Feast of Champions
From the Sidelines
Opening day at the 2nd Annual Feast of Champions featured plenty of excitement, enthusiasm crowds and high-level play. Today, we will take a look at the standouts on Friday night.
6'4 '18 Jaylen Alston (Eastern Guilford)
Alston is simply a 'do it all' guard. He brings constant energy and passion on each and every possession. The southpaw has a high level work ethic that is second to none. He is the consummate stat stuffer as he finished with 28 points, 12 rebounds, four blocks and three steals. What he brings to the table is something you just can't teach. It is in his DNA and in our opinion has never gotten the proper credit he deserves. If we've said it once, we've said it a dozen times; Jaylen Alston has the athleticism, skill, attributes and countless intangibles to be an All-South type player for Gardner Webb. He's a coach's dream and will an instant contributor at the next level.
6'9 '19 Emmanuel Izunabor (Fayetteville Academy)
To say Immanuel Izunabor is a rebounding warrior would be a gross understatement. In the game against Cape Fear, Izunabor tallied 10 points but corralled 22 rebounds. He is relentless on the boards, not to mention an extremely high motor. While he is still a work in progress on the offensive end of the court, his skill set is making huge improvements every outing. First of all, he is a willing listener and wants to improve and get better. We have been impressed with his footwork in the post and passer friendly hands. Izunabor rebounds with authority and is a two-handed rebounder. In addition, he has the ability to knock down the midrange jumper and his range is constantly improving. Against the full court pressure of Cape Fear Christian, he was used as the 'relief valve' to help break the press.
6'6 '18 Aaron Nesmith (Porter Gaud)
Standing a lengthy 6'6, Aaron Nesmith has a game that will be coveted at the high major level. As a matter of fact, we firmly believe he is a star in the making and will be the surprise prospect out of Vanderbilt's star studded recruiting class. We're talking about a mobile and versatile wing that has tremendous range. He has a velvet touch on his jump shot with proper elevation, extension and follow through. The ball has excellent backspin and rotation and every jump shot looks like it is going through the nets. In addition, Nesmith has the ability to put the ball on the floor and create his own shot or even better make a strong move to the rim with a power dunk. In the come from behind overtime win over Village Christian, Nesmith finished with a game high 25 points.
6'11 '19 Derrick Quansah (Village Christian)
This was my first viewing of the lengthy, fluid and mobile forward/center. Quansah finished with 13 points and double digit rebounds. Like Izunabor, he is still learning the game and a work in progress, one thing is for certain; he doesn't lack effort and energy. First of all, he runs the floor like a gazelle and battles for position for rebounds and scoring opportunities. Quansah has a tremendous upside and his potential is through the roof. He does have a few' 'go to' moves in the paint and once he is able to consistently hit the midrange jumper, his stock will accelerate rather quickly. That being said, he is definitely a buy now stock and you might as well put his young man in your SIM CARD.
6'7 '19 Josiah James (Porter Gaud)
From a purely physical standpoint, there are not many point guards in the country that has his size, length, strength and athleticism, not to mention his advanced skill set. While he has the physical attributes and skills to completely dominate a game and be the leading scorer each and every game, he is a willing passer and has a 'team first' approach that may lessen his scoring, but will contribute in all other aspects of the game. James finished with 11 points, but hit the tying 3-pointer that sent the game into overtime where Porter Gaud pulled out the win. As we have often stated, the best stat for a point guard is winning and he did just that.