Future150 Atlanta Easter Showcase: 14U Top Performers
by Ricky Wilson, Future150 (10:16 PM CT, Sat April 11, 2015)

Powder Springs, GA (Future150) -- The championship started off intense between 901-Elite-MPE from Memphis and The Blaze from Birmingham.  Both rosters had physically tough athletic kids that only knew how to play one way, hard.  The game was close up until the second half.  The Memphis boys took control and never looked back.  If you weren’t looking at the score you would have assumed the game was close all the way through because the intensity never changed. 

Both teams got after it hard until the final horn, but when you have a team full of kids that can go, it’s hard to keep up.  901-Elite-MPE won the championship game by a pretty convincing margin.  Here are some of the top players from the tournament:

Cornelius Brown, SG 2019, Birmingham Blaze:  Cornelius was a surprise, having seeing the blaze play a few times.  He has a smooth but effective offensive skill set.  He showed that he can score on all three levels and look good while doing so.

Ryan Richardson, SF 2019, Birmingham Blaze:  Don’t let the size fool you.  Though he has the frame of a bruiser, he’s more skill and finesse than we initially thought.  He has sneaky quickness for his size to go along with a reliable shot out to the three point line.  His game has grown a lot over the years.

Tyrique Hamm, PG 2019, D’ville Dreamz:  Tyrique had a great weekend, that included a buzzer beater to send a game into overtime that they ended up winning.  Tyrique’s a quick guard with good ball-handling that allowed him to break the defender down and get into the lane.  He has a good feel for the game and knows when to be a scorer for his team or when to get others involved.

Zavan Croom, SF 2019, Georgia United:  Zavan is a raw athlete that is still learning how good he can be.  But the hustle, height, length and motor he has, you can’t teach.  He competed on every play which resulted in him grabbing any rebound in his vicinity or blocking or altering shots.  With continued work on his offensive skill set, Zavan has a chance to make some noise in Georgia.

Jereme Robinson, C 2019, Montgomery Fire:  Robinson was one of the more consistent big men in the 14U division. His motor might of been his best attribute. He played hard and finished tough plays with contact.  He was a beast on both ends of the floor in respect to rebounding.  Gotta love his upside.

Rikko Frazier, G 2019, Houston Hawks:  To simply put it, Rikko is hard to stop from scoring.  He scored the basketball any and every way possible.  He uses his body very well when he gets to the basket to finish with contact.  He scored 28 points against a tough 901-Elite-MPE team that went on to win the championship.

Brandon Williams, SG 2019, D’ville Dreams:  Brandon moved very well without the ball, making his scoring easy and his point guards job easier.  He thrived while getting to the basket whether it was in transition or half-court. 

Kenshun White, SG 2019, 901-Elite-MPE:  Kenshun was one of the more mature players in his age group as far as the way he played.  He had a calm swagger about himself.  He scored and made everything look easy.  Kenshun has length and skill that allowed him to stand out.  Kenshun has great size and length at his age at the shooting guard position.

Torron Mingo, CG 2019, Houston Hawks:  Mingo started where he left off last weekend at the Houston Main Event knocking the 3-point shot with regularity.  He has a good feel for the game and knows how to create space with the dribble to get his shot off.  He also has good court vision and creates easy opportunities for his teammates.  As he grows, look for his stock to rise quickly.

Jared Whitehurst, SF 2019, Atlanta Select Prime:  Jared is a skilled wing with high basketball IQ.  He always stepped up to the challenge and played big for Atlanta Select.  Whether it was rebounds, points, or simply just playing hard he done it all.  Though he showed he could shoot out to the three point line, he lived in the lane with his slashing ability.

Mike Rice, PG 2019, 901-Elite-MPE: Rice was the best all around point guard in the the 14U division.  He can score on all three levels and make it look easy.  He has a good fell for the game and excellent court vision when creating for others.  He led his team and took home the championship.  He's a player that every coach wants on his team.  Winner!