ATL Summer Slam – Standouts from the Carolinas (Part 2)

High school and AAU basketball is the textbook definition of the maxim “There is no offseason.”    As soon as the state championships wrap up, the travel season commences. Said travel season for 2022 has come and gone, but not before one last live period that took place in late July.    One of those live period events was ATL Summer Slam. Hosted by Insider Exposure, a large amount of teams and coaches made the trip to metro Atlanta for what was three days of captivating basketball. A number of venues was utilized – including Suwanee Sports Academy in Gwinnett County.   We at Prep Girls Hoops also made said trip. Our first list of talents who impressed from both South and North Carolina was recently released. Here are a bit more from the region who had their balling shoes on in the ATL.    [player_tooltip player_id='361675' first='Christiana' last='Young'] – 2024 – Winston Salem Christian – FBC Carolina Elite Queens – This Young is advancing into her veteran stages in high school basketball terms. She finished with 15 points in what was a 47-36 victory for FBC Carolina Elite Queens over Heart of Illinois 17U Bluestar. As those show, she can put points on the board and compliments that with how proficient a passer she is. The 5-foot-5 guard possesses exemplary ball handling skills as well as an impressive court vision. If one makes an offensive mistake with Young as a defender, it is a good possibility she will take it the other way and create an extra offensive possession for her team.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/07/IMG_9698-scaled-crop-2424x1592-1658687925.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-466513" /></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='221933' first='Madison' last='Young'] – 2023 – Northwest Guilford HS – FBC Carolina Elite Queens – Young is one of the taller members of the FBC Carolina Elite Queens team at 5-foot-10 – except she is a 5-foot-10 guard as opposed to a forward or center. Two elements to her game that one can certainly see are her ability to get out in transition for high-percentage shots and how she can affect a game as a ball hawk. Young adds a 3-point shooting dimension to any offense she is part of and can also draw contact and make things happen at the free throw line. She finished with 10 points as FBC Caroline Elite Queens defeated Heart of Illinois 17U Bluestar by a final of 47-36 on ATL Summer Slam's first day.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/07/IMG_9697.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-466514" /></figure>   Allie Frazier – 2023 – Providence Grove HS – FBC Carolina Elite Queens – Up goes this Frazier when looking at her stock. She is a multi-sport athlete who has also played volleyball and softball in addition to basketball. She is a Patriots primary scorer and much of that production can occur from behind the 3-point arc. Frazier is one that opposing teams do not want to foul as she is very proficient from the charity stripe. Frazier stands at 5-foot-6. She can find herself with the hot hand at any given time in a game. In her team's 47-36 win over Heart of Illinois 17U Bluestar, she went scoreless before tallying 11 points – all from either downtown or the free throw line.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/07/IMG_9733-scaled-crop-1917x1259-1658688123.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-466516" /></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='116911' first='Staci' last='Williams'] – 2023 – Holly Springs HS – ABC Lightning Showcase Elite – Prep Girls Hoops noticed Williams and the rest of her ABC Lightning Showcase Elite teammates in Tennessee on the Prep Girls Hoops Circuit at Music City Showdown – as well as a non-Circuit event at Concord's Carolina Courts. Williams is difficult to contain once she has a full head of steam as she goes for the rim with plenty of tenacity either in the open floor or against a slew of defenders. Williams can get creative with how she handles the rock and will convert on her freebies at the line on the heels of drawing foul-worthy contact.    [player_tooltip player_id='385123' first='Destinee' last='Barnes'] – 2023 – Winston Salem Christian – ABC Lightning Showcase Elite – It appears to be Destinee's destiny to have stellar performances on a game-by-game basis. The weekend of the live period at Suwanee Sports Academy was no exception. Barnes is also a rim attacker that will also haul in rebounds. As proficient a scorer as she is, she is unselfish and understands when the right time is to drop buckets and when to dish dimes. Barnes will take care of the ball and can play the role of primary point guard to get her team organized in a halfcourt set. The many college coaches in attendance in Atlanta had to be impressed with how Barnes showed up to show out.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/07/IMG_9729-scaled-crop-2048x1345-1658688244.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-466518" /></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='171785' first='Lindsay' last='Garner'] – 2023 – Lexington HS – ABC Lightning Showcase Elite – The home court of the Wildcats may be a bit of a drive from the portion of North Carolina where the Tar Heel State travel team calls home. Coach Gary Williams is not complaining that Garner has sported red and gold this AAU season. The 6-foot-2 that completed a deep 5A playoff run for Lexington is a tall task for anyone opposing her in the low post. She is a proficient rebounder and scorer and has no problems getting to the free throw line on the heels of absorbing foul-worthy contact.

High school and AAU basketball is the textbook definition of the maxim “There is no offseason.”