Over this past weekend, 252 Mixtapes and I had a chance to showcase some of the top talent from the 252 and surrounding area codes. The #252Invitational brought some of the top teams and talent from the east side of the state to Snow Hill, NC, where they battled for the illustrious championship in year 3 of the event. Over the next couple of days, I will be dropping selections for top performers/all tournament teams.
5’9 Justin Grimes, Team Trezz *MVP*
To guys in the 252 J Grimes is known as one of the top scorers in the 2025 class and this weekend he showed it. In the moments his team needed him he stepped up and hit big shot after shot which led to him leading the 17U Champs in scoring (21ppg). While sharing the backcourt with another PG would hinder some he has a nice ability to play off ball in the spot up role as well as handle it when his team needs it.
5’11 MJ Williams, Team Trezz
Much of the success Team Trezz had over the weekend was due to the play of their backcourt, MJ can be his team’s primary playmaker or scorer whenever either role is needed. Over the weekend he was able to showcase both skill sets while ultimately helping his team win the championship. A shifty handle and a nice frame help him get to spots where he can score it or hit a teammate in a scoring opportunity which led to a 17U leading 3.7 assists per game.
6’4 Jermaine Cunningham, East Coast Allstars
Not many kids out east impact the game in more ways than “Tezzy” Cunningham. Somewhat wiry built with long arms and an underrated athlete for the 1 spot he was a big part of East Coast’s run to the championship. On the title run, he did a good job of setting up teammates (2nd in 17u assists) as well as scoring on his own (6th in scoring).
6’6 Tay Tagiora, East Coast Allstars
Big Tay was easily one of the most efficient players in attendance this past weekend. 6’6 with a wide frame and very good footwork he was a handful to defend in one on one post situations, while still doing his due diligence on both the offensive and defensive boards. Left the weekend averaging 16 points and 7.7 rebounds per contest.
6’2 Trevor Best, Bricksquad Monopoly 17U
If I had asked before the event to pick a guy beforehand that would lead 17U in scoring most would’ve chosen Trevor Best. He did just that scoring buckets in bunches that included jump shots off the dribble and a few nice dunks in transition. In his first half of basketball on the weekend he had a loud 22 points that helped him pace his 21.7 points per game on the weekend.
6’2 Curtis “CJ” Jackson, Truth Elite
CJ Jackson might be one of the quietest kids off the court that you’ll ever meet, but his game is the opposite. A lefty midrange maestro that does a good job of getting to his spots and elevating over defense, also grabbed a team leading 6 rebounds per game. Paced the 4th place finishers with 14 points per game.
6’4 Brandon “BJ” Solomon Jr, Strictly Ballas
BJ Solomon handled the responsibilities of point guard for the Strictly Ballas 17U this weekend and he looked solid doing so. Finishing the weekend at a tad under 15 points per game and had what most would consider to be the dunk of the weekend in his 2nd game of the tournament. Chip in his 4 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game played a big part in his team’s success.
6’2 Cam Honey, Team Copper
Team Copper didn’t have the best showing due to playing in two tournaments at the same time, but you couldn’t tell from the play of Cam Honey. He was all over the place and did all the little things from diving on the floor for loose balls to scraping in the paint for rebounds (5.7 per game) all while finishing third in the event in scoring at 17.7 points per game.
