See the top teams and talent competing in the 38th Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach

New teams are bringing new talent to the Beach Ball Classic this week to compete with some returning powers at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center.

Seven of the 16 teams are competing in the tournament for the first time in its 38 years.

Two teams from Texas – Yates and North Crowley – Florence (Miss.), University (W.Va.), Archbishop Stepinac (N.Y.), North Mecklenburg (N.C.) and Christian Academy of Myrtle Beach are making their debuts.

The rest of the field consists of Bishop O’Connell (Va.), Christ the King (N.Y.), Cox Mill (N.C.), North Little Rock (Ark.), Scott County (Ky.), St. Edward (Ohio), Westchester (Calif.), Myrtle Beach and Socastee.

Kevin Schneider, vice president and national recruiting director for Big Shots, the Myrtle Beach-based basketball scouting, recruiting and tournament/camp service, provided a breakdown of some of the top players and teams to The Sun News.

The tournament features several reigning state and city championship teams.

“The teams are proven winning teams,” Schneider said. “That’s what you get here every year are teams that have competed for state titles and have won them many times – well-coached programs that develop players and know how to win.”

The top three players in the tournament are among the best in the country.

“Those top three are special talents,” Schneider said. “Wendell [Moore], A.J. Griffin and Moussa Cisse, those are the type of players you’ll see on the wall when you’re walking to the restroom and look up and see some of the greats. They have the talent to eventually be there someday.”

12 Players to Watch

▪ Wendell Moore, Cox Mill (N.C.) 6-6 senior: The shooting guard is committed to Duke and is the top-ranked senior in North Carolina and No. 19 nationally.

▪ A.J. Griffin, Archbishop Stepinac (N.Y.) 6-7 sophomore: The five-star shooting guard is a top 10 sophomore nationally and is the son Seton Hall star and current Toronto Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin. He has offers from Maryland, Pittsburgh, Providence, Seton Hall, Rutgers, St. Johns and Wake Forest.

▪ Moussa Cisse, Christ The King (N.Y.) 6-11 sophomore: He is a five-star recruit and a top-five center/power forward nationally who has offers from St. John’s and UConn.

▪ R.J. Davis, Archbishop Stepinac (N.Y.) 6-foot junior: The point guard averaged 20 points and seven assists per game as a sophomore and has offers from Illinois, Maryland, Penn State, Seton Hall, St. Johns, St. Louis, Old Dominion, Yale, UMass, Fordham, George Washington, LaSalle and Manhattan.

▪ Jaylen Forbes, Florence (Miss.) 6-5 senior: The four-star shooting guard has committed to Alabama and is the No. 2 senior in Mississippi and No. 85 nationally.

▪ Tristan Maxwell, North Mecklenberg (N.C.) 6-3 junior: The shooting guard is the son of NBA champion Vernon Maxwell and the No. 7 junior in N.C., and has offers from N.C. State, Winthrop, Providence and South Florida.

▪ Brayon Freeman, Bishop O’Connell (Va.) 6-2 sophomore: The four-star point guard has offers from Oklahoma State, Florida, Howard, George Washington, Wyoming, UMass and Mount St. Mary’s.

▪ Marcus Dockery, Bishop O’Connell (Va.) 6-3 junior: The four-star point guard has offers from Maryland, Seton Hall, Cincinnati, George Washington, James Madison, Rhode Island, LaSalle, Bryant and Mount St Mary’s.

▪ Ryan Myers, Christ The King (N.Y.) 6-2 junior: The point guard has offers from Southern Cal, Hofstra, N.C. State, Alabama A&M, Sacred Heart, UC Riverside and Bryant.

▪ Grant Huffman, St. Edwards (Ohio) 6-3 junior: The point guard is a top-five sophomore in Ohio with offers from Xavier, Miami (Ohio), Duquesne and Toledo with interest from Ohio State, Notre Dame and Dayton.

▪ Kaden Metheny, University (W.Va.) 5-10 junior: The point guard is a top-five junior in West Virginia with offers from Drexel, Western Carolina, Youngstown State and W.Va. Wesleyan.

▪ Jordan Brinson, Westchester (Calif.) 6-3 senior: The point guard is a top-10 senior in California with offers from Missouri, Missouri State and Loyola Marymount.

The Contenders

▪ Cox Mill (N.C.) is 8-0, is the two-time defending North Carolina 3-A state champion and features Caleb Stone Carrawell, a 6-6 senior shooting guard who has committed to UNC Charlotte, along with Moore.

▪ Archbishop Stepinac (N.Y.) of White Plains is the reigning New York Federation Class AA state and city champions and features its two-star guards and size in 6-7 and 6-8 forwards Malcolm Chimezie and Alpha Bangura Jr.

▪ Westchester (Calif.) won the Los Angeles city championship last year and features Brinson and 2018 Los Angeles Player of the Year Kaelen Allen, a 6-6 senior forward. The Comets (8-1) are ranked No. 24 in the MaxPreps computer rankings with their only loss to Sierra Canyon. “They come at you with waves of athleticism, and they’re super well coached,” Schneider said.

▪ Yates (Texas) has won four state titles in the past five years and is a fast-paced, guard-oriented team featuring 6-4 junior point guard Rubin Jones, who has offers from UTEP and North Texas.

▪ Bishop O’Connel (Va.), coached by Joe Wootten, features Freeman and Dockery in the backcourt along with 6-9 senior power forward Charlie Weber, who has offers from numerous teams including Siena and Lafayette.

▪ Christ the King (N.Y.) has the most dominant big man in the tournament, Myers at the point and 6-3 junior Quaran McPherson, who has offers from St. John’s, UConn and Seton Hall.

▪ North Mecklenburg (N.C.) enters the Beach Ball unblemished at 8-0 and has four players ranked among the top 30 in their class in North Carolina. “They’re super deep,” Schneider said. “They play hard and their guard play is terrific.”

▪ University (W.Va.) High’s junior guard duo of Kaden Metheny and K.J. Mcclurg combined to score 73 points in a game last week, with 43 posted by Mcclurg. “A fun team to watch,” Schneider said. “They play a fun style of basketball. They’ll be like the Lone Peak team with Nick Emery and the team they had out here a couple years ago.”

Early matchups

The tournament’s opening round schedule will feature a pair of marquee matchups.

Opening night Wednesday will feature Cox Mill (N.C.) will face University High (W.Va.) at 7 p.m. Wednesday. “I would say that will be the most entertaining matchup to watch, one that will have a lot of scoring and fun guard play,” Schneider said.

North Mecklenburg (N.C.) will face Westchester (Calif.) at 5:15 p.m. Tuesday. “That’s an unbelievable first-round matchup,” Schneider said. “That’s two teams that have enough talent they could make a run to win it. They both play a similar style: scrappy defensively and team basketball, well-rounded and well-coached.

* National rankings and player star ratings are either ESPN or Rivals, state rankings are Big Shots.

This story was originally published December 25, 2018 at 5:00 AM.