Category Archives: ENG United

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Jeremias Heard Named A Top 5 Center In Georgia

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ENG United Raptors big man Jeremias Heard named a Top 5 center in Georgia's 2024 class by Prep Hoops, following a stellar junior season at Model High where he helped lead his school to their first-ever region championship and state Final 4 berth.

In addition to cementing his name in Model High's history books, Jeremias also earned 7AA Co-Player of the Year alongside his brother Jakenes Heard who is an ENG United 2023 class alum.

Standing at 6'9" 270lbs, Jeremias has virtually flown "under the radar" until this winter (2022-23). A two-sport athlete, Heard's recruitment is heating up in both basketball and football, with his first offer coming from Tennessee football this winter. On the basketball side, several Division 1 coaches have begun inquiring about Jeremias.

As our spring-summer 2023 travel season gets underway, it's safe to say Jeremias will see a major spike in his basketball recruitment.

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ENG United Raptors Earn 2023 All-Region Honors

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Four (4) ENG United Raptors 2024 players have earned 2023 All-Region and Conference All-Star honors for their outstanding play this winter 2022-23 with their high school varsity basketball teams.

  • Jeremias & Jakenes Heard: Co-Players of the Year (GHSA Region 2A-7)
  • Jace Freeman: Conference All-Star (GAPPS Region 3A-1)
  • Jayden Hames: 2nd Team All-Region (GHSA Region 2A-7)
  • Quentin Rakestraw: Honorable Mention (GHSA Region 6A-6)

Jeremias Heard and his brother Jakenes Heard (2023 ENG Raptor) shared Co-Player of the Year honors with Model High in Rome, GA.  Jace Freeman was earned Conference All-Star nominations with Cornerstone Prep Academy in Acworth, Georgia.  Jayden Hames earned 2nd Team All-Region honors with Model High School in Rome, Georgia. And Quentin Rakestraw earned All-Region Honorable Mention honors with Woodstock High in Woodstock, Georgia.

As we prepare to launch our spring-summer 2023 travel season, these four young men - alongside their teammates - are going to play a major role in our program's success this year.  Check out our 2023 tournament schedule to see where you can come watch us play.

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Austin Wilkerson Commits To Shorter University (NCAA D2)

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ENG United Raptors 2023 guard Austin Wilkerson has announced his commitment to play college basketball this fall at Shorter University; a NCAA Division II school in Rome, Georgia.

Austin is coming off an amazing high school career at Unity Christian School in Rome, GA where he set the school's All-Time scoring record with over 1600 points.  This winter Wilkerson led his UCS Lions to the GAPPS 1AA region championship where there received runner-up and went on to the school's first-ever Final 4 berth. Austin also earned All-Region and Conference All-Star honors to close out his final high school season.  

The entire ENG United Raptors organization is proud of Austin's hard work in the classroom and on the court, and we will be following his college career very closely. 

 

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Keshaun Pace Commits To Reinhardt University (NAIA Division 1)

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ENG United Raptors 2023 guard Keshaun Pace has announced his commitment to play college basketball next fall (2023) at Reinhardt University; a NAIA Division I school in Georgia.

Keyshaun heads into his senior season at Carrollton High School in Carrollton, GA after an amazing spring-summer travel season with ENG United Raptors 2023 team. He is sure to secure 1st Team All-Region honors for a second year in a row, this winter.  

The whole ENG United Raptors family is proud of Keshaun's hard work, and we can't wait to see how far he goes at the next level. 

 

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ENG United Raptors Receive College Offers (June 2022)

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After a strong Spring 2022 showing from our 16U & 17U Raptors, college coaches at every level are taking notice.  As a result, some  ENG United Raptors have received offers to play college basketball, while several others are heating up with interest. Austin Wilkerson (2023) and Keshaun Pace (2023) are the first players to lock in offers to fill roster spots at the next level.

Keshaun Pace, an All-Region player at Carrollton High School (Carrollton, GA), has received his first college basketball offer from Reinhardt University in Waleska, GA.  After several strong performances during the month of June, Reinhardt's head coach Justin Newton extended Keshaun an offer to continue his basketball career at the college level.  The Reinhardt Eagles compete in the Mid-South Conference of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). 

Austin Wilkerson, an All-State player who has scored over 1000 points so far at Unity Christian School (Rome, GA), has received several offers to continue his basketball career at the college level.  Schools who have offered Wilkerson include:

As we enter the July "Live Periods," we have a great number of college coaches from every level of the NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA, NCCAA, and USCAA committed to evaluate our 16U and 17U players. We are confident that there will be more college offer announcements to report in the coming weeks/months at ENG United.  Stay Tuned!!!

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2022 PrepHoops Live Kansas City

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On April 22-24 ENG United Raptors 16U & 17U teams traveled to Kansas City, MO for the 2022 PrepHoops Live showcase. Thanks to high level performances from both teams, ENG captured the attention of national sports media and college coaches.

The KCMO event featured over 320 teams from 13 states, with our teams facing competition from Kansas, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Illinois, and Arkansas. Both ENG United Raptors squads began the tournament with 2-0 records, but as travel fatigue and unexpected injuries became a factor, the 17U boys finished 3-1, while the 16U group ended the weekend 2-2.

While all of our players had stellar moments throughout the weekend, five (5) ENG United players were named "Top Performers" for the weekend showcase.  Those players who earned this designation include:

  • Jakenes Heard - 17U/2023
  • Austin Wilkerson - 17U/2023
  • Quentin Rakestraw - 16U/2024
  • Jeremias Heard - 16U/2024
  • Jayden Hames - 16U/2024

But, these five players could not have gained media attention without their teammates, whose high level contributions all weekend helped the ENG United Raptors program leave its mark on Kansas City.

  • 17U/2023:  Nick Majors, Ethan Sams, Kyan Bullock, JayQuan Nelson, and Ahmed Hussein (of Minnesota)
  • 16U/2024:  Jace Freeman, Gabe Mason, Charles Kimani, and Christian McAboy

We'd also like to thank all of the ENG United parents and extended families whose support for our players and coaches throughout the long distance trip was tantamount to the success we experienced in KC.

The next tournament for our 16U and 17U teams will be the RYZE Showcase II, May 7-8, 2022 in Emerson, Georgia at Lakepoint Champions Center.

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Congrats To Our All-Region Honorees

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ENG United Raptors would like to acknowledge those players who earned Georgia High School Association (GHSA) All-Region honors with their respective boys varsity basketball teams this 2021-22 winter season.

These five (5) ENG United Raptors worked extremely hard to earn their All-Region recognition:

  • Jeremias Heard (2024): 1st Team All-Region (Model High, Rome, GA)
  • Jakenes Heard (2023): 1st Team All-Region (Model High, Rome, GA)
  • Nicholas Majors (2023): 2nd Team All-Region (Druid Hills High, Atlanta, GA)
  • Cameron Keith (2023): All-Region Honorable Mention (Rome High, Rome, GA)
  • KeShaun Pace (2023): All-Region Honorable Mention (Carrollton High, Carrollton, GA)
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Jeremias Heard Earns 1st Team All Region Honors

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The ENG United Raptors family would like to congratulate 2024 center Jeremias Heard on earning 1st Team All-Region honors in Georgia High School Association Region 7AA for the 2021-22 winter season.

Only in his sophomore year at Model High School in Rome, GA, Jeremias is a formidable presence in the paint, leading the Blue Devils in both blocks and rebounds per game this season. Heard also placed himself among the Top 3 in scoring for the varsity squad.

At 6'8" 250lbs, Jeremias Heard has established himself as one of Georgia's top 2024 prospects.  His stock is guaranteed to rise during the upcoming 2022 travel basketball season with the ENG United Raptors 16U (2024) team, under the direction of head coach Shaine Freeman and assistant coaches Chris Rakestraw and Burbee Heard.

"Jeremias is, in my opinion, the best true big man in Georgia's 2024 graduating class. Ignoring his obvious size, his nose for the ball and shot blocking talent, coupled with his court vision, are what makes this kid special. I don't know very many bigs his age and size who can run the floor, block shots, rebound, and pass like a point guard the way this kid does. There are no other 16-year-olds in Georgia like him! To cap it off, he's a high academic student-athlete. This kid's stock will skyrocket this travel season," says Coach Shaine Freeman.

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Nick Majors Receives All-Region Honors

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ENG United Raptors would like to congratulate 2023 point guard Nick Majors on achieving 2nd Team All-Region honors in Georgia High School Association Class 6A, Region 4 for the 2021-22 season.

As the starting varsity point guard at Druid Hills High School in Atlanta, Nick spent his junior season as one of the school's leaders in points, assists, and steals. He is well known for his tenacity on the defensive end, and his ability to get downhill and score over much taller defenders; which all led to his All-Region honors.

This 2022 travel basketball season, Nick will bring his conference-leading point guard skills to the ENG United Raptors 17U (2023) team, under the direction of head coach Burbee Heard and program director Shaine Freeman. 

According to Coach Shaine, "Nick Majors is a great kid and high-academic student athlete. I've known and spent time training Nick between his 6th - 10th grade years, and I'm super happy him and his parents have chosen to spend his final grassroots season here at ENG United Raptors. We look forward to helping Nick and his family navigate this crazy college basketball recruitment landscape."

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Austin Wilkerson Joins The 1000 Points Club

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ENG United Raptors family would like to congratulate 2023 sharpshooter AUSTIN WILKERSON of Unity Christian School (Rome, GA) on joining the 1000 Points Club over the winter 2021-22 season.

The big moment came on January 28th versus region opponent Shiloh Hills Christian School in Kennesaw, GA, where Austin can be seen (video below) dribbling through multiple defenders on a fast break for a quick pull up three pointer.

Wilkerson, who compiled a team-leading 586 points over the course of his junior season at UCS, had 16 games where he scored 20+ points, which included 7 games of 25 or more. Austin also set a season and career scoring record of 43 points in a game versus Pepperrell High School (Lindale, GA).

This 2022 travel basketball season, Austin Wilkerson will showcase his high level scoring talents to college coaches as a member of the ENG United Raptors 17U (2023) team, under the direction of head coach Burbee Heard and program director Shaine Freeman.

As Coach Shaine puts it, "Austin is a high academic student-athlete who has placed himself in a position to continue his basketball career at the collegiate level after high school. We are very excited to have such an exemplary young man joining us this 2022 grassroots season."