Prep Hoops Top 250 Expo: Underclassmen Shooters
In its 2nd year of existence, the Georgia edition of Prep Hoops’ Top 250 Expo was nothing short of a success. Close to 250 of the Peach State’s best made their way to the infamous Lake Point Complex in Emerson,…
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Continue ReadingIn its 2nd year of existence, the Georgia edition of Prep Hoops’ Top 250 Expo was nothing short of a success. Close to 250 of the Peach State’s best made their way to the infamous Lake Point Complex in Emerson, Georgia for 6 hours of scrimmage competition. Teams selected at random provided a good mix of upper as well as underclassmen from all regions of the state to prove who could work with who when the ball was rolled out. Regardless of the competition, impact players are going to thrive and with multiple games for each of the twenty four teams compiled, that is exactly what happened. There were great performances from many, including those who could shoot the basketball from the perimeter and these were just a few of those underclassmen shot makers on the day:
- 2021 G Lucas Garabadian (King’s Ridge Christian) – The sophomore from Alpharetta has done a great job of building a reputation on the offensive end in his young career; The Prep Hoops Top 250 Expo was another example of that prowess. Only 5’9” the floor general has range and a quick release to make up for some of that time lost from longer defenders closing out on him. He can handle the basketball, has that quick twitch to his game when getting to the rim, and can finish on both sides with ease. Garabadian knows how to maneuver in the lane to make plays and did a good job making plays consistently at the Expo over the weekend.
Kristian Ford
- 2021 G Kristian Ford (East Paulding) – Just like he makes defenses pay for giving him extra time on the football field as the Raiders’ quarterback, he did the same thing at Prep Hoops Top 250 Expo on the basketball floor. Ford knocked down multiple threes in all his games and looked to be in a great rhythm off the catch from teammates. He has good size at 6’3” and big-time range when shooting the ball from the outside. He knocked a lot of shots from the corner and did a good job of moving without the basketball to get to those spots on the floor in different situations.
- 2022 G Oscar Lynch (Pinecrest Academy) – Lynch is another shooter from the PH Top 250 Expo that did a good job of connecting on shots from the perimeter but impacts the game in more ways than one. At 6’5” he does a good job of finishing at the rim and is a good rebounder from his off-guard position. Lynch can make plays in the half court and showed good instincts on the defensive end for steals. The rising sophomore, who is coming off a productive summer with the Atlanta All-Stars, knows how to think the game out of the floor but his shot making ability was too good to keep him off this list.
- 2021 G Andrew McConnell (Lanier) – McConnell is a consistent name when
Andrew McConnell
referencing the top shooters in Georgia’s 2021 class. Although his shot selection wasn’t the best at times, the rising junior has a lot of confidence in his ability and the types of shots that he connected on were done at a high level. He has grown to a legitimate 6’1” and looked most impressive when connecting on jumpers with a defender in his shooting pocket off the bounce. McConnell plays with a calm demeanor, one that you would want a shooter to have on an off night but still needing to make shots late in games. His stock should continue to rise with the recent move to Lanier from Mill Creek as schools such as Elon, Ohio, and North Florida have been to recent workouts to monitor his progress.
- 2021 G Andrew Peacock (Cherokee Christian) – I came away impressed with Peacock’s ability to use his shooting ability early in all his games to eventually open up the lane where he looked good finishing at the rim. The junior from Woodstock, Georgia did a good job of knocking down shots off screens as well as off the pick and roll. He went on an impressive run, making back to back threes and getting downhill for an easy lay-up in transition on three straight possessions. He’s a lanky 6’2” that can run an offense from the point guard position and doesn’t mind putting his head down and work through contact to score tough baskets inside. He knows how to work the pick and roll and move without the ball, when off the ball. I liked what I saw from Peacock and his stock rising performance at Prep Hoops Top 250 Expo could serve him well moving forward.