Talented SME Returning To Deep South Classic



South Mississippi Elite has developed a tradition of sending players on to major collegiate programs, and the club also has a tradition of attending the Deep South Classic. This summer, SME will be competing at the Classic for the seventh time.

“The two big things with the Deep South Classic are the exposure with college coaches, and then the level of competition,” noted Coach Burnell Wesco. “The other thing is the fact that the event is all played in one building. When you send multiple teams like we do, it’s great that we don’t have to worry about going from gym to gym.”

The 19th Deep South Classic will be played from April 21-24 in Raleigh, N.C., and it will once again be held at the magnificent Raleigh Convention Center. The entire event will be played under one roof, with action flowing on 20 courts.

SME teams should be competing at the highest levels in Raleigh.

“We’re pretty excited this year, especially with our 2017 team,” Wesco said. “That group has been playing up since they eighth grade, so they will finally be able to play against kids that are the same age. We’re really excited to see what kind of potential that group has this year.”

Those 2017’s will be paced by Keyara Jones (5-6, CG), Lauren Sheriff (6-3, P), Alyric Scott (5-11, SG) and Jamaya Galloway (5-6, PG). The All Star Girls Report currently listed Sheriff as the No. 154 recruit in the Class of 2017, while Scott is ranked at No. 331.

“Keyara is a great shooter, she is explosive attacking the basket, and she has a nice pull-up jumper,” Wesco said. “Some people call her the Steph Curry of girls basketball. Lauren is a very physical post player who is a great defender. Lauren gives us a strong inside presence on both ends of the court.

“Alyric is the top high school scorer in the state right now. She is a three-point shooter who can get to the basket, and she can even post up if they put a smaller guard on her. Alyric is also a great rebounding guard.

“Jamey is a true point guard. She can score, but she loves to involve her teammates and create opportunities. She knows how to get a team into the offense, and she does a great job getting the ball to the open player.”