Friday Night Talent Showcase: North Atlanta heads to Chattahoochee
Prep Hoops Georgia headed northward as a pair of 6A Region 7 squads off to surprising starts tangled at the Cougar’s Lair of Chattahoochee HS last Friday night when North Atlanta headed up 400N to Johns Creek, and to go…
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Continue ReadingPrep Hoops Georgia headed northward as a pair of 6A Region 7 squads off to surprising starts tangled at the Cougar’s Lair of Chattahoochee HS last Friday night when North Atlanta headed up 400N to Johns Creek, and to go with an exciting, close 55-51 NAHS win, multiple players who might not yet appear on our rankings list made statements for future consideration.
Cameron SheffieldCameron Sheffield (Chattahoochee), G – The 6-5 senior seemingly had to do it all in the absence of standout junior point guard A.J. White, who was serving the 2nd of a two-game suspension. Not a true ball-handling lead guard, Sheffield nonetheless took on the responsibility with aplomb, and against an assortment of creative pressures from North Atlanta handled himself extremely well in the role. Built to be more of a wing player, Sheffield showed off that part of his game early and often as well, netting 12 of his game-high 28 points in a 1st quarter which saw the Cougars jump out to a 24-12 lead. With a combination of hard drives to the basket (he finished 11-15 from the line) and step-out 3 pointers, Sheffield was more than the smaller Warrior defenders could handle early in the contest. Though unable to capture the team win, Sheffield was recognized before the game for netting his 1000th career point in a game on November 25, and a spot in our 2020 rankings seems imminent for him. With the 25 ppg White back in the fold the very next night, The Hooch got back in the win column (improving to 7-3) with the senior wing again playing a pivotal role.
Franklin BaileyFranklin Bailey (Chattahoochee), G – At #159 in our 2020 rankings list, the 6-0 Bailey too had to assume a larger role in the absence of White, and he showed up in key spots in the game at both ends. An impressive mid-range game is what stood out to me, a facet of modern hoops not seen in droves, but Bailey embraced the space given him from 15 feet and in, and utilized a nice stroke to finish the night with 9 points. His on-ball defending in coach Chris Short’s extended 2-3 zone also was impressive, gaining him a key steal in the 4th quarter which got the Cougars within 1 at that point and ratcheted up a boisterous Chattahoochee student section.
Jarontez Garret (North Atlanta), PG – Starting over Thanksgiving weekend, Prep Hoops Georgia has had the pleasure of seeing some serious standout point guard play, and Garret’s performance from Friday night was right there with the others. The 5-8 senior was immensely impressive across the board, showing the kind of savvy ball-handling every coach dreams of, a fearless drive to the rim game of a much bigger player, and the outside range which no defensive scheme could close out on for fear of his driving around them. His 16 points in the game all seemed to come at key moments, whether it was clawing the Warriors back from an early deficit to breaking the backs of the Hooch opponents as they made a 2nd half run. There were points in the game where incredibly Garret was matched one on one with Sheffield, a full nine inches taller, and it was that level of grit on defense which was a key factor in NAHS holding off Sheffield and his mates and running their record to 5-0.
Charlie Hamilton Tyson Motton
Charlie Hamilton, Tyson Motton (North Atlanta), SG’s – Hamstrung as well by the absence of a key player, 6-6 junior center Montavious Myrick, the two junior swingmen joined Garret on the floor at most of the game’s key junctures for a potent 3-guard attack, and both showed the smoothest of outside touches, totaling 30 points between them. Motton went off early with an 8 point 1st quarter, and Hamilton caught fire thereafter, knocking down four 3’s in the middle two quarters to help the Warriors get out to a lead they would hold the rest of the game.