Sydney Bowles (00) and Sania Feagin of Georgia Pearls Jr. National Team (PC: Bob Corwin)
Pearls shine brightest
By Bob Corwin
In its fourth year, Southern Jam 2019 saw 66 teams do battle on the six courts of the Jacksonville Ice and Sportsplex in Jacksonville, Florida, during the weekend of April 13-14, 2019. As a regional event with primarily Florida and Georgia club teams present and NCAA Division 1 coaches unable to attend due to this being a “dead period” event, six NCAA Division 2 and junior college coaches attended one or both days of the event. Southern Jam had divisions running from grade five to rising seniors with teams playing three pre-set games. The event was presented by Preferred Athlete Scouting Services and sponsored by ALWAYSLIVE.
Top team: Georgia Pearls Jr. National Team
Winning its three games in the top 17 U division, the Pearls get our nod as top team at the event. Its top two players are pictured above and featured below in the player write-ups.
Players below are listed alphabetically within class with height, position and club team. As information was available, high school/home town/state is listed in parenthesis. All below are Division 1 prospects at some level.
2020
Briah Christia, 5-5, point guard, BD Thunder White (Dillard High School, Florida)
Christea has strong handles, runs well, defends and plays hard. How her shooting range improves will determine how high up the Division 1 ladder that she will be recruited.
Corriana Evans, 5-10, small forward, Team Nard Celtics South (Spalding High School, Georgia)
A good athlete, Evans can work the baseline and has a nice mid-range jumper, just needing to add range on a more consistent basis.
Elise Harden, 6-2, center/power forward, Team Nard Celtics Black (Mount Zion High School, Georgia)
Harden moves well, looks to face up and attack in the paint willing to take contact. Her handles and range need to improve but there is a Division 1 upside to this prospect.
Zoesha Smith, 6-1, forward, Team Nard Celtics South (Glynn Academy, Georgia)
Smith is very mobile and hits the glass. In the paint, she has a nice spin move and good body control when off-balance. Adding shooting range should be a priority as she plays some on the perimeter. Power 5 schools should be checking her out this spring.
Peryonna Sylvester, 5-7, point guard, South Beach Elite 11th Grade UAA (Spruce Creek High School, Florida)
Sylvester is decently quick and plays hard. She handles well able to change speeds and looks to attack going right.
2021
Sania Feagin, 6-4, power forward, Georgia Pearls Jr. National Team (Forest Park High School, Georgia)
Feagin was our unofficial event MVP. She defends all over the court playing hard and smart. Although primarily an in-paint scorer (and strong rebounder), she is becoming a scoring threat outside the key. Her passing is well above average. All said, Feagin is one of the top power forward prospects in the 2021 class.
Eno Inyang, 6-3, center, East Coast United Murray 2020 (St. Cloud High School, Florida)
Solidly built, Inyang is a classic low block player with good hands, motor, and finish against contact around the rim. Power 5 programs should have this name on their shopping list.
Nyla Jean, 5-7, point guard, East Coast United Murray 2020 (Plant High School, Florida)
Jean is a decent athlete with “pass first” point guard mentality and good basketball IQ. Offensively, she has a spin move to help her attack when not driving straight to the rim. If anything, she should look for her shot more.
Omega Payton, 5-5, guard, UA South Beach Elite 16U – 1 (City of Life Academy, Florida)
A good athlete, Payton is a high energy player looking to attack sometimes taking on multiple defenders. At times, she needs to slow down a bit. Building shooting range should be on her to-do list.
Bella Weary, 5-7, shooting guard, East Coast United 2021 Clarke (Bartram Trail High School, Florida)
Weary is best in an up tempo setting when she can play aggressive defense and rev up her generally strong motor. She is primarily a driver but the perimeter shot appears in her arsenal, just not consistent as one would want.
Taliyah Wyche, 6-2, power forward, REAL Basketball (American Heritage School, Plantation, Florida)
A good athlete, this twin is a lefty with decent handles, face-up stroke and passing ability. Power 5 programs should be monitoring her maturation.
Peryonna Sylvester of South Beach Elite 11th Grade UAA (PC: Bob Corwin)
Eno Inyang of East Coast United Murray 2020 (PC: Bob Corwin)
Tatyana Wyche, 6-2, power forward, REAL Basketball (American Heritage School, Plantation, Florida)
A good athlete, this twin is right-handed, looks to scorer in lower paint and is a good shot blocker. Power 5 programs should be monitoring her maturation.
2022
Sydney Bowles, 6-0, shooting guard/small forward, Georgia Pearls Jr. National Team (Woodward Academy, Georgia)
Bowles has advanced skills and basketball IQ for her age. She can attack the basket but also has three-point range. Well built, she is a Power 5 prospect but must watch her conditioning as she continues to mature.
2023
Asiana Britt, 5-7, point guard, Jacksonville Lady Rams 14U (Callahan, Florida)
For a young player, Britt plays with confidence looking to attack. Above average athletically, she also showed range to beyond the arc.
Janie Ragsdale, 6-2, center, GA Dream Team 8th (Tifton, Georgia)
Ragsdale has a fairly solid frame, runs adequately and showed some stroke in the lower key. Her handles need work even as post players go but she has time.
Alancia Ramsey, 6-0, center, BD Thunder 14U (Boca Raton, Florida)
With a low post mentality, Britt, above average athletically, plays with good energy scoring against contact. A decent passer as posts go, she needs to add more moves around the rim. Programs from the Power 5 level down should be monitoring her maturation.
2024
Kiera Scott, 5-11, small forward, BD Thunder 14U (Jupiter, Florida)
A good athlete, Scott has the right genes as both parents played college basketball. She handles the ball well for her age and size. On the attack, she can finish left or right. She needs to build shooting range. Regardless, programs from the Power 5 level down should be monitoring her maturation.
Taliyah (on left) and Tatyana Wyche of REAL Basketball (PC: Bob Corwin)
Alancia Ramsey (on left) and Kiera Scott of BD Thunder 14U (PC: Bob Corwin)
