They came from Jackson Tn, Ripley Tn and of course, some of the best young players in the city showed up and showed out in a big way this past Saturday. The following are the top 10 players from the camp in no particular order.

Jaylen Barford -8th (Tigrett Middle School - Jackson Tn)

Davell Roby - 8th (Kirby Middle School)
1. Laron Black - 8th 6′5 (Cordova Middle School) If you don’t know Laron’s name, you better ask somebody. At 6′5, Black can do it all on the basketball court from rebounding and leading the break to scoring on the block at a very high rate. Look for Laron to continue to become one of the most talented players to come out of the city in a decade.
2. Dwain Whitfield - 7th 6′3 (Forrest City Arkansas) Classic post player with nice footwork in the post and very good size. This Arkansas product has big talent and could be one of the best players in Arkansas in the upcoming years.
3.Jaylen Barford - 8th 6′1 ( Tigrett Middle School - Jackson Tn) Scorer and I mean SCORER. He is another player who just has a knack for scoring the ball whether its with the 3, a pull up J in traffic or getting out on the break. He is very athletic and will be a player with big time division 1 potential by his 10-11th grade year.
4.Malik Hicks - 8th 6′3 ( Tigrett Middle School - Jackson Tn) Another post guy with the genes to become a great player. His father is former Ole Miss player, Marcus Hicks and he could have some of same skills that lead him to be a major D-1 player. He has a soft touch around the basket and he has nice touch out to the free throw line which will make him an even more effective post in the future although I can see him developing into a 3.
5.Keelon Lawson - 7th 6′2 (Craigmont Middle) Skilled 2-3 with the ability to do a little bit of everything. Good mid range shooter and a ever improving 3 pointer shooter, Lawson is ranked as a top 15 player in the country by Hoopscooponline.com. Lawson doesn’t have a clue as to how good he could be but with work, I see high major written all over him and I mean high major.
6.Dedric Lawson - 6th 6′0 (Craigmont Middle School) The best passing big in Middle School and maybe the best passer period, Dedric is hands down the best 6th grader in the city. His ability to effect the game offensively and defensively is unmatched by his 6th grade peers but he can score as well. He is the 5th best 6th grader in the country acccording to Hoopscooponline.com. Expect a big summer from as he heads back to the Memphis Wareagles.
7.Naba Echols - 7th (Craigmont Middle School) What he lacks in size, he makes up for his toughness and savvy with the basketball . Despite his stature, Echlols can get in the lane and score with the runner and the floater and is effective with a very good stroke from the 3 or midrange.
8. Cody Hailstock - 8th 5′10 ( Bellevue Middle School) Surprised in the camp with his scoring ability. More of a faciliator in the summer, Hailstock has a strong build and uses his body to shield off defenders going to the basket and has really improved his shooting from the outside. If he can continue the way he played Saturday and carry onto his AAU team, Hailstock could have a break through summer.
9.Davell Roby - 8th 6′1 (Kirby Middle School) Considering that he has only been playing basketball for two years, Roby’s upside as a guard is as high as any guard in the city!!! A big pg, Roby handles the ball like its on a string and can give you buckets if you forget about his scoring ability. He has a bright future. Whoever gets him in high school will be getting a player that can be a varsity starter by his sophmore year if not sooner.
10.Tony Becton - 8th 5′11 ( American Way Middle) The fastest guard in his class end to end, Becton possesses everything necessary to be a successful. His jumper has also improved over the year and that will make him more dangerous because most are worried about his speed and quickness driving past them to the rack.

Cody Hailstock - 8th (Belleveu Middle School)

Dedric Lawson - 6th (Craigmont Middle School)
Check out more tomorrow as I talk about other top performers from the camp.
Recent Comments