Marshall County Hoopfest provided a solid group of talent with a blend of high schools and preps as The Grind Session season is in full swing.
Isaiah West 6’3 170 SG – Goodpasture Christian 2023
West showed all around contribution in the 64-59 win against Lyon County with his 17 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. He was accurate around the rim, hitting difficult layups at impressive angles with either hand. Although generally finishing below the rim, he got up well on a chase down block, putting the layup on the backboard. His stance is a bit wide on jump shots, missing his only 3PT attempt, and on free throws, going 3/6 from the line.
MJ Rice 6’5 205 SF – Prolific Prep 2022 (Kansas)
Rice is a tough matchup for smaller guards with his strength and aggressive play, initiating contact every time down the floor. His best game was in the 78-72 win against Louisville Ballard, scoring 26 points on 10/16 shooting. His outside shot doesn’t look bad, but he shot 3-14 (21.4%) from 3PT over the three games, and it’s apparent he’s more effective getting to the rim off the dribble, using his crossover and athleticism attacking the basket. In addition to beating Ballard, Rice and Prolific Prep won their other games over the weekend, 69-53 against Our Saviour Lutheran and 53-50 against Dream City Christian.
Adem Bona 6’9 210 C – Prolific Prep 2022 (UCLA)
Bona’s (pictured) size and strength, combined with mobility and athleticism made him a tough cover for all three of Prolific’s opponents. His skills have a way to go, sometimes not catching the ball clean and he can slow down at times as he probably got away with a few travels. His shooting form isn’t bad and he’s very good about passing out of the post to not force up a bad shot. He’s a very reliable finishing lobs and there were a few plays where he committed to an aggressive drive, and no one could stop him. He defended the post well and showed capability on the defensive sets where he had to step out and defend on the perimeter. Scoring efficiency, rebounding, and shot blocking were the areas where Bona stood out averaging 17 points on 86.4% FG%, 10 rebounds, and two blocks per game.
Tre White 6’5 190 SF – Prolific Prep 2022 (USC)
White contributed averaging 11.7 points and five rebounds per game. He’s a good athlete and an aggressive driver with a quick crossover/step with the ball. He drives and finishes well going either left or right. His shot has good arc and rotation, but the consistency wasn’t working for him, going 2/10 from 3PT range. He did a lot of the ball-handling for Prolific but had almost half as many assists (5) as turnovers (9) over the three games. He’s a good option with his ability to play on or off the ball and provide scoring when needed.
Gabe Sisk 6’5 165 SG – Louisville Ballard 2023
Sisk was fantastic against Prolific Prep, shooting 5-10 from 3PT, scoring 26 points and grabbing six rebounds. He has deep range, shooting well beyond the NBA 3PT line and most of his makes didn’t hit the rim. He plays off the ball and isn’t the type to break down the defense off the dribble, as he’s more of a straight-line driver, but did get to the rim on occasions, especially in the game against Ashland Blazer when they failed to stop the ball. He played solid defensively with two steals in each game. Sisk may not be getting the national recognition as the players on Prolific Prep, but he kept them on their toes in the six-point loss. Sisk also scored 25 points on 11/15 FG in the 90-61 win over Ashland Blazer.
RJ Godfrey 6’7 215 SF – North Gwinnett 2022 (Clemson)
Godfrey provides great strength and physicality. Offensively, he’s good around the rim, showing touch on his jump shook and used the glass when needed. He’s not the most explosive athlete, but he had a few jams in his two games, including one on a one-foot take-off that impressed the crowd. His shooting form looks solid, but he only made 1/5 3PT in one game, and didn’t attempt any in the second. This was my first viewing of Godfrey and he played more like an undersized big than a wing. Godfrey scored 19 points (9/10 FG) before fouling out in the 90-77 loss to Ashland Blazer. He followed up with a 16-point (6/16 FG) and 16 rebound game to beat Louisville Male 60-54.
Brandon Miller 6’9 200 SF – Cane Ridge 2022 (Alabama)
Miller’s athletic, versatile, and very talented. Although he didn’t consistently connect going 2/10 from 3PT range over both games, he showed he can score from anywhere on the floor, and all his misses looked good. With his size advantage, I would’ve liked to see him try to get to the rim more as he ended up settling for midrange fadeaways, but to his credit, he’s pretty comfortable shooting them as he made a handful of them. He did a solid job handling the ball and made some impressive passes at times. Defensively, he roamed a bit and could’ve locked in more. In my opinion, Miller was the best prospect in the event. He could’ve shown more intensity as he was too tough of a matchup for both opponents for Cain Ridge to drop both games, but he was still impressive with 22 points (9/22 FG), nine rebounds, four assists, four steals, and five turnovers in the 86-79 loss to Highlands. He followed up with 24 points (9/23 FG), 10 rebounds, and two blocks in the 46-39 loss to Lincoln County.
Kaleb Glenn 6’6 185 SF – Louisville Male 2023 (Louisville)
Glenn finished with 21 points and 17 rebounds (six offensive) in their 60-54 loss to North Gwinnett. He didn’t show much outside shooting, missing his only 3PT attempt and did most of his damage in the paint, finding ways to get his shot off underneath the basket. He didn’t have big dunks, but he’s a natural athlete with good upper body strength.
Yohan Traore 6’10 225 PF – Dream City Christian 2022
Traore has a nice face-up game. The foundation’s there as a jump shooter, he hit a few from midrange and flashed his fadeaway but struggled from 3PT, going 1/6 in his two games. He scored 20 points in the 57-49 win against Central Pointe Christian but struggled against Prolific Prep with seven points on 2/9 shooting. He’s very well-coordinated at his size and loves to drive but didn’t have a lot of big-time plays at the rim. With his size and athletic gifts, he has room to be more active on the glass with 3.5 rebounds per game over the weekend and only averaging 4.1 over the eight games of The Grind Session so far.
Milos Uzan 6’3 175 PG – Dream City Christian 2022 (Oklahoma)
Uzan is a good ball-handler and ran the point for Dream City Christian, bringing a blend of scoring and facilitating. Not an explosive athlete but he’s smooth and light on his feet, getting to the middle as a dribble-driver where he likes to use his floater or kick to the open teammate on the perimeter. He had a solid eight points, four rebounds, six assists, and three steals against Central Pointe Christian and followed up with 23 points and 11 rebounds against Prolific Prep. As a 40% 3PT shooter on the season, he didn’t get the results he wanted, shooting 3/11 (27.3%) from 3PT in the two games. However, he made all eight of his free throws in the pair of games and is shooting 86.1% FT% on the year.
