THE END. OCT8 The 8th Grade Division featured SO MANY of the top players in the class! The division featured such nationally ranked and recognized players like Jayden Forrest, Lemarcus “Snoody” Wilkinson, Josh Holloway, EJ Smith, Jamarion “Woodie” Harvey, and Regale Moore. The season was full of excitement. There were dozens of twenty points performances, countless highlight plays, and almost every game was a close one. We got a chance to see several of the top players in the class go head up; EJ vs. Josh, Matthew vs. Rashad, and Snoody vs. Woodie. We also got a chance to see some kids really breakout and establish themselves amongst the top ranks. Marcus Crawford, Fred Deere, and Anthony Medlock all played their ways into the conversation. There were few more kids that turned heads. Aidan Moskovitz and Kameron Temple were a couple of those kids.
FIRST TEAM ALL-FIRST48
Player’s Name Position Team
Ernest “EJ” Smith G Crockett/ Smith
Lemarcus “Snoody” Wilkinson G James
Jamarion “Woodie” Harvey G Moore
Anthony Medlock F Holloway/Morris
Fred “Mane Mane” Deere F Williams
SECOND TEAM ALL-FIRST48
Player’s Name Position Team
Regale Moore G Moore
Ryaan Forrest G Grady
*Josh Holloway G Holloway/Morris
*Andre Watson G Williams
Langston Rogers F Crockett/Smith
Javar Daniel F Grady *Tie
FIRST48 CHAMPIONS.
FIRST48 RUNNER-UPS.
FIRST48 MVP & MR.FIRST48.
Pictured Center: Ernest “EJ” Smith The “FIRST48 MVP” is given to the player who averages the most points on the Championship Team. “Mr.FIRST48” is the player who averages the most points for the entire league. Jamboree Games, All-Star Games, Play-Off Games, and Championship Games are not taken into consideration.
THE ALL-STARS.
ALL-STAR GAME MVPS.
(Left to Right) Ernest “EJ” Smith & Andre Watson.
WEEK 3 RECAP. SEP12. Going into AllStar weekend several kids put up big numbers to secure their spots for Saturday. Anthony Medlock Jr. had one of the biggest performances of the day with a 22 point outburst. He was absolutely unstoppable. Medlock’s versatility has really come into play so far in the season. He’s capable of playing several positions and in turn that allows him to score in several different ways. His teammate Tate Wirth had a nice game as well. Wirth is another kid with a nice inside-outside game. He’s comfortable banging in the post and does very well drawing fouls. He can also step outside and knock down the three with a lot of consistency. Wirth finished with 11 points. Josh Holloway continues to impress with his play. Whether he’s scoring or making the mind blowing pass for the assist he’s always a part of a big play. Holloway finished with 9 points, but more importantly they got the dub! Jordan Frison put his team on his back on Sunday and lead the team in scoring. Scoring however is nothing new to Frison. He’s a crafty combo guard that can bury the trey ball or attack the lane and finish with a nice floater. His teammate Javar Daniel, a 6’4 stretch four helped with the scoring load as well. Javar is a long kid that score around the rim but is comfortable on the perimeter too. He finished with 9 points. EJ Smith has been on a shooting spree and he doesn’t look to let up! He dropped 23 points in his teams first game of the day, and turned around and dropped 27 in the second game. He’s looking more and more like the best scorer in the class. His teammate Langston Rogers hasn’t been half-stepping either when it comes to putting the ball in the hole. In two games on Sunday Langston opened up the day with a 20 point performance. The reigning All-Star game MVP will be back for this year’s game and something tells me he has “repeat” on his mind. Montrellis Greene showed up and showed out on Sunday. His high motor and intensity is rare to say the least. But he’s more the just a hustler and defender, the kid can score too. He scored 11 points in their first game before going off for 18 in the second. They won both games. Eric Allen instantly showed that he was one of the top 14U kids around. He scored 16 points in his debut, leading his team in scoring. Allen is a long guard that is capable of scoring in MANY ways. He’s deadly from long range and can’t be left open. His length also allows to cause smaller guards problems when he’s on the defensive end. Expect him to be
an impact player as we head down the final stretch of the season. His teammate Jamarion “Woodie” Harvey is another kid that can score it. Woodie is hard to stay in front of and can score inside or out. He shoots it well from the arc. He also doesn’t mind playing defense and that separates him from a lot of the other guards in the class. Woodie finished with 8 points on Sunday. Amari Chatman isn’t talked about as much as some of the other kids in the class, but don’t get it twisted, the kid has game. He’s a nice PG who can handle, makes good decisions, and can score if need be. He can also knock down the open three. Amari finished with 7 points. Coach Gene James had 3 kids in double figures on Sunday; Lemarcus “Snoody” Wilkinson lead the team in scoring with 16 points. Snoody has been a consistent scorer throughout the league. The lefty is hard to stop going to the rim. Matthew Stokes has been another one of the leagues more consistent scorers. At 6’4 Stokes is both a solid rebounder and shot blocker. He makes his presence felt in the post and we definitely expect his name to be we’ll be hearing for years to come. Stokes finished with 14 points. Jordan James may be one of the most underrated kids in the class. He’s a solid ballplayer all the way around. At the guard spot he has nice size, handles the ball well, and can shoot it. As a scorer he’s very well rounded. He shoots the 3 well, makes free throws, and has a nice mid-range shot. Andre Watson’s campaign continued on this past Sunday. There is no way around it. He is one of the best guards in the city, HANDS DOWN! We have become more and more impressed game after game. This past Sunday he scored 16 points, including FOUR three pointers. His teammate Fred “Mane Mane” Deere has been doing a little campaigning on the court himself. Mane Mane has been considered one of the better players in the class for years now. However, of late, with his play and production on the court he is making the case to be called “elite”. He has nice size, standing 6’1, and is a solid defender and rebounder. But what stands out about him is he continues to consistently put the ball in the hole. He’s a consistent score, with a knack for drawing fouls, AND he’s automatic from the free throw. He finished with 11 points in Sunday’s game.
WEEK 3 STANDOUTS!
(EJ Smith, Anthony Medlock Jr., Javar Daniel, Marcus Crawford, and Eric Allen).
WEEK 2 RECAP. SEP5. Every game in the 8th Grade Division has been decided by single digits. Week 2 did not disappoint.
GRADY V. WILLIAMS Coach Lance Williams had three players in double figures in Week 2. Fred “Mane Mane” Deere went off for 18 points, bujt it was his defense that impressed us the most. Andre Watson added 16 points including four 3’s, and Seth Grandberry finished with 12.
This game went into double overtime! In the end it was big performances from Jayden Forrest (18 points), Ryaan Forrest (12 points), Javar Daniel (12 points), and Jordan Frison (10 points) that helped Coach Grady finally pull away. GRADY 59 WILLIAMS 55
MOORE V. ANTHONY Coach Jerry Anthony had several players standout in his team’s first game of the season. Joshua Burchette led the team in scoring with 12 points, Kevion Fayne was right behind him with 11 points, and point guard Marcus Crawford finished with 8 points. Regale Moore and Aidan Moskovitz carried the scoring load for Coach Matt Moore’s squad. Regale had a game high 14 points and Aidan had 12. MOORE 40 ANTHONY 36
HOLLOWAY/ MORRIS V. CROCKETT/ SMITH The Defending Champions found themselves in a dogfight in their Week 2 game versus Holloway/ Morris. A dogfight that ended in overtime. EJ Smith led all scorers with 21 points. Langston Rogers added 6 points and Kam Temple chipped in with 5 points of his own. Coaches Holloway and Morris however had three players with double figures. Josh Holloway led them with 15 points, Anthony Medlock had 12, and Tate Wirth had 11. Zane “Pitbull” Beard’s lockdown defense helped to force turnovers and made big hustle plays down the stretch. Needless to say, they got the dub! HOLLOWAY/ MORRIS 45 CROCKETT/ SMITH 40
JAMES V. MOORE With two of the top guards in the class in Jamarion “Woodie” Harvey and Regale Moore on the same team Coach Matt Moore’s team is obvious contender. They took on Coach Gene James squad in their Week 2 game and of course Woodie and Regale led Coach Moore’s team in scoring. Regale finished with 11 and Woodie finished with 10.
Snoody Wilkinson led all scorers with 16 points. Michael Peppers and Matthews Stokes added 8 points. JAMES 49 MOORE 34 WEEK 1 RECAP. AUG30. Across the country, coaches, scouts, and basketball minds alike regard Memphis as having one of the best classes of kids when it comes to 2023. And it’s true. We’ve got the bigs; Rashad Williams, Matthew Stokes, R’Chaun King. We’ve got the forwards; Langston Rogers, Tate Wirth, Fred Deere, Javar Daniel, Anthony Medlock, Jayden Forrest, and Braylen Ragland. We’ve got wings; AJ Dilworth, EJ Smith, Snoody Wilkinson, Regale Moore, Woody Harvey, and we’ve got PGs; Josh Holloway, Jaye Nash, and Andre Watson. And we could go on and on with the name naming. And just about all of these boys you can catch at FIRST48. That being said, the 8th grade division will one to keep your eye on.
CROCKETT/ SMITH V. JAMES The first game of the day was Coach Solomon Crockett and Ernest Smith’s team vs Coach Gene James’ team. The defending champions taking on the likes of Snoody Wilkinson, Matthew Stokes, and Jordan James. Behind the play of Marco Tyson and Matthew Stokes, Coach James’ team led 23-20 at halftime, despite a BIG first half (11 points) from Langston Rogers. Matthew Stokes led James’ team with 13 points. Stokes is a 6’4 giant that blocks shots adamantly, rebounds well, and scores consistently in the post (of course). Now Jordan James is a kid that some may not know BUT he’s definitely a kid to mentioned amongst the better players in the city. Jordan is another kid that’s able to score the ball on several levels. He can knock down the three and he’s a decent free throw shooter. He finished with 9 points in Saturday’s game. Marco Tyson is a name that you will continue to hear as you follow FIRST48 and into the middle school season. The kid can play. He hustles, he rebounds, and he puts the ball in the hole. Tyson finished with 8 points.
But in the 2nd half it was one of the city’s best scorers, EJ Smith who carried the scoring load for Crockett & Smith’s squad. Smith scored 12 points in the 2nd half alone. EJ, along with Langston Rogers (13 points), Kameron Temple (7 points), and Montrellis Greene (7 points) helped their team pull away down the stretch. Of course EJ is a bucket getter that scores in every aspect of the game; at the rim, from outside, and especially at the free throw line. He was ⅞ from the free throw line in Sundays game. Langston IS SO VERSATILE. He has the look of a linebacker or tight end but this kid IS A HOOPER! He brings so much to the table; defense, rebounding, scoring. His versatility is unmatched. Kameron Temple is a kid that has grown to be a solid ball player. He has nice footwork for a big and a couple low post moves that can get him a bucket. He rebounds and defends well. Look for him to be a consistent contributor. Montrellis Greene is AS HIGH MOTOR AS THEY COME. Montrellis does the things that coaches wish all their players would. He gives 100% EVERY SINGLE PLAY and never takes a play off. He’s definitely one of the top defenders in the class and he can get you a bucket!’ CROCKETT/ SMITH. 45 JAMES. 40
MOORE V. GRADY Coach Matt Moore and Vincent Grady found themselves in a dogfight on Sunday. But that was to be expected. Grady has a group of guys that include THE nationally ranked Jayden Forrest, an ox strong man-child that owns the boards and is hard to guard in the post. His cousin Ryan Forrest is a high motor kid that gets buckets on one end and locks up on the other. Add the 6’4 stretch four Javar Daniel who can score, rebound, and block shots, and Jordan Frison a combo guard capable of filling up the score sheet, and you have a mean combo. Coach Moore’s team has one of the more potent guard duos with Woody Harvey and Regale Moore. Woody IS A BUCKET! As good as he is he still may not be getting all the credit he deserves. He can flat foot score, and he can score from anywhere on the floor. Teaming him with the 6 ft. wing Regale Moore definitely makes for a dynamic duo. Moore is a strong, athletic kid, once known only for shooting the three, now he uses his big frame to get to the rim. But don’t get it twisted he can, and will, still drop a bomb from long range.
Speaking of dropping bombs Moore’s team is also home to a couple snipers; Vic Reisinger and Hudson Spangenberg, two kids that can the momentum of the game in a heartbeat with their outside shooting ability. Keveon Fayne and Hunter Stallings will play the role as the bigs for the the team. Fayne is a raw, athletic kid. Defensively he can lock-down players at any position, from the 1 to the 5. He also rebounds the ball well. At 6’3 Hunter Stallings is quite intimidating. And he’s solid! Stallings rebounds the ball well, scores around the rim, and is a pretty good free throw shooter. Coach Grady’s squad was led by Ryan Forrest’s 18 points. We told you the kid gets buckets. Jayden Forrest (12 points) and Javar Daniel (8 points) were also key. In the end Woody Harvey and Regale Moore were just a little too much. Harvey finished with a game high 20 points. Moore wasn’t far behind with 13 points of his own, and Hunter Stallings chipped in with 8 points. MOORE. 48 GRADY. 47
HOLLOWAY/ MORRIS V. WILLIAMS We didn’t know how Steve Holloway and Monique Morris’ squad would fare with the loss of starting guard/forward Braylon Ragland due to injury. Of course they still have one of the best point guards in the country, nationally ranked Josh Holloway. Holloway is teamed with several familiar faces, four of his MBA teammates; Zane Beard, Porter Kelly, Anthony Medlock, and Tate Wirth. Medlock and Wirth will definitely be depended upon to pick up the slack of losing Ragland. Coach Lance Williams has three kids that are easily top 15 in the class. At 6’4 Rashad Williams is a one man block party. He’s hands down the best post defender in the city. He rebounds well, and he has a nice mid range shot that you wouldn’t expect from a kid his size. Andre Watson is a kid that’s underrated by some, but he is definitely Top 3 when it comes to PGs in the city. He’s an excellent ball handler that prides himself on getting his teammates involved, but he can score when he needs to and his shot selection is off the charts. Fred “Mane Mane” Deere is the third of the big 3. Deere is coming off of a big summer where he was the leading scorer for the #23 team in the nation. At 6 ft. he built to play on the wing but HE THRIVES in the post. He rebounds well, is a pretty good shot blocker, AND HE CAN SCORE! He’s a scorer plain and simple. Though he gets the bulk of his
points around the rim, his second home is the free throw line where he is basically automatic, AND he can step outside a knock down the three. Williams’ squad led 19-18 at the half, but in the 2nd half the tables turned. Despite 10 points from Mane Mane, and 6 apiece from Rashad, Andre, and Greg Johnson, Williams’ boys came up short in a rather low scoring game. Josh holloway led all scorers with 12 points, and Anthony Medlock Jr. was the second leading scorer with 11. Holloway’s first 9 points came from outside as he has been shooting the ball extremely well. Medlock’s 11 points (8 points in the 2nd half) were big, especially his consistency at the free throw line. Medlock’s versatility will be big throughout the season. He can spread the free with his ability to knock down the trey ball or score it at the rim. HOLLOWAY/ MORRIS. 38 WILLIAMS. 33
STANDINGS
Rank Team Wins Losses Points +/- 1 Crockett/ Smith 5 1 +20 2 James 4 1 +22 3 Moore 4 2 -15 4 Holloway/ Morris 3 2 +20 5 Grady 1 4 -7 6 Williams 0 5 -21
LEADING SCORERS
Rank Player’s Name GM. GM. GM. GM. GM. GM. PPG. 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 EJ Smith 14 21 27 23 16 20.2 2 Anthony Medlock 11 12 22 22 14 16.2 3 Jayden Forrest 12 18 DNP DNP DNP 15.0 4 Lemarcus “Snoody” Wilkinson 6 16 16 21 DNP 14.75 5 Jamarion “Woody” Harvey 20 DNP 10 8 24 8 14.0 6 Fred Deere 10 18 11 15 10 12.8 7 Regale Moore 13 14 11 4 9 11 12.4 8 Ryan Forrest 18 12 DNP 7 DNP 12.3 9 Andre Watson 6 16 16 18 3 11.8 Josh Holloway 12 15 9 11 12 11.8 11 Langston Rogers 13 6 4 20 14 11.4 12 Eric Allen DNP DNP DNP 16 8 10 11.3 13 Javar Daniel 8 12 14 DNP 7 10.25 14 Tate Wirth 4 11 11 12 13 10.2 15 Montrellis Greene 7 DNP 18 11 2 9.5 16 Matthew Stokes 13 8 14 3 6 8.8 17 Jordan James 9 6 11 DNP DNP 8.67 18 Jordan Frison 2 10 12 7 DNP 7.75
19 Seth Grandberry 6 12 8 3 8 7.4 20 Aidan Moskovitz 6 12 6 4 5 6.6 Kameron Temple 7 5 6 9 4 6.2 Kevion Fayne DNP 11 2 DNP DNP DNP 6.5 Marcus Crawford DNP 8 4 2 6 5.0 Rashad Williams 6 4 8 11 8 7.4 Hunter Stallings 8 DNP DNP 3 8 4 5.75 Marco Tyson 8 4 2 11 8 6.6 Josh Burchette 0 12 1 DNP 3 4.0 Chico Washington 0 4 9 DNP 10 5.6 Gregory Johnson 6 3 0 0 DNP 1.5