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.
6’8 Daquavis Greene, CP3 East *MVP*
Standing around 6’8 Greene was not only one of the biggest forwards in attendance but also one of the more dominant. He started off the weekend with an impressive 25 point 12 rebound 5 block performance and followed that up with a 29, 10, and 3 championship game. Greene is a big target who’s consistently a threat to throw down a dunk in space or put one on your head in traffic.
*Only played in 2 games due to injury.
6’1 Jayontay Blanchard, CP3 East
On a team where you have 5 guards who can legitimately start, being a standout takes having a unique impact on the game. Blanchard was tasked all weekend with trying to slow down every other team’s primary scorer and still managed to chip in 15 points per game on the team that walked away with the championship. He did his scoring damage in a multitude of ways and had his biggest scoring game of 19 points in the absence of the eventual MVP. Averaged 15pts 3rebs 2asts and 1stl on the weekend.
5’11 Jaiden Williams, NC Invasion
NC Invasion has been one of the better surprises in the East in the early AAU months, and Jaiden Williams used the 252 Invitational as a personal coming out party. He walked away as the new leader in points scored in a game (38) and also was the leader in points per game regardless of age group at the event at 26.8. In his four contests, he was super aggressive at getting downhill in multiple pick and roll situations and even did a good job at getting teammates involved finishing with just over 3 assists per game.
6’1 Kairell Evans, NC Invasion
Like his teammate mentioned above Kairell Evans came into the tournament as a lesser known prospect outside of the immediate area. He walked away with one of the more impressive Invitational scoring performances to date. When watching him play he doesn’t have eye popping athleticism but has a unique ability to put the ball in the bucket from all three levels. Averaged just over 23 points and 5 rebounds including a 30 point 7 rebound game to clinch his team’s championship berth.
6’2 Jerimiah Glaspie, 7th Nation
Not many guard prospects in the East play with the motor and physicality of Jerimiah Glaspie. He’s a tough cover in transition and a handful to contain when going to the rack which helped him finish the weekend as the 4th leading scorer in the 2027 age group (21 points per game). His long arms and bounce also make him a very good rebounder for his size (9.7 per game).
6’4 Nasir Hines, Swarm
Carolina Swarm went 1-2 on the weekend in large part due to the play of Nasir. Hines is a prospect who in terms of ways that he can effectively impact the basketball game checks most boxes. He stands around 6’4 with long arms and guard skills but also really does the little things to give his team a chance to win. He had one of the most productive stat lines in his age group at 13 points 5 rebounds 3 assists and 2 blocks per contest
6’4 Cam Moore, Warriors Life Elite
Just like Hines mentioned above Cam Moore is another rising sophomore who fills the stat sheet in whatever way his team needs him. In the invitational, he wasn’t his team’s leading scorer but finished 2nd at 11.7 points per game while also leading in 3 other stats. Long armed with a nice outside touch and a dad with a D1 pedigree he is a prospect to track. 5 rebounds 1.7 assists 1.3 steals and 1.7 blocks on the weekend as well.
