Sunday at the Beast Factory

I had heard a lot of good things about the weekend workouts at the Beast Factory in Atlanta, so this past Sunday I decided to drive down and check the action out myself. As we creep closer and closer to the tryouts and then scrimmages and eventually the regular season, some of the best players in Georgia were there putting in work in preparation for the next few months. The pace and vibes were high throughout the two-hour workout, with several players impressing both new and old. Some of these players will be in the headlines quite often when the season starts.    I have seen Jaleeah 2-3 times this Summer in passing, so Sunday was the first time I had the chance to evaluate her for an extended period of time. It was pretty easy to see what the hype and buzz is all about with Miller. I get skeptical when I see "big guard" or a young player over 6' listed as a guard, but Jaleeah is one of the few exceptions for a player her size that is so young. If you took the height away when watching her (hard to do and that's a great thing!), she looked like guard was her natural position especially during the ball handling portion. That continued over when they kids competed as Miller initiated and facilitated the offense for her team, rather than looking to just score the ball. She has a long way to go, but the potential is there for her to be in the conversation for a top five ranking in Georgia in her class. One that includes 2-3 that will be nationally ranked when those are published. She has a very high ceiling and should see offers coming her way, sooner rather than later.     Safari has gone from a relative unknown a few years ago to being ranked in the top 10 in her class in the state and holding two P4 offers heading into her sophomore season. It was easy to see why on Sunday. The 6' inside-out threat looks the part now with three years left in high school. She is a strong kid with broad shoulders and good strength who powered over and through defenders in the painted area. One fadeaway with her back to the basket, after a little shoulder shimmy, that she hit over another six-footer was very impressive. Underdue handles the ball well now and looked competent and confident attacking defenders on the perimeter, before pulling up and knocking down jump shots or getting to the rack and finishing. Safari has earned offers from St. Johns, Mercer, and the last coming from Sam Purcell and the Mississippi State Bulldogs. She will visit Clemson on October 24th for the game against Virginia Tech. She could easily find herself in the top 5 in her class in Georgia with a solid sophomore season.     Bailey was hard to miss with a bright yellow shirt on, but it was her play that kept my attention as she slashed her way to the basket impressively multiple times on the day. Daniels also showed the ability to knockdown shots from the perimeter when given the space and time. Daniels did a very good job attacking the baseline, specifically, and showed a nice finishing package at the rim once she had her defender beat. Pitts puts players through difficult ball handling drills and Bailey got through those without a hitch. During the defensive portion of the workout, Bailey stood out with the maximum effort she put out on the court. It was clear to me after two hours just how serious she is as a player and how serious she takes the game. She maybe a relative unknown now, but she will not be this time next year.     Tegan's size and ability the ability to shoot the ball at the guard position make her a very strong candidate to have a breakthrough season in her sophomore season. She is an extremely skilled player who not that long ago won the three-point competition as well as earning the Most Outstanding Player award at the Elite 60 showcase. She is a soft spoken, but very intelligent and thoughtful kid as well. It wasn't just the shooting from outside that impressed, but Tegan was excellent slashing to the basket with the ball and looking for it on backdoor cuts. Ellis has the athleticism and length to incorporate that into her game more. I think she has a very good chance to play division two in college in three years now, but there is so much potential there that I would not be surprised at all to see her sign with a division one school.     On the other end of the court there was a group of 2030s and a few 2031s and when I had the chance to watch them, Kam stood out immediately. She handles the basketball with a maturity and poise of a much older player. Her ball handling fundamentals were excellent and when she got the chance to flash a little bit with impressive dribbling combinations, she did. Her vision and ability to get the ball to open teammates on time and on the money were equally impressive. When she was left open, Whitehead knocked down shots from the perimeter with ease. However, it was the playmaking ability and her natural feel for the game that has very excited about her future. Atlanta and the surrounding metro area have put out some of the very best guards in the country over the last five to ten years, and with continued work Kam could find herself in that group herself. I have little to no reservations in saying this kid could be a star in 3-4 years.     This was the second time I had the chance to watch Hailey up close and she was just as impressive as she was the first time at the CP3 showcase at Lakepoint a couple years ago. She was not afraid to assert her will or dominance at times on the offensive end quite frankly with the younger group. She has the size, strength, and skill to be an impact player for Gainesville as a freshman, something I think she will absolutely do. She can score the basketball consistently from all three levels and should thrive in Jan Azar's system with a lot of pressing and pushing the ball in transition.

I had heard a lot of good things about the weekend workouts at the Beast Factory in Atlanta, so this past Sunday I decided to drive down and check the action out myself. As we creep closer and closer to the tryouts and then scrimmages and eventually the regular season, some of the best players in Georgia were there putting in work in preparation for the next few months. The pace and vibes were high throughout the two-hour workout, with several players impressing both new and old. Some of these players will be in the headlines quite often when the season starts.