FIRST48. PLAYER SPOTLIGHTS (I​ n Alphabet​ical Order.) CARTIER “TURTLE” BEVERLY. Turtle has long been considered one of the best kids in the class of 2022 and that says a lot, especially for a guard. 2022 is loaded with talent and there are an abundance of guards to choose from. If there was ever any question as to where Turtle stood amongst his peers he answered that question over and over again in FIRST48. He was offensively dominant, 20 plus here, 30 plus there, game after game after game. He lead the league in scoring with 23.6 points per game. He’s one of those kids that you can’t stay in front of. Honestly I don’t think there are many, if any, kids in the class that can continuously stay in front of him. His quickness gets him past the defender, his speed keeps him in front of the defender, and his strength allows him to finish through most contact. “Pure Athlete” is an understatement. That same pure athleticism and his pitbull mentality would also explain why he’s considered “a dog” on defense. FIRST48 All-Star, Mr.FIRST48, and First Team All-FIRST48, yeah he did that. Turtle is TOUGH! NEVER STOP! KING BUTLER. King Butler is SPECIAL. He’s that perfect mix of point guard and scorer that is every coach’s dream. For a couple of years now King has been considered one of the best point guards in the class. Lately he has been looking like THE best point guard in the class. An excellent ball handler and facilitator King does a great job of taking care of the ball and finding his open man. AND he knows how and when to get a bucket. He’s a crafty slasher that’s known for making a way out of no way and finishing at the rim. His length suits him perfect at the point guard position for playing either end of the court. King ABSOLUTELY campaigned throughout the course of FIRST48. He averaged 13.8 points per game and in the final two games of the regular season he scored 19 and 18 points. Not only was he selected as a FIRST48 All-Star but he carried his team to the FIRST48 Championship Game and there his team ended their season as Runner-Ups. King was also selected as First Team All-FIRST48. Don’t be surprised if he’s one that goes D1. NEVER STOP! JAYDEN FORREST. Big Jay was easily one of THE MOST DOMINANT players in 8th Grade Division. Height aside, Jay is definitely one of the biggest, strongest, most athletic players in the class. And it showed. He was already a beast in the paint. A tenacious defender, and relentless rebounder, that can jump out the gym and bang with the best of them. Unfortunately, for the guards in the class, jay has taken his talents to the wing where with his frame and athleticism he can abuse smaller defenders. And he has added a VERY consistent three point shot to his repertoire that makes him extremely deadly on offense with his newfound inside-outside game. Forrest averaged 15.0 points per game in league play and earned himself an invitation to the FIRST48 All-Star Game. With his name already ringing nationally it’s only right that we expect him to become one of a handful of local kids to be the face of the class for years to come. NEVER STOP! REESE GARRISON. Reese Garrison IS THE TOP PLAYER IN THE CLASS OF 2025. This is not up for debate. In a class loaded with talent Reese is easily the most dominant player of them all. The reason why is easy, he’s a guard in a big’s body. Bigs are too slow to defend him. And guards are too small to defend him. Simply put, He’s A GROWN MAN! His accolades this season further proved his dominance; FIRST48 All-Star, FIRST48 All-Star Game MVP, FIRST48 Champion, FIRST48 League MVP, Mr.FIRST48, and First Team All-FIRST48.. If there were anymore awards to be gotten he would’ve probably gotten them too! During the regular season he averaged 19.5 points per game, this include a 28 point performance where he looked like an NBA player playing in a church league game. And he does absolutely everything. He rebounds, he defends, he blocks shots, he makes free throws, and he scores, and he scores, and he scores. The sky is the limit for this kid. NEVER STOP! MASHAD “THA GOD” GRIFFIN. Unless you’ve been living under a rock I’m sure by now you’ve seen social media sensation Mashad “Tha God” Griffin at one of his many workout spots working on his craft. What you may not know is the kid does it when it counts too! Don’t worry Middle School coaches, you have 12 more months to gameplan for the kid. He’s ONLY a 5th Grader! The nationally ranked Griffin was one of a handful of Big Name 5th Graders that signed up for FIRST48 this season. Amongst all 5th Graders he was the 2nd leading scorer, averaging just shy of 10 points per game. His scoring consistency earned him an invite to the FIRST48 All-Star game and a Second Team All-FIRST48 honor. Griffin opened a lot of eyes when he dropped 18 points in a game late in the season. While his long range shooting is where he gets most of his notoriety, Griffin is nice with it when it comes to handling the rock. Judging by what he’s already doing on the court, and how hard he works off the court, it’s scary to think about what kind of Monster this kid is going to turn into. NEVER STOP! MARTECHIO “MJ” HAYES JR. MJ was undoubtedly the most productive 5th grader in the entire 5th/6th Grade Division. Hayes was one of only four 5th graders to be selected for the FIRST48 5th/6th Grade All-Star team. In fact he was the 2nd leading scorer in the entire league. Hayes averaged 14.0 points per game. This included a 24 point outburst where he looked absolutely unstoppable. So of course he was selected as a First Team All-FIRST48. MJ is easily Top 3 locally in the class of 2026 and is considered by some to be the Top player in the class. His size and athleticism allow him to be a threat in countless ways especially with him being a guard. He’s a terror when attacking the rim and he finishes well. He’s a solid outside shooter and free throw shooter as well. He does an excellent job of rebounding and defending, you can also attribute that to his athleticism and length as well. Expect to hear his name for years to come. NEVER STOP! COOPER HAYNES. A one man wrecking crew! Cooper Haynes is THE BEST PLAYER IN THE CLASS locally and one of the best players in the class nationally. Let’s get that understood first and foremost. The #8 player in the Class of 2024 proved game after game why his name is known across the country. He was absolutely dominant in FIRST48 this season. Check out his accolades; FIRST48 All-Star, FIRST48 Champion, FIRST48 League MVP (for the second year in a row), MR. FIRST48 (for the second year in a row), and First team All-FIRST48. Cooper averaged 24.0 points per game, including one 30 point show where he truly looked like a man amongst boys, he scored double digits in every single game, and he made 20 plus point performances look like another day at the office. He’s a guard. But he’s a BIG GUARD. He rebounds better than most bigs and is actually relentless on the boards. His offensive game is what’s head turning though. He uses his frame to get whatever he wants. He scores well in the post, makes free throws, and has has a pull-up jumper from the three point line that is becoming more and more deadly. Simply put, HE’S COLD! NEVER STOP! DEMARIO “JUNIOR” JOHNSON. Everybody knows Junior can hoop. He’s been a mainstay on the scene for the past few years now. But this season in FIRST48 he solidified his spot amongst the top players in the class. And proved that as far as scorers are concerned he’s easily Top 5, if not top 2 or 3. He can play either guard position but with his scoring ability he’s probably best suited off the ball. He can score in several ways but he is absolutely deadly from long range. Junior was one of only a few kids in the division that averaged double figures. Aside from Junior’s skills it’s his mindset that separates him from most of his peers. His heart and determination is unmatched. He refuses to lose. In layman’s terms; HE’S A DOG! His play over the course of the league earned him an All-Star Game selection, All-Star Game MVP, and First Team All-FIRST48. NEVER STOP! KAMERON JONES. I believe this kid walks around with buckets in his backpack. He started out as a shooter. But that was year ago. Now don’t get it twisted, he can still shoot it. But this kid has developed into one of the most well rounded point guards in his class. There no way you can leave him out when discussing the top guards locally in high school.