Midtown is going to be a contender this year. They are deep, they are talented, and they play together. They have a lot of pieces to work with and it showed this weekend as they won all five games by at least 17 points. They are going to be a very difficult out this year. Behind Hadley, four other very talented seniors, and a 6’7 2027 rising big man in Roberts, they wear people down and then go on the inevitable big run.

Collins Hill made it to the championship game behind great three point shooting and a great defensive scheme that caused fits all weekend for teams. Ty Baumgardner’s squad is very organized, poised, and doesn’t beat themselves. Behind Tyson Baumgarder and Noah Osuju they are a hard guard. Baumgardner was the best shooter I saw this weekend. Consistently shot the three well in all five games including a 5/7 performance from outside the arc vs. Griffin.

Southwest Dekalb although young, was impressive to watch this weekend as they are a team with a lot of talent that can hurt you in different ways. A lot of players that are all interchangeable mixed in with the size of 2025 big man Peek, their flexibility to attack you on both ends of the floor, their organization, and their IQ makes them a very hard guard putting up over 60 in two of their four games this weekend. Behind Coach Brown and his staff, look for SW Dekalb to make some noise this year in 4A.

Griffin passes a lot of tests. They are big, athletic, and tough. The bears have all the pieces to potentially make a deep run this year in 4A behind 2026 PG Demari Bailey. He is a PG that gets the party started on offense and there is no shortage of complimentary players around him of all ages including a pair of bigs in the 2028 class who haven’t even stepped foot into a high school classroom.

Dunwoody moves to 5A this year and will rely on the leadership of 2025 guards Eli Merritt and Matt Corgile. Dunwoody proved to be a hard guard with their execution on offense going 3-1 this weekend and their lone loss coming to the champion Midtown. If Merritt and Corgile can continue to consistently produce, look for Dunwoody to make some noise this year.

Mundy’s Mill lost a lot of scoring from their senior class this past year. But coach Fernando Daniel does not have a bare cupboard. 2026 Christopher Johnson and 2025 Ryan Babb are a heck of a tandem and both display some great individual skills. Both are smaller guards, but both play with a motor and Babb can really shoot the three.

Towers is fun to watch. They are extremely well coached by Hasan Vanegas were in just about every game this weekend against teams that had a lot talent. They have a very young team that has a number of guys with incredibly high ceilings including 2027 6’5 WF DeShaun Young and 2026 5’10 PG Jalen Kelly.

Stone Mountain went 1-3 this weekend, but G McCloud is fun to watch. He never stops playing hard, can score at all three levels, and has the ability at his 5’10 stature to shoot over bigs when attacking the paint consistently and effectively.

Villa Rica was short handed this weekend, but on Sunday 2025 CG Gavin Cooley showed up and showed out. The 6’3 star was impressive going off for 19 points vs. Southwest Dekalb in the effort. He scores at all three levels, but notably was impressive on the offensive boards. He attacks the glass and just found ways to read the ball and get rebounds that other guys couldn’t do.

Druid Hills might be one of the youngest teams in Georgia this year. In a game they were down 2 with 2 minutes to go vs. Mundy’s Mill, they had four incoming freshman on the floor and a sophomore. 2028 incoming freshman Dakota Freeman, Marquez Roundtree, Clay Humphries, and Amadi Echebelu are going to be fun to watch the next four years. 2025 big man Zo Milla showed up on Sunday and played very well. He was the only player vs. Midtown this weekend who was able to control the interior and make Midtown find other ways to score.

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

Weekend MVP: Darrion Hadley - 2026 Midtown HS - 6’2 CG- Hadley who’s hearing from the likes of Youngstown State and Coastal Carolina is a strong gifted athlete who has great handles, can get to the rim at will, and can score at all three levels. Shoots the three at a high percentage with a quick release and can elevate very quickly and play above the rim. He has a nose for the ball on the boards, and can get out quickly in transition. I was impressed with his ability to defend all five positions as well when called upon to do so and for a young 2026 player, he hasn’t played his best basketball yet.

FIRST TEAM:
Demari Bailey - 2026 Griffin HS - 5’11 PG
Gavin Cooley - 2025 Villa Rica HS - 6’3 CG
Zuri Mesquitte - 2025 Midtown HS - 6’4 WF
Jackson Ushery - 2027 SW Dekalb HS - 5’11 SG
Eli Merritt - 2025 Dunwoody HS - 6’2 CG

Zuri Mesquitte - 2025 Midtown HS - 6’4 WF

Jackson Ushery - 2027 SW Dekalb HS - 5’11 SG

SECOND TEAM:
Robert Sullivan - 2026 Griffin HS - 6’4 SG
Tyson Baumgardner - 2025 Collins Hill HS - 6’3 SG
Elonzo Milla - 2025 Druid Hills HS - 6’6 PF
Ryan Babb - 2025 Mundy’s Mill HS - 6’0 PG
Messiah Mergan 2025 SW Dekalb HS - 6’3 CG

Elonzo Milla - 2025 Druid Hills HS - 6’6 PF

Ryan Babb - 2025 Mundy’s Mill HS - 6’0 PG

Messiah Mergan 2025 SW Dekalb HS - 6’3 CG

HONORABLE MENTION:
Galen Roberts - 2027 Midtown HS - 6’7 PF
Haiden Evans - 2025 Midtown HS - 6’6 WF
Luke Finley - 2025 Midtown HS - 6’1 CG
Dhati Lewis - 2025 Midtown HS - 6’2 SG
Noah Osuji - 2025 Collins Hill HS - 6’4 WF
Kelvin Johnson 2028 Griffin HS - 6’4 PF
King Fuller 2028 Griffin HS - 6’3 PF
DeShaun Young - 2027 Towers HS - 6’5 WF
Jalen Kelly - 2026 Towers HS - 5’10 PG
Matt Corgile - 2025 Dunwoody HS - 6’2 CG
Dakota Freeman - 2028 Druid Hills HS - 6’3 CG
Marquez Roundtree - 2028 Druid Hills HS - 6’5 WF
G McCloud - 2025 Stone Mountain HS - 5’10 PG
Christopher Johnson - 2026 Mundy’s Mill HS - 6’1 CG
Thomas Glanton - 2026 Southwest Dekalb HS - 5’9 PG
Taron Essex - 2026 Southwest Dekalb HS - 6’4 WF
Kelvin Peek - 2025 Southwest Dekalb HS - 6’4 PF

College Coaches - Please reach out to me for contact information for any players as always.

Thoughts & Observations From The 2024 Georgia Hardwood Classic

NAVIGATE

CONTACT

FOLLOW

Thoughts & Observations From The 2024 Georgia Hardwood Classic

Thoughts & Observations From The 2024 Battle On The Hill

NAVIGATE

CONTACT

FOLLOW