Longhorn Classic Recap: Isaiah Collier, Kanaan Carlyle among standouts

Alpharetta, Ga – The Longhorn Steakhouse 5-Star Classic brought some of Georgia’s top talent together against teams from South Carolina, Arizona, and North Carolina. 

On3 Sports was on hand for the day of action.

Isaiah Collier

The night’s feature game had two Georgia powers facing off with Covington (GA) Newton High and Marietta (GA) Wheeler High. Collier, the 2023 One Consensus No. 19 prospect, came away with the win as he took the game over in the fourth quarter and overtime. 

The 6-foot-2 point guard carries a strong frame and excellent floor vision. He attacks open spaces on the floor, either with the dribble or the pass, and puts pressure on the defense to make a play. He is a gifted passer in the pick and roll as well. At the Longhorn Classic Collier finished with 24 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and three steals in the overtime win. 

Recruitment: Isaiah Collier has a top seven of UCLA, Georgia, Southern Cal, Cincinnati, Florida State, Alabama, and Auburn.

Ace Bailey

Bailey made quite the impression for a first viewing. Standing 6-foot-8 with a long and wiry frame, Bailey showed a lot of tools. Perhaps the most impressive tool was his ability to get the ball off the glass. He was able to high-point the basketball in traffic on both ends of the floor. 

Offensively, there still needs to be some figuring out. Bailey has touch vision and can handle it, but he needs to tighten it all as it can sometimes come loose. It is only a matter of time before he becomes a national prospect, and his recruitment should start to heat up this summer. Bailey finished with 19 points, 12 rebounds, and three assists. 

Recruitment: Claims offers from Auburn, Tennessee, and others

Brandon Rechsteiner

There was a gritty nature about Rechsteiner’s game. He started off getting his teammates involved and running the offense. Then toward the end of the first half, he got frustrated with himself over a couple of fouls he committed. From that point on, it was the Rechsteiner show. He has a crafty and quick handle to get him anywhere on the court he wants. With his deep range out to 28-feet, he has a bag full of floaters and finishes in the paint when attacking closeouts. The 5-foot-11 junior finished with 28 points on 12 of 18 shooting in the Woodstock (GA) Etowah High’s Longhorn Classic win. 

Recruitment: Claims offers from Jacksonville State, Kennesaw State, and Texas State

Styles Phipps

Phipps was a scoring lead guard; make no mistakes about it. He played with confidence and mental toughness that shined throughout the game. While, at times, the shot selection could have narrowed down a bit, it is better to have to rev down that rev up.

Phipps has an aggressive handle with outstanding balance and a change of pace. He can pull the jump shot up on a dime, and he had an assortment of floaters and bank shots in the mid-range. Phipps, a sophomore at Phoenix (AZ) St. Mary’s High, finished this one with 23 points, six rebounds, and three assists. 

Recruitment: Claims offers from Auburn, TCU, and others…

Kanaan Carlyle

The On3 Consensus No. 15 prospect for the 2023 class has a relentless nature to his game. Carlyle is a competitor by nature, and it shows on both ends of the floor. A shot-maker to his core, whenever he is on the floor, it seems only to be a matter of time before he gets going. The pull-up jumper is tough to defend, and he is adept at turning defense quickly into offense. Carlyle finished this one with 22 points and three steals in the Longhorn Classic win. 

Recruitment: Carlyle is committed to Stanford