The 2nd annual Grayson New Year’s Classic took place on January 7th, which featured 7 matchups throughout the day. The night was capped off by a heavyweight battle between Grayson and Kell, but there were also some other really good games as well. Here are a couple of the prospects who helped themselves with their showings during the event.
6’0” Justin Redmond (2023/South Gwinnett)
Redmond has been getting the job done for the Comets throughout the year, but was asked to elevate his level of play and take on a bigger scoring load as South matched up with Cedar Grove. Ansar Osman was out and it was Redmond who stepped up to fill the void. He has a poised game, lets things come to him, and is smart when moving without the ball to find opening. He has a reliable perimeter shot with good range, and he uses that to set up other parts of his game. Redmond showed touch in the lane once defenders ran him off the line & forced him to put the ball on the deck. It looks like Redmond’s hot streak has continued since this game, highlighted by 21 points & a game-winner against Parkview.
6’3” Anthony Alston (2024/Grayson)
Alston seems to be finding a rhythm & some consistency with Grayson after transferring from Dacula. He came up big in their overtime thriller to finish the night against Kell, leading the Rams with 19 points & 7 rebounds. As we’ve seen in the past, Alston is capable of getting hot with his jumper and that happened in this one. He was efficient on both catch & shoot 3’s & mid-range pull-ups, taking good shots within the flow of the offense. He also continues to be a great guard rebounder, using his length to help out on the boards and not minding some physicality to secure possession. If Grayson is going to make a deep run, they’ll need this type of contribution from Alston.
6’3” Seth Fitzgerald (2023/Milton)
I mentioned Fitzgerald’s impact earlier in the season after watching Milton at Wheeler; his level of production has not fallen off since then and he had one of his better performances against Mountain View on this day, finishing with 23 points & 12 rebounds. He has a unique offensive game but it has proven to be effective and he knows who he is. Fitzgerald was good operating from the top of the key, working his way to his sweet spots in the lane where he made some unorthodox in-between shots. Fitzgerald also finished some difficult layups in traffic. As always his toughness & instincts on the glass were a big help to Milton. He is a low maintenance piece who can fill multiple roles.
6’1” Chasz Holmes (2024/Parkview)
Parkview picked up a solid victory over Mount Vernon at the New Year’s Classic. It was done by committee as 7 different guys scored at least 5 points The high man was Holmes with 15 points, including 3 3’s. He has shown he can be an outside marksman at different points this season; in this matchup he connected on timely shots that gave Parkview a boost when the game was tight. Holmes doesn’t hunt his offense and picks his spots well. He also provides strength on the defensive end. Parkview has the talent to make things interesting in the difficult R4-7A and Holmes will be an important factor in them putting it all together.