ATLANTA, Ga. -- Holiday Hoopsgiving 2014 was an unbelievable event in its first year. The hospitality we received at this event was second to none and taking place at the breathtaking facilities at Holy Innocents Episcopal School in Atlanta, Georgia was a bonus as well. Event organizer Chris Williams put together one heck of a lineup in the event’s first year. This event benefitted Play For Orange which made it all the more special. The event staff was almost too nice to our staff as the weekend went on. All in all, this event should only continue to grow as the years go on and we look forward to being there to witness this must-see showcase.
Day 1 Results
Jenkins (GA) 65-55 North Cobb Christian (GA)
Pace Academy (GA) 69-55 Columbia (AL)
Douglas County (GA) 76-73 Madison Academy (AL)
Northside Christian (NC) 60-48 Stephenson (GA)
Day 2 Results
Columbia (AL) 63-57 Stephenson (GA)
Wasatch Academy (UT) 61-58 Pace Academy (GA)
High Point Christian Academy (NC) 64-53 Jenkins (GA)
Holy Innocents Episcopal (GA) 81-60 Madison Academy (AL)
Greenforest Christian (GA) 54-53 Northside Christian (NC)
Holiday Hoopsgiving top performers
Wendell Carter - 2017 C - Pace Academy (GA) - 2014 Holiday Hoopsgiving MVP
Undoubtedly one of the top big men in 2017, Wendell showed just how good he was on Friday. He scored 23 points with most of his touches coming off offensive rebounds and didn’t really get to show his post game due to constant double teams. However he was unbelievable on the glass against Columbia (AL) pulling down 26 rebounds in a had-to-see performance. He fought through 2-3 guys hanging on him and took a beating yet was absolutely unstoppable on the glass. Finished the weekend averaging 22.5 points and 19 rebounds a game.
Josh Langford - 2016 G - Madison Academy (AL)
Perhaps the most underrated player in the class of 2016, Josh is rarely mentioned in the conversation when talking about the best guards in that class. He can truly do it all, whether it’s knocking down jumpers, finishing way above the rim, hitting the glass, finding the open man, or playing stellar defense, this is one special player. His full arsenal was on display Friday against Douglas County (GA), finishing with 30 points, 14 rebounds, and 8 assists in a very close loss.
Rayjon Tucker - 2015 F - Northside Christian (NC) - Florida Gulf Coast Commit
This 2015 F is built like a D1 tight end and sometimes plays like one on the court as well. He soared around the court all weekend playing high above the rim while showing a jumper that is improving. The windmill he threw down at the end of Friday’s game was jaw-dropping, not to mention his missed dunks that brought the house down this weekend. It’s easy to see why he’s mentioned among the best athletes in the country.
Cole Smith - 2015 G - Holy Innocents Episcopal (GA)
He might not be a highly recruited basketball player, but this guard played one heck of a game on Saturday night. He was absolutely on fire from downtown, finishing with 5 3’s and making 3 in a row on 3 straight trips at one point in the game, bringing down the house in the process. He finished as his team’s leading scorer in a big win over Madison Academy (AL) with 20 points.
Travis Anderson - 2018 PG - Holy Innocents Episcopal (GA)
A player with whom we had seen before but were still not very familiar with heading into the tournament, we left very impressed with Travis. This young guard played beyond his years in a huge win over Madison Academy (AL) and established himself as player we look forward to watching in the years to come. He ran his offense and never tried to do too much while making great decisions in the halfcourt. In transition he was hard to stop, making a great pass or finishing at the rim. His contributions to the win might not show up in the box score, but if you watched this game you couldn’t help but notice how good this kid is.
Abayomi “Baybe" Iyiola - 2017 F - Greenforest Christian (GA)
“Baybe” has really improved since we saw him over the summer. He was great against Northside Christian in the finale of this year’s event while being a huge part of his team’s 54-53 win. He showed his extremely soft touch in the rim on two offensive putbacks that he made looks easy (they weren’t) and running the floor extremely well. His game is still coming along but he oozes potential and will be one heck of the player by the time he finishes high school.
Trevion Lamar - 2017 W - Jenkins (GA)
Trevion really did it all on Friday, finishing with 22 points and 11 rebounds in a performance shadowed by big names that played later in the day. Make no mistake, this kid played extremely well this weekend. He is a good athlete who has a great motor. His consistently hard play resulted in a variety of tough rebounds and finishes in the paint. Look for him to be a name that comes up as he continues this season.