Love Orleans Sports Festival Standouts, Part 2 (Video)
A special event took place on the 4th of July with the first annual Love Orleans Sports Festival tipping off at McMain High School. The event was organized by Love Orleans CEO Jonathan Thomas, who has put together similar events in the past to showcase Louisiana’s talent on the basketball court.
Wednesday’s festival included a lineup of five games with three featuring a combination of teams between Louisiana Supreme, New Orleans Elite, We All We Got (W.A.W.G.) and the Loveleans Eagles, Thomas’ team. The other two matchups featured 13U teams Can Do Kid vs. the River Parish Knights and 12U tams NOLA United vs. New Orleans Hoopz.
We’ll focus on the older teams in Parts 1 and 2 with Part 2 taking a look at the top players from New Orleans Elite, W.A.W.G. and two players from Can Do Kid that have a chance to be top players in the Class of 2023. Scores from the day are listed below and check out Part 1 to see the standouts from Louisiana Supreme and the New Loveleans Eagles.
New Orleans Elite 65, We All We Got 39
Louisiana Supreme 72, Love Orleans Eagles 65
Love Orleans Eagles 51, New Orleans Elite 42
Can Do Kid 47, River Parish Knights 23
NOLA United 57, New Orleans Hoopz 50
New Orleans Elite
Jaden Williams — Salmen 6’0” 2019 PG
Williams turned heads throughout the gym with his impressive ball handling and shot-making. He was the MVP of the game against We All We Got drilling multiple 3-pointers while also getting in the lane for easy layups or finding teammates for open looks. He’s a sneaky athlete who understands how to get to his spot on the court and is a high level shooter off the dribble in pick-and-roll situations. Williams had a similar showing in summer league action at McDonogh 35 with Salmen and seeing him continue his success against higher level competition was a good sign.
Tray Wilburn — Crescent City 6’7” 2020 SF
Wilburn’s confidence is growing each time he touches the court and he lit it up from long range on Wednesday. He’s nearly automatic as a spot-up shooter and his size also allows him to mix it up inside for rebounds and blocks when necessary.
Bennie Amos — Landry-Walker 5’9” 2021 PG
Amos is beginning to make a name for himself as one of the top shooters in the city and possibly the state. His range is nearly unlimited and he’s comfortable shooting off the bounce or in catch-and-shoot opportunities. Amos’ game is still a bit too reliant on the long ball but he does have a good handle with the basketball and routinely makes the right, simple play as a passer. He also got the stamp of approval from Landry-Walker head coach Bird Antoine on Twitter.
Next up to be one of LW Elite guards https://t.co/IZCwj84TQi
— Coach Bird (@BirdAntoine) July 2, 2018
Eric Williams — St. Augustine 6’7” 2021 SF
Williams had a much better showing with New Orleans Elite than he did with St. Augustine throughout summer league action. He was a bit tighter with his handle on the basketball and hit some really tough shots over defenders from the perimeter. He’s a long athlete who has a ton of potential if he continues to refine his ball handling and play tougher with the ball in his hands.
Glenn Rhone — Crescent City 6’6” 2020 SF/PF
Rhone’s defensive versatility was on full display Wednesday against We All We Got and the Loveleans Eagles. He protected the paint with a few fierce rejections and was eager to accept the challenge of guarding on the perimeter against quicker players. Rhone consistently excels in his role as a hustle player who does the dirty work in the paint and Wednesday was no different.
Jason Malbrue — St. Augustine 6’7” 2021 SF/PF
Malbrue is still figuring out where he fits best on the court but his size and athleticism alone are worth mentioning. The majority of his shots come in the paint off of passes from teammates and he had a big two-handed dunk after sneaking behind the defense against the Eagles.
We All We Got (W.A.W.G)
Tory Cargo — Landry-Walker 6’4” 2019 SG/PG
Cargo can really fill it up from deep and has improved his ball handling allowing him to get to different spots on the floor where he can be effective. He tends to over dribble a bit at times but was the best player on the floor for W.A.W.G. by a pretty wide margin.
Jalen Hamilton — Edna Karr 6’5” 2019 PF/SF
Hamilton is a two-way player who’s also a good rebounder and he’s getting more comfortable with the ball in his hands. He can push the ball off of rebounds if a guard isn’t immediately available and went coast-to-coast for a layup off a steal on Eric Williams. Hamilton is also a solid athlete capable of playing above the rim and his game has really improved over the spring and early summer.
Can Do Kid
Christian Lockett Jr. — 6’4” 2023 SF
Lockett Jr. is on track to be one of Louisiana’s top prospects in 2023. He’s very skilled for his age and scored with ease against the River Parish Knights. Lockett Jr. also brought a ton of versatility with his passing and rebounding and will be a big-time player in the years to come.
Kameron Johnson — Shaw 5’6” 2023 PG
Johnson stood out with his quickness and confidence and has a chance to be an impact player in his class. He already has a good handle with the basketball and got by his defenders with ease throughout most of the game.