Perimeter Defenders from the Pelican State Hoopfest
Anyone who was in the Mississippi Basketball and Athletic facility this past weekend in Jackson would have seen the excellent defense played by Solomon Washington Solomon Washington 6'7" | SF Carver | 2022 State #127 Nation LA (6’7″/LivOn). He turned…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingAnyone who was in the Mississippi Basketball and Athletic facility this past weekend in Jackson would have seen the excellent defense played by Solomon Washington Solomon Washington 6'7" | SF Carver | 2022 State #127 Nation LA (6’7″/LivOn). He turned away several shot attempts at the rim and chased down a few others. Outside of his stellar defensive effort, there were a number of guards who had good weekends playing defense as well. We will highlight a few of those perimeter defenders here as these preps got real “defensive” at the Pelican State Hoopfest.
Jalen Johnson | 6’2″ | Louisiana Elite (16U) – The 16U Louisiana Elite team might not have won any games in the showcase pool. However, it was not due to their defensive effort. One guard who led the way defensively was Jalen Johnson. He guarded everyone from small guards to big wings during the three game stretch. Johnson has good lateral quickness and anticipates well. Proof of that was him taking a charge in a transition situation. To be honest, he was one of the only guards to attempt to the whole weekend. Johnson did have some highlights offensively as well and should be a big part of Louisiana Elite’s plans going forward.
Dylan Slaid Dylan Slaid 5'8" | CG Benton | 2021 State LA | 5’9″ | Xpress – No player had a better weekend on the defensive end than Dylan Slaid Dylan Slaid 5'8" | CG Benton | 2021 State LA . When it came to frustrating ball handlers and causing turnovers for his team, Slaid was the primary catalyst. In their lose to the Louisiana Titans, Slaid helped the Xpress comeback attempt by gaining extra possessions. He got close to the ground and used his quickness to beat guards to their spot time and time again. Whether it was a steal or the guard lost the ball out of bounds, Slaid caused it. One guad got so frustrated, he took two hands and pushed Slaid to the floor causing him to foul out. He may not have shot the ball as well as he liked but Dylan played top notch defense.
Carlos Stewart, Jr. | 6’2″ | LivOn Fleur-de-lis (17U) – Carlos Stewart is one of the best players in the state. He is also a player who can perform at a high level on both ends of the floor. So, when his trusty jumper was not on like it usually is, he turned his defensive intensity up to another level. Boy, did it impact his team. In one stretch, Stewart stole the ball from the guard he was defending on two separate occasions. Both times resulted in dunks on the other end. Stewart has long arms and quick hands that give guards fits. On Saturday, his defense spoke volumes. Stewart displayed the maturity of an older guard. If one thing is not working, get it done another way. And he did.
D’mitry Payne | 5’8″ | LA Roadrunners Elite (16U) – For a player who did not start either game that I saw him play, D’Mitry knew how to close the shop when it came to winning time. Payne came off the Roadrunners bench and made an immediate impact each time he touched the floor. He gave Patrick McCraney Patrick McCraney 6'2" | CG Neville | 2022 State LA a break from guarding opposing point guards and he took advantage of it. Payne forced turnovers left and right with his smothering man-to-man defense. His steals led to direct layups on the other end. Payne’s defense was a prime reason for the success the Roadrunners had in the closing moments of their wins.
Ryan Elzy Ryan Elzy 6'1" | CG Ponchatoula | 2021 State LA | 6’2″ | LivOn Fleur-de-lis (17U) – Elzy was another guard who played his role with the oldest LivOn team this past Saturday. It seemed as if Coach Livingston asked Elzy to cause fits for the opposing point guard and that is what he did. Like Carlos Stewart, Elzy also had a stretch where he caused multiple turnovers which turned into LivOn points on the other end. He may not have scored in big numbers but Elzy played the role of stopper for brief stints on the floor with LivOn. He was asked to play a role and that is exactly what he did.
Joseph Manning Joseph Manning 6'3" | CG Bossier | 2022 State LA | 6’2″ | Xpress (17U) – Manning comes from a high school culture where defense triggers the teams offense. It appears that Manning brought that belief to Jackson with him. During both Xpress games that I saw, he had instances where he took over the game offensively and defensively. He is already a rangy defender who can switch out on any guard or wing. His used his athleticism to execute those switches, attempt to take charges and to secure defensive rebounds. He also chased down lose balls. Manning turned those situations into scoring opportunities. If Manning continues this style of play, Louisiana may have another budding two-way prep star.
Alexzaye Johnson Alexzaye Johnson 6'4" | PG St Benedicts Prep | 2023 State NJ | 6’2″ | LivOn Fleur-de-lis (16U) – Johnson ran the offense for LivOn this past weekend and did a good job pushing the ball up the floor for early opportunities. The other thing Johnson did was disrupt ball handlers on the defensive end. While he did get opportunities to turn steals into layups, he caused so many more turnovers that others converted. Johnson harassed guards into bad passes and errant shots. Those defensive rebounds and steals helped his team look even more impressive. Dorian Finister Dorian Finister 6'5" | CG Carver | 2022 State #173 Nation LA (6’5″) was the recipient of a few of those bad passes turned into buckets. If Johnson continues that type of defense, he will be on a lot of radars.
The Pelican State Hoopfest saw great defensive efforts all weekend long. The guards listed above were definitely some of the best in the building. Hopefully their defensive deeds will carryover as they move into their respective seasons.