Love Orleans Sports Festival Standouts, Part 1 (Video)
A special event took place on the 4th of July with the first annual Love Orleans Sports Festival tipping off at McMain High School. The event was organized by Love Orleans CEO Jonathan Thomas, who has put together similar events in the past to showcase Louisiana’s talent on the basketball court.
Wednesday’s festival included a lineup of five games with three featuring a combination of teams between Louisiana Supreme, New Orleans Elite, We All We Got (W.A.W.G.) and the Loveleans Eagles, Thomas’ team. The other two matchups featured 13U teams Can Do Kid vs. the River Parish Knights and 12U tams NOLA United vs. New Orleans Hoopz.
We’ll focus on the older teams in Parts 1 and 2 with Part 1 taking a look at the top players from Louisiana Supreme and the New Loveleans Eagles. Scores from the day are listed below and check out Part 2 to see the standouts from New Orleans Elite, W.A.W.G. and two players from Can Do Kid that have a chance to be top players in the Class of 2023.
New Orleans Elite 65, We All We Got 39
Louisiana Supreme 72, Love Orleans Eagles 65
Love Orleans Eagles 51, New Orleans Elite 42
Can Do Kid 47, River Parish Knights 23
NOLA United 57, New Orleans Hoopz 50
Louisiana Supreme
Gregory Hammond — Sophie B. Wright 6’5” 2019 SG
Gregory Hammond was the MVP of Wednesday’s matchup between Louisiana Supreme and the New Loveleans Eagles, and with good reason. He heated up early in the second half after a quick crossover into a smooth midrange jumper and couldn’t miss for most of the last 15 minutes. He drained a few 3-pointers, had a big two-handed dunk in transition and his size, skill and athleticism stood out from the pack. Shortly after the game, Hammond tweeted out his most recent offer from Mississippi State, which was his second SEC offer following an overture from Ole Miss in April.
https://twitter.com/__lagregg/status/1014632035682586624
Charlie Russell Jr. — Sophie B. Wright 6’7” 2019 SG/SF
Russell Jr. had as much of a case for MVP as Hammond and he set the tone early for Louisiana Supreme with some impressive shot-making. He had the first bucket of the game sinking a contested, fadeaway mid-range jumper and drained a handful of 3-pointers throughout the game. Russell Jr. continues to prove he’s a top-tier player anytime he touches the court and his near double-digit offer sheet from Division I programs should grow even more in July.
D.J. Burns — Sophie B. Wright 6’6” 2019 SF/PF
Burns brought his usual intensity, skill and joy to the game helping Louisiana Supreme to a win. He was one of the team’s top rebounders and his passing was exceptional setting Hammond and Russell Jr. up for in-rhythm 3-pointers repeatedly throughout the contest. Burns plays his role to the best of his ability whether it’s as a scorer, passer, rebounder or defender and has a very high basketball I.Q.
Hunter Dean — Lakeshore 6’9” 2019 PF
Dean played the role of paint protector for Louisiana Supreme sending back a bunch of New Loveleans Eagles shot attempts. He has great size and athleticism and did a good job of helping and recovering to get in position for multiple blocks. LA Supreme has a ton of talent surrounding Dean which allows him to focus and excel in his role as a rebounder and shot-blocker but has impressive tools offensively as a finisher and potential shooter.
New Loveleans Eagles
Larenz Williams — Cy-Fair Learning Center (TX) 6’5” 2019 SG
Williams is a NOLA native who was set to suit up for Warren Easton before transferring to Cy-Fair prior to his junior season. It’s clear he continued to develop and refine his game in Houston and he was a force in New Loveleans’ two games against Louisiana Supreme and New Orleans Elite. He has elite athleticism and explosion, is a good and willing passer and while his jump shot is a bit awkward, he knocked it down with consistency from 3-point range on Wednesday. He’s been receiving interest from multiple Power 5 schools and a few offers could be on the way with a strong showing in July.
Dandrick Green — 5’11” 2019 PG
Green hasn’t played high school ball in a couple of seasons now but still stood out as one of the top players to take the court. He went right at Louisiana Supreme point guard Kaleb Jenkins and had a great showing offensively against one of the state’s top defenders. He connected on a few 3-pointers throughout the day and was able to take defenders off the dribble and finish tough shots in the lane. Green, a former point guard at Salmen, could end up at McDonogh 35 this upcoming year but is still deciding where he’ll play his senior season.
Tylor Harris — Slidell 5’11” 2019 PG
Harris is a knockdown sniper who shot the ball at a high level against Louisiana Supreme and New Orleans Elite. He was one of the top scorers throughout the day and was equally as comfortable pulling up off the dribble as he was in catch-and-shoot situations.
Tyrone Tillman — Patterson 6’6” 2020 SF
Tillman has good size and athleticism while bringing an interesting set of skills to the table. He battled for rebounds inside, can play above the rim and stepped outside for a couple of 3-pointers showing off a smooth release.