The Georgia Rising Stars Invitational went off without a hinge this year and we had a full slate of competitive games. Of all of the games, all but two were four possession or less games, leading to a full day of excitement. I’d like to thank coach Moore for being a fantastic host at Griffin High School. This year’s Champs are McDonough High School as they defeated Villa Rica in the defacto championship game Saturday afternoon.

McDonough may be under new leadership with the departure of coach BJ Thomas to North Atlanta High School, but new coach Donald Watkins has the new look Warhawks playing at a very high level as they went 4–0 on the day and although faced adversity in all four games, rarely trailed. Behind 2028 star guard Kerrington Moore and 2027 big man Jaydin Brown, McDonough is going to have a lot to play for in the coming years with Watkins at the helm.

Druid Hills has a ton of young talent. They played McDonough incredibly tough and yield a roster that is loaded with young talent. Their 2028 class has stars like Dakota Freeman of the Atlanta Celtics, Marquez Roundtree who at 6’5 is already regarded as one of the top shot blockers in the class, and Amadi Echebelu who at 6’1 has a nose for the ball grabbing double digit rebounds in two games Saturday. But what’s just as impressive is 2029 star Phillip Claybrooks who will only be an 8th grader this year showed why he was ranked high at the prestigious Nike John Lucas Camp this past May. Claybrooks had 16 of Druid Hill’s 32 points in the effort vs. McDonough.

Griffin has a lot to look forward to in the future. The bears don’t necessarily have a lot of interior size, but they have speed, shooting, and a number of standout guards who have very high ceilings, that with the right tooling, will be in a lot of conversations playing in 4A the next few years. 2027 5’10 guard Jakobe Gaston was consistently good all day. Plays with a tremendous motor and showed that he can score at all three levels, but more impressively, really pushes the ball in transition and made a lot of good decisions. 5’10 2027 guard Jaiden Watts who was a phenomenal defender all day having one big steal after one big steal and finished well at the rim and hit some big threes Saturday. With 2026 combo Innocent Piercy who showed glimpses, and two incoming freshman Kelvin Johnson and King Fuller, the Bears could be a dangerous opponent the next four years.

Villa Rica went 2-2 on Saturday but really gave McDonough a scare cutting the gap to a two possession game twice in the waning minutes on Saturday. They play really good team ball and Coach James Bailey has a lot to be excited about with this upcoming group. 2028 star guard, 5’10 Josiah Nolen was noticeably an impact player in every game. Whether it be on defense in the stifling full court press Villa Rica brings, his ability to get to the rim and finish over defenders, or his ability to create for others and direct traffic. He is someone to watch develop over the next four years. 2027 point guard Avion McDaniel played well as well as 2027 WF Chaz Poulk who brings a unique skill set. Poulk is a tremendous shot blocker who has a nice touch at the rim as well on offense. He caused fits inside all day for all four opponents he faced.

Whitewater has a group that plays incredibly hard and doesn’t back down from a challenge. 6’0 2027 combo guards Jordan Montford and Asher Lamz played well on Saturday and have a bright future for Coach Martin if they continues to develop the next three years. They bring a ton of energy, some moxie, and look to score at all three levels. They played a competitive 2-3 zone that caused fits Saturday afternoon that really made McDonough and Villa Rica have to grind it out before eventually pulling out the victory.

Please see the All Tournament Team from the weekend below and my review for each team.

Weekend MVP: Kerrington Moore - 2028 McDonough HS - 5’10 PG- Moore may very well be the only 2028 player in Georgia at the moment who holds a full scholarship offer to a NCAA Division 2 school. Quite frankly, he’s that good. Moore is a true competitor who showed he can adapt well to changing defenses, find unique & creative ways to score, and make everyone else around him better. He checks a lot of boxes already for a 14 year old and is well on his way to stardom. As long as he continues to polish his skills, he is on that path to becoming one of the most talked about names in the 2028 Georgia Class down the road. What stuck out to me the most was his ability to be a one man full court press essentially and guard anyone in the open court. A true point guard as well who loves to have the ball in his hand making plays.

FIRST TEAM:
Jaydin Brown - 2027 McDonough HS - 6’7 C
Phillip Claybrooks - 2029 Druid Hills MS - 6’1 PG
Dakota Freeman - 2028 Druid Hills HS - 6’2 CG
Josiah Nolen - 2028 Villa Rica HS - 5’10 CG
Jakobe Gaston - 2027 Griffin HS - 5’10 CG

Dakota Freeman - 2028 Druid Hills HS - 6’2 CG

Josiah Nolen - 2028 Villa Rica HS - 5’10 CG

Jakobe Gaston - 2027 Griffin HS - 5’10 CG

HONORABLE MENTION:
Chaz Poulk - 2027 - Villa Rica HS - 6’2 WF
Marquez Roundtree - 2028 Druid Hills HS - 6’5 WF
Avion McDaniel - 2027 - Villa Rica HS - 5’9 PG
Jaiden Watts - 2027 - Griffin HS - 5’10 CG
Asher Lamz - 2027 - Whitewater HS - 6’0 CG
Innocent Piercy 2026 - Griffin HS - 6’0 CG
Jordan Montford - 2027 Whitewater HS - 6’0 CG
Amadi Echebelu - 2028 Druid Hills HS - 6’1 WF