Shaw's Takeaways: Hoop Group Southern Jam Fest

HAMPTON, Va. – Rivals.com’s Jamie Shaw was baseline for the Hoop Group Southern Jam Fest. There were storylines everywhere with ranked players walking all throughout the Boo Williams Sportsplex. Here is what Shaw saw.

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2021 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position

2022 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position

2023 Rankings: Top 30

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We heard all the talk leading up to the event about Emoni Bates and Jalen Duren teaming up. This is monumental as they are the consensus No. 1 and No. 2 players in the 2022 class, joining forces with one another. Just as we expected, the crowd was thick and the media was deep. Everyone wanted to get a glimpse of what these two looked like and they put on a show.

However, this Team Final (Pa.) EYBL team was so much more than Bates and Duren. It also included 2022 Rivals150 No. 31 Justice Williams, No. 45 Dereck Lively, No. 107 Corey Floyd, Jr., No. 112 Jameel Brown and No. 144 Otega Oweh.

At 6-foot-8 Bates is a long and wiry wing who is wired to score the ball. Duren is a big and strong, 6-foot-10 and 240-pound power forward who has length and a motor to go get the ball. There is a very real conversation that the 7-foot-1 Lively is the best long-term prospect in the entire class. Floyd, Jr., a 6-foot-4 UConn signee is an explosive and aggressive downhill player. The 6-foot-3 Brown has range out to 30-feet and is filled with intangibles. The 6-foot-3 Oweh is a tough-minded guy who made winning plays on both ends of the floor.

Copeland is a big point guard who possesses excellent floor vision. He lined up as the primary ball handler or got the ball in different areas on the floor to initiate. He has excellent vision with great size and a slippery way with the ball. Copeland will enter our 2022 Rivals150 for the next update. He carries offers from UConn, Syracuse, Maryland, Miami, Oregon and Penn State.

I do not normally include 8th graders in this space, but Peterson is an exception to the rule. He comes from a great pedigree, as his father scored almost 1,400 career points at Akron. Playing two age groups up, the 6-foot-4 Peterson was the best player on each floor he walked on this weekend. Blessed with a crafty and decisive handle, Peterson has an array of floaters, jumpers and overall scoring talent to carry a team. Currently, Peterson carries offers from Pittsburgh, St John’s and Xavier.

McDaniel is, simply put, a winner. He is an excellent passer and a dogged competitor. Always talking and playing with intensity, McDaniel leaves it out on the floor every play. The rising senior is set to take a visit to Michigan for the first week in June, he likens his play style to former Wolverine PG, Mike Smith.

With the COVID shut down, and everything going, Haris has not played organized ball for almost a year. The 6-foot-4 off guard made his mark this weekend, simply getting buckets. The quick-twitch lefty got into the paint at will, finished at and above the rim and he knocked down shots extending beyond the 3-point range. Harris currently has a lone Wake Forest offer, but look for interest in him to rise as soon as coaches can get back out on the road.

Just three years ago, Brown was a football quarterback. Fast forward to his junior season, and a 6-inch growth spurt and Brown is currently the No. 142 player in the 2022 Rivals150. Brown is a unique, long player who really excels on defense. His ability to move his feet with his long arms and quick twitch frame allow him to guard up and down a line up. Brown did a great job this weekend running the floor and finishing with easy buckets in transition. Brown has not set any visits yet, but with ten or so offers in hand, he knows he will be setting an official visit with Virginia Tech in early June.

Lamothe is a human swiss-army-knife on the floor. Blessed with a sturdy 6-foot-4 frame, he showcased different aspects of this game each time he stepped on the floor. In one game Lamothe acted as the primary initiator, passing the ball and setting up his teammates. The next game, he had the mismatch and his team needed him to score the ball. Not currently ranked in the 2023 Rivals150, look for Lamothe to enter the rankings once the list is updated.

This was my first viewing of Edwards and I walked away impressed. Edwards, a lefty, showcased skill from all over the floor throughout the day. He started off going 3-for-3 from beyond the arc, in the first half of his first game. He then spent the second half lining up at the high post area and picking apart the defense. The third game the sophomore played a more traditional wing role, showcased the ability to break his man down off the bounce and act as a secondary initiator. There is a lot of talent here with some upside left to go. Carrying early offers from the likes of Miami, Oklahoma State, Virginia Tech and others, look for Edwards to enter the 2023 Rivals150 upon next update.

Whitmore can get up on the rim in an instant, this is something we all know as he has displayed it throughout his high school career. Standing 6-foot-6, Whitmore was an intimidating presence this weekend. He successfully defended positions two through four, he rebounded the ball and he straight line drove, through contact, to finish at the rim. Whitmore is looking to set visits with Wake Forest, Virginia Tech and Maryland.

Karaban is a player who will not wow you with length and athleticism, but more so with his balance, footwork and his ability to keep you off balance with the ball in his hands. He is a high motor rebounder and can knock down the three ball off the catch. Carrying close to 15 offers, the three-star prospect says he looking to set unofficial visits to UConn and Providence in June.

This was my first live viewing of the 6-foot-6 off guard and Skillings did nothing to disappoint. He showed a smooth shot from range, but it was his deep bag of tricks in the mid-range that got him to the basket or into an off-balance floater that kept defenses on their heels all game. Skillings has current offers from Temple, La Salle, Drexel and Albany but that list will grow as he continues to get better.

Carey walks on the floor as a true 7-footer, so naturally our eyes drift toward him. As he glides up and down the floor or lifts in the air for a put back or block a shot he brings us to the edge of our seats. However, for me, it was in the lay-up lines. Carey walks over to the group of videographers, of which I was standing, on the sidelines and yells, “Hey, film this!” We turn to see what is going on and Carey proceeds to leap in the air, put the ball behind his back and dunk it as he passes the rim. It was impressive, the confidence, the act, just the entire situation for a 7-footer to be doing that. Carey carries offers from Brown, Bryant, UMass and Albany. Motor, hands, speed and explosion, there is a lot to like here.

Some people just know how to play basketball, and Griffiths falls into this category. Whether it be how he drifts into his passers eyesight with perfect balance or how he whips passes around to open players, or cutters on his team, Griffiths goes about his business, making high level plays all over the floor. Currently unranked in the 2023 Rivals150, look for the sophomore to be introduced with the next update. He carries early offers from Syracuse, UMass and Siena.