Jason Pratt:
Future150 Senior Recruiting Analyst. Covering high school basketball nationally.
Birmingham, AL (Future150) -- The Future150 Birmingham Main Event was back for the 11th straight year and took place at the new Finley Center in Hoover, Alabama. The overall atmosphere was crazy and the competition was fierce as the 14U division squared off over the weekend. The tournament featured over 130 teams from eight different states, including Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Wisconsin, Louisiana, and South Carolina.
The MC Warriors faced Team Carroll Premeir HSV in the Gold Bracket Championship Game and cruised to victory by a score of 56-33. The Warriors were paced with a balance attack all weekend long that consisted of PG Evan Smith, PF Tyrese Elliott and SF Dexter Smith, all of which averaged double figures scoring on the weekend. TCP HSV was led by PF Ti'Avian Scruggs, who averaged a double-double in both points and rebounds on the weekend.
The Iron City Huskies made it to the Silver Bracket Championship game, where they faced the Auburn Raptors. The game was back and forth, but in the end, the Huskies pulled out a close win, 58-54. The Huskies were led by G Christopher Blount, who averaged 5 assists and 17 points per game on the weekend. He went for 23 points in the championship game. The Raptors were lead by a set of twins, SF Josh Paige and SG Caleb Paige. Both averaged double figures in scoring on the weekend.
The Wolverines Basketball Club took home the Bronze Bracket Championship with a win over SSBA, 74-54. SF Patrick Burke of the Wolverines scored 31 points and grabbed 7 rebounds to lead his team to victory. SG Cooper Davidson led his team SSBA in scoring with 19 points and 4 assists in the loss. Both had solid overall performaces on the weekend.
14U Division MVP: SF Patrick Burke (Wolverines Basketball)
First Team All-Tournament:
PG JJ Wheat (Mid State Elite)
G Christopher Blount (Iron City Huskies)
PG Evan Smith (MC Warriors)
PF Tyrese Elliott (MC Warriors)
PF Ti'Avian Scruggs (Team Carroll Premeir HSV)
Second Team All-Tournament
SG Cooper Davidson (SSBA)
PF Carson Huff (Birmingham Razorbacks)
G Tim Thomas (Memphis Wildcats)
PF Rashaad Frye (Alabama Celtics)
SG Brady Dunn (JSI Elite)
Let's check out the rest of the top performers on the weekend in the 14U division. Here they are, in no particular order.
Micah Davey- 2022 G, (Louisiana Jaguars): Davey is a power guard who likes using his strength to overpower his opponents on both ends of the floor. His ability to finish through contact at the rim is what stood out the most. He rebounds well and plays good on-ball defense, which you don't see that often at this age. As he continues to work on his shot mechanics, look for his game to take the next step as the shot becomes more consistent. In pool play, he went for 17 points and 9 rebounds in a game.
Carson Huff- 2023 PF, (Birmingham Razorbacks): Huff is a decent sized stretch-four man who does everything well around the basket. His team was playing up this weekend, and the talent he faced gave him a new set of challenges. Finishing through contact, knocking down shots and boxing out on rebounds allowed him to compete against older players. His play is a fundamental style, which keeps him on the floor no matter who he faces on the court. He scored in double figures in both rebounds and points on the weekend.
Cooper Davidson- SG 2022, (SSBA): Davidson is a player that every coach wants on their team due to the fact that he does everything well. He showed good athleticism, ball handling skills and the ability to find his teammates with the pass. Unselfishness is hard to find these days in AAU, but he has it, and it usually results in a basket for his teammates. His open floor reverse dribble spin move and finish at the rim was one of the best scoring drives we saw all weekend long. The upside to his game is large, and as he continues to work on it, look out!
Evan Smith- PG 2022, (MC Warriors): Smith was one of the best guards we saw on the weekend. He is shifty and can score on all three levels. His handles and quickness allows him to get anywhere on the floor he chooses, which usually means he is scoring a lot. His court vision in both the half and full courts creates opportunities for his teammates. He averaged 10 points and 5 assists on the weekend, and that led him to the all-tourney team.
Tyrese Elliott- PF 2022, (MC Warriors): Elliott has good size at 6'1" and uses it well when attacking his defenders. He is strong, athletic and rebounds the ball well on both ends. His low post moves in the paint are what stood out the most. He has good court vision and likes passing out of the post area. Several possessions, he was doubled and he created a easy basket for a teammate. Play-maker and athlete come to mind when describing his game.
Christopher Blount- PG 2022, (Iron City Huskies): Blount is a lead guard who can do it all. His speed and ability to score on the fastbreak made him dangerous. He showed good ball-handling skills, the ability to finish through contact, and the use of either hand on the break. He did a ton of damage from behind the arc, where he hit a game high 6 three-pointers in one game. He averaged 17 points on the weekend and led his team to the Silver Bracket championship.
Josh Paige- SF 2022, (Auburn Raptors): Paige was one of the more well rounded players we saw on the weekend. His ability to rebound the ball on the defensive end and start the fastbreak made him a big threat. He has long arms, is athletic and loves to score in transiton.The three ball was very kind to him as he knocked down three of them versus the Iron City Huskies. His ability to play multiple positions and guard multiple positions makes him hard to stop on both ends.
Caleb Paige- SG 2022, (Auburn Raptors:) Paige is a wing player who loves attacking the rim. He proved that if left open, he can knock down the long range bomb. He made three 3's in a game to go along with his 6 rebounds. Defense, rebounding and playmaking are three things you think about when watching him play. His overall play helped his team to the Silver Championship game. Solid overall performance on the weekend with a ton of upside to his game.
Patrick Burke- SF 2022, (Wolverines Basketball): Burke can flat out score the rock. Scoring from all three levels is what he does best. His mid range jumper is very consistent to go along with his off the dribble attack game. But where he makes you say "wow" is from behind the arc, where he averaged 5.5 three's per game. He scored 31 points and grabbed 4 rebounds in the Silver Championship game, which consisted of him making 6 three's as he led them to victory. The word pure scorer comes to mind when you watch him play. He takes home tourny MVP honors.
Ti'Avian Scruggs- PF 2022, (Team Carroll Premeir HSV): Scruggs was a beast on the floor all weekend long. He averaged double figures in scoring across the weekend. He runs the floor well and finishes through contact. Rebounding and scoring off the offensive glass is where he made a living. His motor, tenaciousness and ability to score in the paint are three attributes that stand out.
Jamayas Davis- C 2022, (Tuscaloosa Oynx): Davis was one of the better big men in the division. He likes playing with his back to the basket, where he showed a variety of moves. Light feet, active and his footwork stood out the most. His ability to rebound the ball on both ends and finish with either hand make him hard to stop once he has the ball in his hands. Solid overall performance on the weekend.
Blake Burnett- PG 2022, (Team Loaded): Burnett was doing it all for his team on both ends of the floor. He led his team in scoring, steals and assists on the weekend. Speed, quick hands and a high motor are attributes that stick out when watching him play. He scored a game high 19 points in a pool game vs SSBA in bracket play in a 2 point loss. As he gets stronger and grows more, look for his game to take the next step.
JJ Wheat- PG 2022, (Mid State Elite): Wheat is a power guard who has elite athleticism and knows how to use when scoring. At 6'0", he has good size, a nice frame and plays with a high basketball IQ. When the ball is in his hands, there's nothing he can't do. Lateral quickness, straight line speed, and elite ball-handling stand out when you watch him play. His overall play on both ends makes him a top 3 PG in the tournament.
Noah Battenberg- G 2022, (Enterprise Thunder): Battenberg is a fundamental wing player who does all of the small things when he's on the floor. He had the highlight of the day on Saturday hitting a buzzer-beater, game winning shot. His tenacious play and grittiness make him hard to take off the floor. Coaches love having this type player on the floor due to the consistency in which they play game in and game out. #Winner
Rashard Jones- F 2022, (Georgia Royals): Jones is a high energy player who loves to run and score on the fastbreak. He is athletic, makes the right plays and loves to play defense. When scoring, he did most of his damage in the paint. His ability to use either hand off of a rebound putback made him almost impossible to stop. Playmaker is the one word that best describes his game.
Carson Huff- PF 2023, (Birmingham Razorbacks): Huff has good size at 5'10" for a player in his class. Even though he was undersized playing up this weekend, he made plays and finished well through contact at the rim. He ran the floor well and rebounded the ball on both ends. This fundamental stretch four man is highly skilled, and made shots all weekend long. He had a game high 23 points in a big bracket game win.
Tim Thomas- G 2022, (Memphis Wildcats): Thomas is an elite scorer from the wing position. He has good ball-handling skills, playmaking abilities and loves scoring in transition. He averaged 12 points on the weekend and turned in a 23 point performance in a big win on Saturday. His slashing ability and relentless aggression is what makes this wing player stand out.
Brady Dunn- CG 2022, (JSI Elite:) Dunn is a super fundamental player who understands how to play the game the right way. He has good shot mechanics, which translates to made shots especially from the three point line. His slight frame may fool you but he is pretty good on ball defender as well. Basketball IQ, playmaker and a good feel for the game are the three attributes that describe his game to this point the best. Strength and eating moms home cooking will do this prospect wonders in the future.
Emmauel Olds- 2022 PF (Birmingham Widlcats): Olds is a big time slasher and loves scoring on the fastbreak. He runs the floor well and is a good rebounder on the defensive glass. During his first pool game on Friday night, he had a stretch where he scored 8 consecutive points and had 2 blocks and 2 steals. This high energy gym rat knows how to make plays. Strength and ball handling are two things he needs to add to his game.
Rashaad Frye- 2022 PF (Alabama Celtics): Frye is a true post player in every sense of the word. He is 6'2", strong, athletic and loves crashing the board on both ends of the floor. His shot blocking abilities deterred the opposing team from attacking the paint area. In game 1 of pool play, he had a massive stat line of 14 points and 14 rebounds and 2 blocks, which led his team to victory.
Darrius Webster- 2022 SG (Memphis Truth): Webster is a player who wants the ball in his hands at all times. His scoring mentality is infectious and he makes plays all over the court. Once he gets past his defender and gets downhill, he is really hard to stop. If he scores once, he might score 2 and 3 baskets in a row, which he did in bracket play on Sunday. Solid overall perfromance on Sunday afternoon.
Noah Gennarri- 2022 G (Team Flight Family): Gennarri has a knack for scoring the ball. He does most of his damage on the fastbreak where he seems to alway be in attack mode. Against the Alabama Celtics, he scored 18 points and 3 assists in a tough loss. His ability to make plays in the open court and full court is why he led his team in scoring on the weekend. Coaches gotta love how hard he plays when he is on the court.
Dylan Fairbanks- 2022 SG (Carver Premeir Legacy): Fairbanks had a solid performance on Saturday, where he took over the game and scored 19 points and had 4 assists in a big win over the Birmingham Wildcats. He loves to atttack the rim and draw contact while doing so. He shot a ton of free throws and loves picking up those free points in the stat sheet. Competitor, play maker and high motor are what stand out in his game currently.
Collin Turner- 2022 G (OFW Stars): Turner is a heady player and a play maker on both ends of the floor. He has active hands and feet which allow him to deflect balls and get steals for his teammates. His ability to be crafty with the ball and finish at the rim allows him to score in bunches. He scored 12 points and had 3 assists during a pool play game in a tough loss. You can definitely tell he is a team leader and does it by his performance on the floor.
Kam Williams- 2022 SG (Kings of the Coast): Williams is a scoring guard that can score on all three levels. He made a ton of shots in transition and getting to the free throw line. At 5'11", Williams posseses the size and the athleticism to impose his will on the defender. When attacking the rim, he absorbs contact and can finish well. Heart, high motor, and competitor are three words that describe his game.
Robert Muse- 2022 SG, (Wildcard Basketball): Muse had a solid performance on the weekend. His overall effort and playmaking abilites were on full display during pool play. He scored 17 points and had 4 assists versus the Louisiana Jaguars in a loss. Team leader, production and Mr. Hustle are three attributes we saw when he plays the game. As he gets stronger and works on his mental approach, look for him to take the next step.
Jackson Pollard- 2022 G (Team Ken) Pollard had a very productive weekend and led his team in scoring. He averaged 13 points per game and had 3 assists on the weekend. His attacking style of play makes him a tough guard, and he also creates for his teammates. It also opened up his game from behind the arc, where he dropped 3-point bombs on the regular. As he gets stronger and develops better on ball defense, look for his game to go to the next level.
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