Star freshmen lead from front in Round One

As the game continues to evolve younger players are making an impact and their mark earlier in their high school careers than ever before. The state of Georgia is home to some of the very best ninth grade hoopers in the country and their play in round one of the GHSA state playoffs proved just that. As the tournament rolls on and the competition gets tougher these players will have to continue to raise their level of play. All of these players are more than capable of doing just that.    David has quietly led Oconee County to a 25-3 record and a top five ranking in the state. The start to her high school career had a lot of hype the last year or so around the state and Ella has not only lived up to that hype, but done so as the player every opposing teams has prioritized to stop. Even against double teams and junk defenses, the freshman has continued to stack 20 point games while playing within the flow of her team's offense. David has the skills and size to be a Power Four recruit, sooner rather than later. David's offensive game is unique to her as she scores the ball from all over the court. She is a bouncy, energetic player who is very much attack-minded with the ball in her hands, but doesn't force bad passes or take bad shots. She is an efficient and talented scorer from all three levels. David finished 23 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists in the round one win over Long County.     At this point I think it is safe to say that [player_tooltip player_id='991134' first='Carib' last='Morris'] and [player_tooltip player_id='671764' first='Kie'Aundria' last='Acree'] are the two best scorers left in the Georgia High School Association state playoffs and probably the two best scorers in Georgia period. Morris added another 30 ball in the first round for South Forsyth scoring 32 points in the win. At this point in the season no one has come close to shutting down the freshman and only a few have even contained her. Morris' length and shot making ability make her one of the best freshman in the country. I have seen her play countless times and she has done a tremendous job adapting to the defensive schemes teams have thrown at her all year. Carib has basically been unguardable all year and until someone can figure out how to slow her down South Forsyth can beat anybody.     Frazier is another very unique freshman in Georgia with the size and skills that every college coach in the country should want. Peyton has the height and length of an ideal post player on top of that she is an exceptionally athletic kid which is very rare for her size. Frazier plays with the skills of a guard. She handles the ball very well and it is not uncommon to see her snatch a defensive rebound on one end and push the ball in transition on the fast break herself rather stoping momentum and finding a guard to give the ball too. In the post she has a full arsenal of effective moves to get her shot off. Frazier also has excellent feet which can be seen on her spin moves in tight traffic. Peyton is a very good finisher around the basket and a capable shooter from outside. Frazier could be a player who ends her career ranked in the top 25 in her class in the country. I expect a meteoric rise for her over the next few years.     Millie is another freshman who has quietly put together a very impressive season in helping her team to a 23-5 record and a spot in the second round of the tournament. Millie played excellent against Armuchee in round one running her team's offense and finding open scorers to start the game. As the game went on she started to assert herself offensively scoring the ball. Southards is borderline too unselfish at times and could easily have scored 3-4 more baskets in the game but gave the ball up to teammates who were more open or in a better position to score. Defensively, Southards plays with an edge. You will not get anything easy if she is guarding you. She has a knack for getting into offensive players and ripping the ball out clean before starting the fast break for Rabun. Millie has elite ball handling and passing which was evident in the game, but also has the ability to put a big number scoring the ball if her team needs it. Millie has received interest from a couple schools after that performance, one in the ACC and the other in the SEC.     Reaves may not have had a huge game scoring the ball for Baldwin, but the freshman point guard hauled in nine rebounds and finished with five steals for the Baldwin Bravettes. Reaves has been outstanding on defense all year long averaging over three steals per game while adding almost four rebounds per contest. Conniya has the quickness and ability to turn those possessions into points and fast on the break where she has shown a nice ability to finish around the rim. Reaves is also a shortstop on the softball where coaches generally put their best athletes. Her lateral movement and eye hand coordination translates well from the diamond to the hardwood.

As the game continues to evolve younger players are making an impact and their mark earlier in their high school careers than ever before. The state of Georgia is home to some of the very best ninth grade hoopers in the country and their play in round one of the GHSA state playoffs proved just that. As the tournament rolls on and the competition gets tougher these players will have to continue to raise their level of play. All of these players are more than capable of doing just that.