We had Benji Oxman at Mercer’s Elite Camp this past weekend. He got to see a mixture of new and familiar faces at what was a talented event. Here are the 5 prospects he saw who he felt had the best showings down in Macon.
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Overall Top Performer- 6’2 G David Thomas (’23), Eagle’s Landing HS
David was the best player at the camp from start to finish. From drills to scrimmages Thomas competed the entire day. In the scrimmage portion David showed off his ability to score from all over the floor. Whether it was in transition, off the catch 3’s or pull up mid-range jumpers, Thomas had it all going all day. David not only scored the ball but distributed well in the half-court too, seeming to make the right read nearly every trip down the court. The Mercer staff seems to agree with me about David Thomas considering he was the only player to walk away from the camp with an offer. Expect an uptick in his recruitment this junior season.
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6’3 PG Alex Odam (’23), Piedmont HS (AL)
Alex was the best pure PG on Sunday. Odam has an elite passing ability and does a great job in the pick and roll with his patience and change of speeds making him tough to guard. To go along with all that he shot the 3 very well. His size and advanced skillset are very appealing for a young PG. Alex was the only player going into the camp to have a Mercer offer, but also holds offers from Jacksonville State, NJIT, Tennessee Tech, Samford, UAB and Western Carolina.
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6’4 G JC Curry (’22), Hart County HS
JC is an electric athlete who thrives in transition. During the drills the Mercer staff tested everyone’s vertical and JC was measured at a 43” max vertical. He was able to show that off throughout the scrimmages with dunk after dunk. JC is more than just a dunker though, he was the best rebounding guard at the camp: offensive and defensive glass. JC is also a solid 3-point shooter. Curry is one of the more underrecruited guys left available in Georgia’s 2022 class. JC currently holds one offer to Jacksonville State but I think after a potentially big HS season his offer list could grow.
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6’10 PF Kaleb Siler (’23), Carmel Christian HS (NC)
Kaleb is a physical big who understands how to use his body. He has a great ability to finish with either hand around the rim. Also, very patient in the post, multiple times got doubled in the post and he was able to make an accurate pass to one of his teammates for a wide open three. Siler also did a solid job in rim protections with multiple blocks per game. Once Kaleb is in great shape and able to run the floor the entire game he could be a big-time player. Kaleb currently holds one offer to Hampton.
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6’8 F Tobias Rice (’24), Westside-Macon HS
Special shout-out to Tobias because even though he was one of the younger guys at the camp he was by far the most vocal. Between calling out screens, picking up his teammates or leading his team in warmups before Game 1, Tobias was a clear leader out there. Rice did a really good job controlling the defensive glass and being active on the defensive end. He also showed his ability to secure a rebound then push the ball himself coast to coast and finish at the rim through contact. His jump shot and ball handling in the half-court still need some work, but I’m intrigued to see more of Tobias Rice this HS & AAU season.
relentless-hoops.com 