There were so many good tournaments in Georgia and throughout the Southeast during the last 4 months. A multitude of prospects raised their level of play, leaving college coaches impressed and elevating their recruitment. There are always big stock risers during the travel season from Georgia, and this year was no different. With the High School Live Periods in June and Travel Team Live Periods in July, there were more than enough opportunities for players to leave their mark. That being said, here are the 10 Georgia prospects in 2022 who I felt helped themselves the most from March to July. Also included are 5 honorable mention selections. An Out-Of-State Stock Riser Team and a Georgia All-Sleeper Team will be selected soon too.
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*Prospects are listed in alphabetical order by last name
Top 10:
6’8″ PF Tony Carpio (Providence Christian/Atlanta Allstars)
Carpio has been making a steady climb over the last 1-2 years and it paid off with 5 offers this travel season. He made a considerable jump in our June rankings update and didn’t give any reason to drop him as he continued to produce during both the June and July Live Periods. You never have to question his motor and he has continued to polish his skillset.
An overview of him can be seen on Episode 6 of the Relentless Rundown (7:10 mark):
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6’8″ F Jerry Deng (Norcross/ABC Elite)
After a quiet spring, Deng took full advantage of the June Live Periods with Norcross, highlighted by a signature performance in which he hit 8 3’s. Offers from Florida International, East Carolina, and Mercer have come in as a result of showings during those 2 weekends. The way he can shoot at his height and build, along with being a high-IQ passer, make it easy to see why coaches have taken a liking to him.
An overview of him can be seen on Episode 4 of the Relentless Rundown (10:40 mark):
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6’8″ F Delrecco Gillespie (East Coweta/Game Elite)
Another guy who boosted his recruitment during June, Gillespie benefitted from being the main guy with East Coweta and being able to show all of his tools. After receiving offers from Kennesaw State, Alabama State, UNCW, and NC A&T during June, he didn’t slow down in July. His confidence remained high and left the month with 5 new offers from Appalachian State, Murray State, Hofstra, Western Michigan, and Kent State. Gillespie has a lot of different pieces to his game and should be a nice finished product.
An overview of him can be seen on Episode 6 of the Relentless Rundown (1:00 mark):
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6’7″ SF Aidan Hadaway (LaFayette/Atlanta Timberwolves- Committed to Ohio)
We might not have even got to see how high Hadaway could have risen this summer as he suffered a few different ankle injuries during June & July that held him out of most games. His motor, size, and skill made him a matchup nightmare for opponents on the travel circuit. He’s one I’ve watched for a long time and it was expected by many that he would break out during the travel season. Offers from UGA, Ohio, Belmont, Lipscomb, and Jacksonville State all came in over the last few months; last week he committed to Ohio over the other options.
An overview of him can be seen on Episode 1 of the Relentless Rundown (2:56 mark):
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6’8″ F Izaiyah Nelson (Marietta/Game Elite Orange)
The most recent of the group to see himself ascend, Nelson had everyone talking during the July Live Periods and reeled in 7 offers over a 2-week span. He’s a long, fluid athlete at 6’8″ who has some seriously impressive stretches when his motor is going. Nelson makes emphatic above-the-rim plays on both ends of the floor and plays with an edge to him. His ability to protect the basket probably stood out the most; he erased a ton of shots throughout the month and would seemingly come out of nowhere at times to swat them away, even coming close to a block triple-double in one game I attended. With his physical abilities and flashes he showed offensively, coaches see a promising prospect who could be a big contributor in time.
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6’11” C Braden Pierce (River Ridge/Georgia Legacy)
One of the tallest players in the state, Pierce immediately stands out with his size. He has come a long way over the last 2 years or so and continued to make positive strides throughout the travel season. Division 1 coaches were finally able to see him starting in June, and 6 D1 programs have offered him since then. He’s not a finished product, but at close to 7 feet tall, Pierce moves well and catches your attention by altering shots at the rim and also has shown shooting potential & ability on the block. His development throughout high school is an encouraging sign as to what he could become at the next level.
An overview of him can be seen on Episode 3 of the Relentless Rundown (15:45 mark):
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6’6″ SF Josh Reed (Pace/AC Georgia)
No one has experienced the recruitment explosion that Reed has during the spring & summer month, picking up 15 new offers in addition to the 11 that he had earned previously. With his shooting, smooth game off the dribble, and intangibles, he has shown coaches that he can fit in a wide range of systems, as evident by the various conferences that are pursuing him. Reed might not be the most exciting player around but he has a maturity, IQ, and skill level that has to be appreciated.
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6’4″ SG Devin Story (Evans/Atlanta Lightning)
Story has been very consistent with his production since the high school season. His shooting ability has stood out for quite some time, but with the Atlanta Lightning, he got to show us more ability on the ball, both as a scorer and facilitator. Radford, Rider, and Life have all extended offers to him, and he’s probably deserving of even more. It looks like he’s going to work his way into the Top 30 in our next rankings update and should form a great senior duo at Evans with Brasen James.
An overview of him can be seen on Episode 1 of the Relentless Rundown (5:10 mark):
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6’5″ SF Cam Walker (Milton/TSF)
Walker experienced a rapid rise this summer, using the June Live Periods to put everyone on notice and then did not slow down in July. He took advantage of the increased opportunities with both Milton and TSF, proving to be a consistent perimeter shooter, showing improvement as a finisher, and doing the little things like he always has.
An overview him can be seen on Episode 5 of the Relentless Rundown (0:45 mark):
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6’1″ G Kami Young (Pebblebrook/Georgia Legacy)
Young clearly came into June & July with a chip on his shoulder & something to prove. He produced every step along the way during those 2 months, stepping into a leadership & primary scoring role with Pebblebrook and fitting well alongside the other talented Legacy prospects in July. He put up big numbers with both groups and did so against top of the line competition, shooting the ball well and attacking the lane physically & fearlessly. His consistency resulted in 4 Division 1 offers after coming into the summer with none.
An overview of him can be seen on Episode 6 of the Relentless Rundown (8:30 mark):
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Honorable Mention:
6’3″ SG Anthony Arrington (Galloway/Core4)
Offers from Kennesaw State, Mercer, Wofford, Eastern Michigan, Jacksonville State.
An overview of him can be seen on Episode 3 of the Relentless Rundown (11:35 mark):
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6’4″ G Gaddis Heath (Westlake/D-Favors Celtics)
Offers from ESTU, Illinois State, and Charleston Southern.
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6’2″ G Kyle Burns (Wheeler/Team Dickerson
Offer from Radford.
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JC Curry (Hart County/Georgia Stars Select)
Offers from Jacksonville State and Voorhees.
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6’3” G Cayden Charles (Allatoona/SEBA FCI Warriors)
Offer from The Citadel
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