By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

There once was a time when the summer months were a dead period for prep basketball players.

Oh my, how things have changed.

Quite a few “Southern Six” roundball standouts have been quite busy since the end of the last school year traveling all across the United States to participate in various hoops events as they prepare for next season with their respective high school squads.

St. Martin’s Kaleah Lowery, coming off a stellar sophomore season for head coach Jason Kennedy and the Lady Yellow Jackets, is currently in Louisville, Ky., this weekend to participate in the TFN’s Run 4 Roses Championship event which wraps up on Monday.

The annual affair bills itself on social media as the “Largest Girls Basketball Exposure Event in the Nation.”

The Run 4 Roses Classic takes place at the Kentucky Exposition Center from July 11 to July 13, with the Run 4 Roses Tournament going from July 14-16. Teams from all 50 states and nine different countries will participate. The venue said it will host over 2,700 teams all vying to gain exposure during the tournament, and impress the more than 2,000 college coaches set to be in attendance.

Also, Pascagoula’s Blake Nettles is competing in the 2024 Nike EYBL Peach Jam in North Augusta, South Carolina as he prepares for his junior season with the Panthers.

The event tipped off Saturday and continues throughout the coming week before coming to a close one week later on Saturday, July 20th. Nettles is playing for the Livon team this week.

This is the 28th Nike Peach Jam, which annually features the top high school basketball prospects in the country as they showcase their skills at Riverview Park for fans and college coaches to see. The Peach Jam marks the final stage of Nike’s Elite Youth Basketball League circuit and features the finest teams from across the nation. Since 1996, the Riverview Park Activities Center has played host to this event, producing hundreds of NBA players in the process.

In addition, Ocean Springs’ rising senior Maddox Noblitt is playing out in Arizona for the Memphis Blazers in the NXTPRO HOOPS league which is sponsored by Puma

Noblitt recently poured in a game-high 34 points thanks to nine 3-pointers and also dished out eight assists in a 73-48 win over an Australian All-Star squad.

Adam Erickson, a scout for NXTPRO Hoops, proclaimed on social media “Memphis Blazers 2025 G Maddox Noblitt is scorching the nets right now. Knock down shooter with great shot mechanics and a smooth release. Pairs that with plus sized length at 6’5 and athletic ability.”

Also, Biloxi standout center Zaniya Johnson, who will be just a sophomore next season for the Lady Indians, is currently in Indiana competing for the FBCNewYoungunz team as they play Hoosier Heat event.