Advertisement
football Edit

Southeast Summer Showcase Recap

Forsyth Country Day hosted this weekend's Southeast Summer Showcase, which featured a number of standout prospects from the state of North Carolina.
Put on by Marcus Shockley and James Blackburn of Basketball Elite, the event combined position specific skill training with live games, providing an opportunity for recruits to put their development on full display.
Advertisement
While it took place during a Division 1 quiet period, the Southeast Summer Showcase was scheduled on the opening day of the D2 evaluation period, and a number of coaches were in attendance.
To get things started, players split up by position, with point guards going through dribbling workouts, wings working on their pull-up jumpers, and big men getting tested on their footwork and post moves.
Afterwards, players split into previously allotted teams. Each squad played two games over three rounds, and point differential was used to determine the matchup for the championship game.
The MVP award went to 2015 PG Devin Cooper, who was in attack mode all day long. A pure playmaker with the ball in his hands, Cooper is as cool as it gets running the offense, using his quickness and elite handle to consistently beat his man and get into the lane.
Cooper narrowly beat out 2016 PG Brandon Childress for the honor. After picking up an offer from East Carolina on Saturday, Childress showed up to play on Sunday, and drained 10 threes in his first game of the day.
He's automatic pulling up off a rhythm dribble, and consistently created clean looks for his teammates by always keeping his head up and taking what the defense gave him.
Childress was at the helm of the Hornets, the most exciting team at the event. 2015 recruits Zaqwaun Matthews and Malik Constantine are a pair of underrated prospects with the size, length and versatility to make an instant impact at the next level.
Matthews has blossomed this summer playing with the CP3 All-Stars. He's a prototypical wing whose blend of a diverse skill set and scoring ability has drawn interest from the likes of Cincinnati, VCU, and Villanova.
Constantine formed a dynamic 1-2 punch with CJ Jackson last year at Olympic High School, and his impressive play has extended into the summer. His relentless motor, and sheer dominance around the rim make him the type of player you love to play with, and can't stand going up against.
He's being pursued by a bevy of mid-major programs (including Florida Gulf Coast, Kennesaw State, and Radford) for his ability to knock down shots from the perimeter and impose his will in the paint.
The best moment of the day was the 1-on-1 matchup between Childress and Cooper, which ultimately decided who would advance to the finale.
Childress continued to connect from everywhere on the floor, but Cooper's ability to fill up the stat sheet was the determining factor in a game that came down to the final minute.
After 2016 guard Charles Norman won the slam dunk contest by jumping clear over JeJuan Davis to get the crowd off its feet, the championship game took place, with many of the event's premier talents sharing the floor.
Two-sport athlete Ian Boyd was a constant presence throughout the day. He already holds offers from Virginia Tech and East Carolina for his skills on the gridiron, and his stock as a basketball player will take off over the next month.
2015 PG Cecil Moore has been a factor at every event he's been to this summer, and he was just as good on Sunday afternoon.
He has a tendency to get a little out of control, but when he's in his groove, Moore is a blur off the bounce with a knack for penetrating the lane and kicking it out to an open teammate.
The most intriguing prospect of the day was 2015 wing Daquan Lilly. He took home the coaches' award, given to the player who does all the little things to help his team win.
At 6-foot-6, Lilly is a natural athlete with major hops, and as his perimeter game catches up to his physical gifts, he's going to be a phenomenal talent.
Advertisement