All-Top 250 3rd Team
- 2019 PG Mekhail Bethea (Dacula)- Some people seem to forget that Bethea was Player Of The Year in his region last season. After a summer where there wasn’t much talk surrounding his name, Bethea should be back in the spotlight this winter. Bethea is a savvy guard who is always calm, poised, and uses his IQ to impact the game on both ends of the court. You’ll never speed him up as he controls the pace of the game and excels at creating plays for himself and others in the paint. I’m sure Bethea will come into this season determined, which makes me excited to see what he does and who jumps into his recruitment.
2019 F Terrell Ard (Allatoona)- Another mutil-faceted forward from Saturday’s camp, Ard created a lot of buzz with his mix of physical tools and skill. Ard is a well-built 6’6” prospect with strength and solid leaping ability. He threw down some impressive dunks both off the dribble and from cuts that got the attention of those watching. Ard looked comfortable handling the ball and even connected on a few deep jumpers off the bounce. When his motor is going, he is a player whose impact is undeniable. More attention from college programs should be coming soon for Ard.
2019 PG Alex Kelehear (LaFayette)- Kelehear sacrificed a lot during the travel season, putting his focus into being a floor general and getting his teammates involved more than anything. He did not put up the scoring numbers like he did during the winter, which may have hurt his appeal to college coaches. On Saturday, Kelehear reminded us all of his ability to fill it up and coaches took notice. He is one of the most consistent shooters I’ve seen, displaying a textbook shot that always looks like it’ll go in. Kelehear is calm and crafty in the paint with a wide variety of shots that allows him to score over bigger guys. There have been lots of inquiries about him lately and I expect things to continue this way.
2020 G Kendall Latney (Mill Creek)- Latney has been very impressive on consecutive weekends, coming out as a top dog at two camps where there were many college-bound 2019 prospects. He has a sturdy frame to go with high-level athletic ability, absorbing contact in the paint and hanging in the air for finishes like it’s nothing. Latney has a nice mid-range game, gets wherever he wants on the court, and comes with a competitive mentality. He already received All-Region honors as a sophomore and is continuing to build on his resume, adding an offer from Bryant earlier this week.
2020 PG Jack Kostel (Mill Creek)- Latney’s backcourt at Mill Creek, Kostel was on his team at camp also and proved to be a key piece of their squad. Kostel elevated himself this summer playing 17U and continued to solidify himself on Saturday. He has improved athletically, surprising people with a few above the rim plays in transition and showing some nice end to end speed with the ball. Kostel finished better in traffic and as expected, his passing ability flourished in the open style of play at camp. He has started hearing from a few different LM and MM programs after this summer; him and Latney will be very difficult to deal with in 2018-19.
2020 SG Luke Champion (Lambert)- Sometimes guys who excel as spot-up shooters may not be able to thrive in a camp setting. That was not the case for Champion on Saturday. He earned the trust of his teammates early on in camp with an efficient shooting performance in his team’s first game. Champion stayed hot, building on a solid start and eventually ending camp with 8 made 3’s in his final game. Not many prospects at his size have the ability to heat up in the blink of an eye from deep, which makes him a very attractive prospect. He has gotten the attention of numerous programs and is hearing from a variety of levels this fall. Champion will have lots of opportunities this year after the graduation of some key seniors at Lambert.