Big Shots in Greensboro Recap

Big Shots Greensboro with Team Felton took place this past weekend at a number of high schools in the local area.

Over 50 AAU programs took part in the event, including RYG-Raleigh, Team Winston, and WCBA, as well as a total of seven Team Felton squads throughout the four age groups.

WCBA swept the 17U and 16U brackets, with WCBA-Blue taking home the 17U title and the 16U team downing a high-scoring Team Winston roster that had previously defeated Team Felton 16U, arguably the most talented team in the entire tournament.

Team Felton took home the championship at both the 14U/15U and 12U/13U levels. Its entry at the 16U level was the only team that failed to reach the championship game in its bracket.

The first games tipped off at 9am on Saturday morning, and it didn't take very long for a couple of players to separate themselves from the pack.

Unsigned senior Jeremy Harris was on fire the entire weekend, and poured in 29 points in consecutive games on Saturday. He followed his big first day with a 24-point outing against Charlotte Reign, a team coached by ESPN analyst Jay Bilas.

Jeremy spoke with NCPreps after his first game of the event. He told us that he'll be taking a post-grad year at Fishburne Military Academy next year in order to get his academics in order and raise his test scores. Virginia Tech has recently reached out to the 6-foot-6 wing.

Harris' red-hot shooting laid the stage for the best game of day one, as he led TTC Elite against a WCBA-Blue roster composed of Robert Brown, and Andrew Evans.

WCBA was without both starting point guard Chris Clemons, and big man Bobby Stenborg, who dropped 41 points at last weekend's SSGT. David Rose Memorial Day Classic.

Playing with just a 7-man rotation, WCBA didn't have the length to defend Harris on the perimeter, but Brown's efficiency in the low-post and Evans' facilitating kept them in the game.

With neither team able to take control in the second half, the game went into overtime, where both teams managed just a single basket. Due to time constraints, the Big Shots officials were forced to institute something rarely seen in basketball: sudden death overtime.

WCBA controlled the tip, and had one objective in their game-winning play: get Brown the ball. Evans probed the defense until he had an opening for the entry-pass. Brown's right-handed jump-hook had been automatic all game long, and he went to his favorite weapon once again, dropping in a hook over the outstretched hand of his defender to give WCBA the 66-64 win.

The main attraction of day one was Team Felton 16U, and rightly so. Even without starting point guard Jalek Felton, who was at the Super Soph Camp in Atlanta this weekend, Team Felton's 16U roster was absolutely loaded with talent.

2016 big man Sacha Killeya-Jones manned the post for Team Felton, using his length and agility to make plays all over the floor. 2016 point guard Dondre Griffin and rising sophomore Darriel Brown stepped up in Felton's absence.

Griffin is a skilled ball-handler with a knack for getting into the lane and kicking it out to the open mane, while Brown has the size and frame to play multiple positions on the perimeter, and flashed impressive vision at the point.

He has yet to enter high school, but 2018 guard Will Dillard is already a well-known commodity. He typically plays with Team Felton's 17U squad, but played down a level to combat the absence of Felton.

Considered to be one of the top players in his class, Dillard has shades of Seventh Woods to his game, as he combines explosive athleticism with the handle, frame, and scoring ability to be an elite point guard prospect in a couple of years.

Day two featured the last rounds of bracket play, and provided an opportunity to get a look at the best teams from the lower age groups, as every championship game was played on court 1 at Ben L. Smith High School, the main location of the event.

The 14U/15U championship game revealed a number of players with the talent to develop into high-major prospects down the road.

Raymon Pratt, Hendon Hooker, and Brion Seagraves of Team Felton 15U all scored over 15 points, with Seagraves knocking down 4 threes.

Pratt was the 14U/15U MVP. He got to the rim at will, drained shots from beyond the arc, and showed the versatility of a big-time recruit as he continues to develop.

Triangle Flight's Donte Tatum was similarly impressive. The 2017 guard was a matchup nightmare against Team Felton, possessing the frame to bully smaller defenders and the finesse game to hit shots from all over the floor.

At the 16U level, 2016 guard Chris Freeman helped Team Winston take down Team Felton 16U earlier in the day before falling to WCBA in the championship game.

Freeman is a matchup nightmare on the perimeter. The 6-foot-3 guard plays point guard for his high school team, but plays off the ball for Team Winston. Freeman proved to be the most consistent long-range shooter at the event, with picture-perfect mechanics on his shot and a flawless release.

The 17U semifinal between RYG-Raleigh and Team Felton was the best game of championship Sunday. Between Quentin Jackson Jr., Jalen Harris, and Demetrius Troy, RYG's backcourt is brimming with high-level recruits.

RYG built a solid lead in the second half, but couldn't capitalize down the stretch. Under a minute left, Jackson went to the free-throw line with a 1-point lead, but missed both of his attempts.

Team Felton let the clock run down before calling a timeout to draw up a play. With 4 seconds left, Keyford Langley pulled up from the wing and connected on the game-winning three-pointer, giving Team Felton the 73-61 edge and a spot in the finale.

The event was capped off by the 17U championship game between WCBA-Blue and Team Felton. After missing the first game of the weekend, Clemons returned for WCBA and ended up winning the 17U MVP award as a result of his all-around production at the point.

The MVPs of each level has been listed below:

17U: Chris Clemons of WCBA

16U: Faison Brock of WCBA

14U/15U: Raymon Pratt of Team Felton

12U/13U: Jalen Cone of Team Felton