Wildcat Shootout: Ballers From The Border

Over 40 teams from both sides of the Georgia-Florida border competed at the Wildcat Shootout in Kingsland, Georgia, and several players from Florida left their mark on the event. Thirteen colleges from multiple states came and several extended offers to players from both the Sunshine and Peach States who stood out with their stellar play at the event. Some of these players were kids I have seen play countless times and others were players I had never heard of making the drive down to Camden County High School. I knew who they were on the drive back for good reason.    Redding had do a lot for a short handed Bishop Snyder square and she did just that impacting the game in every area, but specifically stepping up and leading their efforts on offense. Redding is tall and long and had no problem embracing and going through contact as she attacked the basket relentlessly over the course of the three days. When she got to the line she shot the ball and also showed she is threat to score from three point range knocking down several shots. Redding was active and worked very hard on the defense end and rebounding the basketball for Snyder. She helped incoming freshman Adalyn Jimenez with point guard duties getting her team into offensive sets and helping to break opposing team's full court pressure. She is a player who has only been taking the game seriously for the last two years and her improvement shows. She is a completely different player than the last time I watched her play.     Grimes showed off her excellent shooting ability not only from behind the three point line, but also in the midrange and when she got to the free throw line for Bishop Snyder. She is one of the best and most consistent shooters in North Florida and she proved in multiple games at the Wildcat Shootout. In one of the games in a different gym, Grimes scored 31 points for Coach Lando Turner and drew the interest from several college coaches. Bry has shown the ability to get to her spots in the midrange off the dribble and consistently make shots in the past, so it was very good to see her utilize that more in her game. She did a nice job using head fakes after making a few early shots from three to get her defender off the ground before taking 1-2 dribbles and walking into a comfortable shot from 10-12 feet.     Young was hard to miss at 6'2 with a very long span, wearing purple and gold, when she and her teammates from Andrew Jackson walked into the gym on day one. I was not planning to stay for that game but when someone told me she was a 2030 my interest was peaked enough to stay and watch her play for 15-20 minutes. Tonya has a lot of upside and with a lot of hard work over the course of the next four years, has the potential to play at the Power Four level not only because of her size but also her ability to move at her size so smoothly. The promise is there, both on the inside and outside, for Young as showed glimpses and flashes of what she is capable of in both areas of the court. Fundamentally, she is sound in all areas and will only continue to build upon that strong foundation over the next for years. She was good handling the basketball and shooting from the perimeter and rebounded the ball while blocking and altering shots on the defensive end. Potential is the key word here, but Tonya has the physical gifts to become a big time college prospect with continued work in the weight room and on skill development.     Smith started out the game very strong for Richmond Hill against McArthur (FL) knocking down an early shot from long range and following it up with a good showing offensively. Smith showed very good form and follow through to go with a quick release. She maybe listed at 5'9" but she looked and played much taller and used her length and wingspan to impact the game in all areas. She was a willing and active rebounder for her team as well as doing a good job keeping the ball and her man in front of her on defense. I had not seen Richmond Hill play before, and although I did not get a chance to after this game, she is a player that I think brings a lot to the table and could be one that sees her ranked in the next update for the 2028 class in Georgia. She looked like a player finding confidence to go along with a lot of skill.     Machgan was another player for Richmond Hill who had me intrigued and looking forward to seeing her and her team play again. She had the basketball in her hands running her team and the offense for the majority of the time I watched them, while also getting on the scoresheet herself. Machgan looked comfortable and confident on the ball and did a good job delivering her passes on time and in the pocket making it easier for her teammates to score. She had a very good handle on the basketball and kept her head up enabling her to see the floor and facilitate the offense. When left open, Bristol made MacArthur pay for behind the three point line and the midrange showing good form and follow through on her jump shot. She, like Smith, is a player who is under the radar and underrated as a result. She played with a high basketball IQ and a big motor.     Fields made a lot of plays from the time the ball was tipped as South Effingham matched up with Bishop Snyder from Jacksonville, Florida. Kiyah did a little bit of everything as the team's primary playmaker whether the basketball started in her hands or not. Fields did a good job creating scoring opportunities for herself while also using very good court vision to find teammates cutting to the basket multiple times throughout the game. She was not only very good rebounding the basketball but when she got control of missed shoots she did not waste the opportunity. She had created second chances for her team on the offensive boards and when she cleared the glass on defense, Fields turned on the accelerators and got the ball up the court quickly creating easy opportunities to score. The transfer from Jenkins in Savannah looks primed to have a breakout season as a sophomore.

Over 40 teams from both sides of the Georgia-Florida border competed at the Wildcat Shootout in Kingsland, Georgia, and several players from Florida left their mark on the event. Thirteen colleges from multiple states came and several extended offers to players from both the Sunshine and Peach States who stood out with their stellar play at the event. Some of these players were kids I have seen play countless times and others were players I had never heard of making the drive down to Camden County High School. I knew who they were on the drive back for good reason.