Mr. May 17u: Third Team
Who were the best AAU players in the month of May? Read about players that both played exceptionally but also attracted the most college attention. Today, we feature the third quintet by position on our Mr. May 17u THIRD TEAM. Our state is loaded with great guards, but this team must resemble a team: Guard, Guard, Guard/Wing, Wing, Forward.
Are you deserving of more attention? DM your stats, highlight, and name to @PrepHoopsTN.
First Team – Publishing 6/3
Second Team – Publishing 6/2
Third Team
PG
Zach Amonett
Zach
Amonett
6'2" | PG
Pickett County | 2022
State
TN
G
Jakobi Gillespie
Jakobi
Gillespie
6'0" | PG
Greeneville | 2022
State
TN
G
Damon Fann
Damon
Fann
6'2" | SG
Riverdale | 2022
State
TN
F
Cade Pendleton
Cade
Pendleton
6'10" | PF
East Hamilton | 2022
State
TN
F
Somtochukwu Cyril
Somtochukwu
Cyril
6'10" | C
Overtime Elite (GA) | 2024
#65
Nation
GA
(2024)
PG
Zach Amonett
Zach
Amonett
6'2" | PG
Pickett County | 2022
State
TN
,
Tennessee Tigers
17u
Overall State Ranking: 18
Routinely a double-figure scorer, Zach needs to convert some of his “interested” schools into offers. The game is deserving and Amonett is a proven winner at every level. Strong May on a balanced Tennessee Tiger team.
G
Jakobi Gillespie
Jakobi
Gillespie
6'0" | PG
Greeneville | 2022
State
TN
, BMaze Elite 17u
Overall State Ranking: 25
The May of Jakobi Gillespie Jakobi Gillespie 6'0" | PG Greeneville | 2022 State TN is noteworthy for two reasons. First, Jakobi managed to thrive alongside two ball-dominant guards and secondly he succeeded against surefire D1 guards, a dramatic step up from much of Class AA and his regional opponents at the high school level. “He is starting to adjust to it too,” said BMaze 17u Head Coach Brett Patterson. “Coming out of Knoxville our biggest problem is we can’t face speed and size. We can’t mimic it in practice, we can’t (pause) and so we go to these tournaments and it takes a little while to get our feet under us. He gets out here and he has adjusted now and he is able to score. And he is just so tough. And he is mentally tough too. You probably saw that he just shot an airball and then came back two plays later and just canned a three. I think that is from playing the big games, like the state tournament. He is really tough to stop on the break. They usually put their best players on B.J. and then their next best guy on Quante because he handles the ball so much, so Jacobi usually is our guy that we look to get to the hole. And he is a great passer, as well.”
If the state tournament didn’t prove to college coaches of his killer instinct and big game prowess then the Memorial Day weekend success certainly made them turn their heads
G
Damon Fann
Damon
Fann
6'2" | SG
Riverdale | 2022
State
TN
, First Class Game 17u
Overall State Ranking: 65
Damon scored 20 points against Team Thad at Memphis in May. He was able to muster 13 points against the Memphis Magic. Throughout the spring Damon Fann Damon Fann 6'2" | SG Riverdale | 2022 State TN and his Murfreesboro-based AAU team have been battling under the radar. Though we featured them late May, much of the AAU respect afforded to Team Thad , EAB, BMaze, etc. has eluded them. Along with Trevon Bass Trevon Bass 6'3" | SG Siegel | 2022 State TN , Damon Fann Damon Fann 6'2" | SG Riverdale | 2022 State TN is absolutely a college basketball prospect, the kind of talent at which many Division II/NAIA programs need to take a look.
PF
Cade Pendleton
Cade
Pendleton
6'10" | PF
East Hamilton | 2022
State
TN
, Team Curry 17u
Overall State Ranking: 27
Last year Cade Pendleton Cade Pendleton 6'10" | PF East Hamilton | 2022 State TN found a unique opportunity to play for a power program in North Carolina, Team Curry. He grew within the Team Curry program, playing as a deep bench guy on their 16u team and returned this summer to a larger role with the UA 17u team. Pendleton really improved his lower-body strength in the last year, as evidenced by his May play. Pendleton is featured in this story below.
F
Somtochukwu Cyril
Somtochukwu
Cyril
6'10" | C
Overtime Elite (GA) | 2024
#65
Nation
GA
(2024), EAB 17u
Overall State Ranking: NA
The hype is justified. Cyril will be a nationally-recognized recruit in the 2024 class. He looks a tad slow in the 17u game, but the opponents are 2 years his senior. Cyril showed off decent shooting touch and a naturalness that lends itself to solid basketball development. Of course the training will need to be put in, but HHCA is a good place to get plenty of work on your game.