Standouts From Crossroads of The South Part 4
Here is my continued coverage of The Crossroads of The South Camp in Jackson, MS. Grant Davis Hutton / 6’5 / Combo Guard / AAU: N/A 2024 / Itawamba Agricultural High School (Fulton MS) Instagram: ghutton25 Twitter: GrantHutton7 If you…
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Continue ReadingHere is my continued coverage of The Crossroads of The South Camp in Jackson, MS.
Grant Davis Hutton / 6’5 / Combo Guard / AAU: N/A 2024 / Itawamba Agricultural High School (Fulton MS)
Instagram: ghutton25
Twitter: GrantHutton7
If you have read any coverage that came out of Crossroads of The South that has Grant mentioned, you know what I am about to say. This kid can jump out of the gym. When I first saw him look eye to eye with the rim, I was asking myself did I just see that. So I waited to see Grant take flight again, and my eyes had not deceived me; this kid can flat out fly. He is an athletic lefty that can knock down the midrange J and get to the paint off the bounce, and once he is there, it is up and above the rim from there. He is extremely quick off his feet, which helped when he was on the boards and contesting shots.
He is a possible highlight film whenever the ball touches his hands.
Opportunities for Growth: I saw Grant’s athleticism make up for some deficiencies, and that can carry him up until the other nine on the court are just as athletic. I would like to see G continue to develop his handles and show more consistency from beyond the arc. Listed as a CG, focusing on developing his PG IQ is also an area of focus. Grant currently holds offers from MS State and Southern Miss.
Makhi Myles / 6’6 / Small Forward / AAU: Da House 2023 / Starkville High School (Starkville MS)
Instagram: Yeaitsmakhi
Twitter: Detboizakilla
Makhi is an athletic wing with good length. He has a high motor and got up and down the court throughout the day. He is highly athletic, extremely versatile, and creates match-up issues on both ends of the court. He had numerous explosive plays during camp as he found himself above the rim quite often. He scored well on the low block and showed that he could get it done from the perimeter. He is a high-volume rebounder, a disruptive defender, and a rim protector. I also was impressed with his P&R defense.
He is definitely an intriguing prospect that will be able to make the transition to the next level.
Opportunities for Growth: I mentioned earlier that Makhi showed that he can knock it down from the perimeter, just need him to continue to work on that as he navigates through deciding where he will land on the next level. I challenge him to commit to the weight room with his eyes on the next level, where the game is a lot faster and the players are a lot stronger. Makhi currently holds offers from MS State, Ole Miss, and Southern Miss.
Tayler Berryhill / 5’9 / Point Guard / AAU: Mississippi Delta Elite 2024 / Cleveland Central High School (Cleveland MS)
Instagram: taylerb_
Twitter: TaylerBerryhill
It took a minute for me to start writing about Tayler because, for a while, he was doing nothing that caused him to stand out from others at the camp. For him to be spotlighted after I said what I just said, you know something happened. That something was Tayler started draining 3’s. I counted 4 within a 5-6 min span of one game. He hit them in C&S situations as well as from pulling up off the dribble. Those buckets seemed to get Tayler going because his entire presence on the court shifted as he appeared to have found his rhythm. He started seeing the court better than what he had shown, and his play in P&R situations was much better; and as a result, he began to drop dimes creating for his teammates.
Tayler may have had it in cruise at the beginning of the camp, but a couple of buckets got him going, and he showed that he was a PG that is on the right track.
Opportunities for Growth: Tayler needs to continue working on his quickness and speed with the ball in his hands. His play on the defensive end has to improve as competition at the PG spot in MS seemed to be on a high level. Tayler currently has no offers.
Shane Davis / 6’10 / Power Forward/Center / AAU: MBAOSAG 2022 / Madison Central School (Madison MS)
Instagram: _shane.davis
Twitter: shanedavis2022
Shane stands at 6’10 and did what we expect from a player standing at 6’10, and that is he rebounded well, was a shot blocker, and protected the rim by altering shots in the paint. Shane is still evolving on the offensive end of the floor but has a nice touch with his mid-range J.
He is highly efficient with the 15-footer.
Shane has entered into his senior year of high school, and if he doesn’t choose to go the prep route or the reclassification route, he will be somewhere on a college campus next year this time. My next thoughts lead me to the next portion of this evaluation. Opportunities for Growth: For play at the next level, Shane has to focus on getting stronger, more agile, and quicker off his feet. I would like to see more understanding in playing in P&R action on both ends of the floor. We all know the saying it is hard to teach 6’10, so Shane will find his way into a collegiate program. My question for Shane is, between now and the day he walks onto whichever campus he choose, what is he going to do to be ready to make an impact on Day 1. Shane currently has offers from numerous Jucos.
Markuese Grady / 6’5 / Power Forward/Center / AAU: Community Saved 2024 / Pascagoula High School (Pascagoula MS)
Instagram: 228.kuese
Twitter: Markuese_25
Markuese was a steady paint presence throughout camp. He knows how to get it done in the paint area. He has a unique skill set when on the low block, as he just has a knack when it comes to scoring in the paint and at the rim.
He is a blue-collar worker with a lot of potential.
He was strong on the boards, especially the offensive boards, as he padded his camp stats with misses, then getting his own rebound and put-backs. In the 10th grade and standing at 6’5 and listed as a PF/C, I am a little concerned when it comes to the next few years of Markuese high school career. Opportunities for Growth: My concern is how much more growth is left in Markuese and IF he is done growing, how will 6’5 look at the center spot at the next level. I say all that to challenge Markuese to start making an effort to move his game from the paint to the perimeter. Becoming more of an inside-outside threat increases his stock. Continue working on his post skills, but expand his training to becoming just as good on the perimeter as he is in the post.
That does it for my 4-part series of Standouts That I Saw At The Crossroads of The South in Jackson, MS.