I’ve seen him play. He has the ability to takes games over whenever he needs to. He showed he can easily score on all levels especially with his uncontested mid-range jumpers. Eli Acker (6-6 ’20 F/C Heritage Academy) was dominant as normal displaying his top-notch footwork and amazing hands. Reid Huskison (5-9 ’20 G Heritage Academy) continues to impress me with his play all over the court. He plays with grit and just does everything for the Patriots. Isaiah Patrick (6-0 ’20 G Richland) is a bucket getter for Richland. He just scores. Richland also has several nice looking, athletic players in TJ Stamps (6-1 ’20 G Richland), Marckell Newsome (6-1 ’20 SG Richland), CJ Lewis (6-0 19 SG Richland), Joseph Williams (6-4 ’20 F Richland) and Caine Smith (6-1 ’20 G Richland). They are in the killer division this year with Raymond and Florence but they will have a chance to make some big time noise next year with all their younger guys. They would even have a chance of making Jackson this year if they were in the north.
Heritage Academy (traveled 149 miles) 50
’20’s
Carter Putt 5-11 G 3 pts 2 reb 4 ast 4 st
Reid Huskison 5-9 G 6 pts 4 reb 6 ast 1 st
Adam Koussih SF 5 pts 4 reb 1 ast 1 st
Eli Acker 6-6 F/C 12 pts 7 reb 1 ast 1 st 1 blk
Richland (traveled 18 miles) 43
’20’s
Marckell Newsome 6-1 SG 7 pts 3 reb 2 ast 2 st
Isaiah Patrick 6-0 G 20 pts 7 reb 2 ast 1 st 1 blk
TJ Stamps 6-1 G 8 pts 6 reb 1 st
Joseph Williams 6-4 F 5 pts 3 reb 1 blk
Magnolia Hoops Player of the Game
Jared Long
Heritage Academy
6-4 ’20 G/F
22 pts 6 reb 2 ast 3 st 2 blk
Katie Roberts Photography
Senior Snapshot
CJ Lewis
Richland
6-0 ’19 SG
5 pts 3 reb 3 ast 2 st
(B) Meridian Wildcats 12-2 (6A Meridian, MS) 61
MS #2 6A #1
Raymond Rangers 13-3 (4A Raymond, MS) 58
MS #4 4A #1
Notes: This was a heavyweight fight from the start to finish. The highly anticipated rematch between two of the best teams in the state didn’t disappoint. Meridian runs very deep with players and they need to keep the game chaotic and messy. Traemond Pittman (6-0 ’19 PG Meridian) was messing with a quadruple-double. He did everything and played all out to help get the win. Vontrell Pringle (6-5 ’19 G/F Meridian) showed his range knocking down several three’s and snagged some timely rebounds. Makeem Roberts (6-0 ’20 G Meridian) is starting to hit that next level with his play. Meridian will be really tough next year with this team loaded with juniors. Tradavis Thompson (6-1 ’19 G Raymond/Jones CC) scored on multiple levels while also crashing the boards hard. Jakorie Smith (6-6 ’19 G/F Raymond) showed his versatility playing inside and outside.
Meridian (traveled 104 miles) 61
’19’s
Vontrell Pringle 6-5 G/F 10 pts 9 reb 1 ast
’20’s
Makeem Roberts 6-0 G 21 pts 6 reb 1 ast 1 st 1 blk
Azerious Ellis 5-8 PG 6 pts 2 reb 2 ast 2 st
Raymond (traveled 26 miles) 58
’19’s
DeTravian Broome 6-2 G 6 pts 5 reb 1 ast 2 st
Jakorie Smith 6-6 G/F 17 pts 7 reb
’20’s
Jordan Marshall 6-1 G 3 pts 2 reb 4 ast 1 st 1 blk
Martavin McWilliams 6-3 G/F 8 pts 3 reb 2 ast 1 st
Magnolia Hoops Player of the Game
Traemond Pittman
Meridian
6-0 ’19 PG
9 pts 10 reb 6 ast 5 st
Katie Roberts Photography
Senior Snapshot
Tradavis Thompson
Raymond
6-1 ’19 G
20 pts 4 3’s 12 reb
(B) Petal Panthers 12-1 (6A Petal, MS) 62
MS #6 6A #4
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Saints 9-5 (3A Ridgeland, MS) 57
MS #79 3A #9
Notes: Petal was able to pull out the win over a scrappy St. Andrew’s team. Caleb McGill (6-5 ’20 G/F Petal) had a big game. He scored easily down low and shot very well from the free-throw line. He passed the ball very well when running the break and in the half court sets. He continues to improve and will be a tough one to guard when the playoffs start. I missed the mark when projecting St. Andrew’s. They are much better than what I thought they would be and they will be in the mix for a repeat this year. It all starts with the huge improvement and development of Rashad Bolden (5-11 ’21 PG St. Andrew’s). Rashad has grown several inches and he has turned into a big time player. William Harkless (6-2 ’19 G St. Andrew’s) also caught my eye with his improvement.
St. Andrew’s (home team) 57
’19’s
William Harkless 6-2 G 9 pts 2 reb
’20’s
Arness Georgetown 6-4 PF 11 pts 6 reb 2 st
Noel Wiggs 6-3 C 6 pts 4 reb 2 st
’21’s
Rashad Bolden 5-11 PG 24 pts 8-9 ft 10 reb 5 ast 5 st
Petal (traveled 106 miles) 62
’19’s
Don Avila 6-3 G 8 pts 3 reb 1 blk
’20’s
Marcel Blackwell 6-5 G/F 5 pts 8 reb 2 ast 2 st
Magnolia Hoops Player of the Game
Caleb McGill
Petal
6-5 ’20 G/F
28 pts 10-12 ft 8 reb 4 ast 1 blk
Katie Roberts Photography
Senior Snapshot
Landyn Shows
Petal
6-2 ’19 G
16 pts 4 3’s 3 reb 3 ast
Saturday December 29, 2018
Humphreys County Holiday Hoops Tournament
From Humphrey County HS
Belzoni, MS
(B) South Delta Bulldogs 3-10 (2A Rolling Fork, MS) 83
MS #232 2A #30
Riverside Bulldogs 5-6 (2A Avon, MS) 78
MS #131 2A #15
Notes: This was a fun early morning game between two division opponents. Rodshawn Gentry (6-2 ’20 G/F South Delta) is very well rounded and has a solid shot on him. He will be one for next level Coaches to keep an eye on for next year. Cornelius Thomas (6-5 ’21 F/C South Delta) has good size and build for a younger prospect. D’Moniee Flood (5-8 ’21 G South Delta) plays hard for the Bulldogs. They will be back as a possible contender next year. Riverside just couldn’t hit and never got over the hump after falling behind. Brennan Buchanan (6-2 ’19 PG Riverside) is just a stat stuffer. Wow what a game for him. Jonovan Tyler (5-9 ’19 G Riverside) stepped up and got buckets after he saw that his teammates shots were not falling. Jonathan Richardson (6-2 ’20 G Riverside) did about everything on the court. He is really starting to develop into a next level guy.
South Delta (traveled 37 miles) 83
’19’s
JaCobeyon Lane 5-8 G/F 6 pts 5 reb 2 ast 1 st 1 blk
Jacquarius Jackson 6-2 F 8 pts 6 reb 1 ast 1 st
’20’s
Jaylon Calvin 5-5 G 6 pts 3 reb 2 ast 2 st
Jessie Mason 6-1 G/F 5 pts 5 reb 1 st
’21’s
D’Moniee Flood 5-8 G 21 pts 2 reb 5 ast 6 st
Cornelius Thomas 6-5 F/C 2 pts 5 reb
Riverside (traveled 37 miles) 78
’20’s
Jonathan Richardson 6-2 G 19 pts 6 reb 4 ast 2 st 1 blk
Magnolia Hoops Player of the Game
Rodshawn Gentry
South Delta
6-2 ’20 G/F
24 pts 4 3’s 15 reb (8 in 4th qtr) 1 ast 1 st 1 blk
Katie Roberts Photography
Senior Snapshot
Brennan Buchanan
Riverside
6-2 ’19 PG
14 pts 10 reb 9 ast 7 st 3 blk
Katie Roberts Photography
Senior Snapshot
Jonovan Tyler
Riverside
5-9 ’19 G
34 pts 4 3’s 3 reb 6 st
(B) Madison Central Jaguars 9-8 (6A Madison, MS) 64
MS #52 6A #17
Greenville Hornets 12-5 (6A Greenville, MS) 59
MS #46 6A #15
Notes: David Brown (6-4 ’19 F Madison Central) had a monster game. He couldn’t be stopped around the basket. Justin Storm (6-6 ’20 F/C Madison Central) was another huge force down low. His passing from the low or high post was very good. Madison Central also has two really good shooters with size in Sam Meadows (6-5 ’19 F Madison Central) and Holden Grimes (6-6 ’20 F Madison Central). Coach Timothy Speech was also playing without his leading scoring guard Jalin Rice (6-0 ’20 G Madison Central). Danny Washington (6-0 ’19 PG Greenville) has a solid performance with 28 points and 5 dimes.
Madison Central (traveled 63 miles) 64
’19’s
Shelby Jones 5-9 PG 6 pts 3 reb 3 ast
Sam Meadows 6-5 F 3 pts 2 reb 2 ast
Jack Thoms 6-2 G 7 pts 4 reb 2 ast
’20’s
Holden Grimes 6-6 F 3 pts 4 reb 2 ast 1 blk
Justin Storm 6-6 F/C 9 pts 10 reb 3 ast 1 st 1 blk
Greenville (traveled 48 miles) 59
’19’s
Shermichael Young 5-11 G 10 pts 2 reb 2 ast 2 st
Edmond Ekanem 6-2 F 6 pts 5 reb 2 st
’20’s
Morgan Green 5-10 G 9 pts 5 reb 7 ast 2 st
Magnolia Hoops Player of the Game
David Brown
Madison Central
6-4 ’19 F
30 pts 10 reb 2 blk
Katie Roberts Photography
Senior Snapshot
Danny Washington
Greenville
6-0 ’19 PG
28 pts 8-8 ft 3 reb 5 ast 2 st 1 blk
(B) Simmons Blue Devils 7-7 (1A Hollandale, MS) 68
MS #124 1A #11
Humphreys County Cowboys 1-14 (3A Belzoni, MS) 47
MS #262 3A #44
Notes: Hello Simmons Blue Devils. I was a little behind on them too. They are good and have a chance to make a deep playoff run this year. They are loaded with seniors and they play with so much patience on offense. They do a really good job of spreading you out and taking advantage of individual mismatches. Charlie Williams Jr (6-0 ’19 PG Simmons) is a very good and athletic guard that runs the show perfectly. Next level Coaches need to get an eye on him this season. Pierre Ricks (5-11 ’19 F Simmons) has some bunnies and rebounds hard. Humphreys County is in reloading mode with several underclassmen. They will be really good in the next few years.
Humphreys County (home team) 47
’19’s
Preston Allen 6-4 SF 6 pts 5 reb 1 st
’20’s
Jermy Jones 6-4 PF 15 pts 7 reb 1 blk
’21’s
Marcus Wigley 5-7 G 7 pts 2 reb 1 st
Maurice White 5-7 G 8 pts 2 reb 2 ast 3 st
Curtis Johnson 6-1 6 pts 4 reb
Simmons (traveled 22 miles) 68
’19’s
Antavius Rounds 5-10 G 13 pts 7 reb 2 ast 3 st
Jeffery McClay 6-1 F 14 pts 6 reb 1 ast 2 st
Christian Anderson 8 pts 4 reb
Brian Jones 6-1 F 6 pts 1 reb 1 ast 3 st
Magnolia Hoops Player of the Game
Charlie Williams Jr
Simmons
6-0 ’19 PG
9 pts 4 reb 5 ast 1 st
Katie Roberts Photography
Senior Snapshot
Pierre Ricks
Simmons
5-11 ’19 F
14 pts 9 reb 2 ast 1 blk
Magnolia Hoops Best Game
The best game that I saw during this time period.
Meridian 61
Raymond 58
Magnolia Hoops Fantasy Head of the Class
The best players in their respective classes that I saw during this time period based on stats.
2019: Brennan Buchanan
6-2 PG Riverside
2020: Rodshawn Gentry
6-2 G/F South Delta
2021: Rashad Bolden
5-11 PG St. Andrew’s
2022: Jhatavious Slack
6-2 SF Forest
Magnolia Hoops Fantasy 5
The top five players that I saw during this time period based on stats.
Rashad Bolden
5-11 ’21 PG St. Andrew’s
Brennan Buchanan
6-2 ’19 PG Riverside
Jonovan Tyler
5-9 ’19 G Riverside
David Brown
6-4 ’19 F Madison Central
Rodshawn Gentry
6-2 ’20 G/F South Delta
Magnolia Hoops Head of the Class
The best players in their respective classes that I saw during this time period based on performance.
2019: Traemond Pittman
6-0 PG Meridian
2020: Caleb McGill
6-5 G/F Petal
2021: Rashad Bolden
5-11 PG St. Andrew’s
2022: Rashad Ladd
G Tunica Academy
Magnolia Hoops Starting 5
The top five players that I saw during this time period based on performance.
Magnolia Hoops 