Cartersville, Georgia – Lakepoint Champions Center welcome the first event from the UA Future circuit this weekend, and it didn’t disappoint. Under Armour, teams traveled from Alabama, Tennessee, and North Carolina to play on the first stop in the Southeast. Sports4Champions was on the scene, with a breakdown of what we saw.
Teams to watch …….Team Charlotte
Team Charlotte went 4-0 in bracket A and finished off a weekend with a 67-43 win over Atlanta Xpress, both teams were undefeated coming into the last match-up of the day. The balanced attack Josh Lash (Charlotte Christian), Amore Connelly (Walter Johnson Middle), and Carson Evans (Bradley Middle) were too much for the Atlanta Xpress in the end. Lash, was extremely athletic around the rim and used his body to score in the paint. Connelly’s motor ran high all weekend for Team Charlotte, scoring on nice finishes on plays converting And 1’s and throwing down a vicious dunk, as he played with the same energy on the defensive end. Evans showed craftiness with the ball, making him hard to guard, and on defense caused several turnovers and created havoc.
Left to Right: Carson Evans,
Josh Lash, Amore Connelly
Don’t sleep on these teams ……
Pro One (Alabama) 4-0
Blue Chips 4-0
Atlanta Xpress 3-1
Team Slay 3-1
Team Slay out of Charlotte, North Carolina coach by former NBA player Tamar Slay had a very impressive showing and was led by JD Bowden, Jackson Fannon, and Bryce Slay. Bryce Slay is a long athletic shooter with a nice-looking stroke who found ways to get to the basket. Jackson Fannon, another long wing that didn’t mind going inside or out when they needed a basket down low, was there for putbacks and finishes, but also stretch the floor with his shooting ability. JD Bowden put me in the mine of a Gary Payton like a guard, a very tough ball hawker on defense, got to the basket any time he wanted to. He was very tough to stop going downhill.
Left to Right: Bryce Slay,
Jackson Fannon, JD Bowden
McNeil was very impressive making shots on the bounce, creating plays for others, and getting to the basket when he needed to, his ability to be a lead guard makes him very tough.
Team Charlotte’s 7th-grade team finished the pool play in group one 4-0 and was led by Tre Raymond and Cameron Newman. Raymond’s potential ceiling is very high, he has size, handles are good for a big kid this age, he is able to see the floor, and can score inside or out. Cameron Newman draws Jason Kidd-like comparisons with his steadiness at the point and plays the game smart and the right way. Getting guys in position and distributing where they need the ball