The Memphis Blazers are one of the top summer-circuit teams in the tri-state area, in only their third year of existence, and affiliated with the PRO16/NXTPRO League. The Blazers basketball organization, founded by Director Gucci Desouzza, is based in Memphis, Tennessee, in a forgotten part of town. That location is called Frayser, which at one time housed some of the city’s largest employers: Firestone, International Harvester, Kimberly-Clark, and, for the early baby boomers, the old-school department store Zayre in the Northgate shopping center. Desouzza has brought some acclaim to the iconic neighborhood, respectively. The Blazers’ head coach is Evan Devould, a Mitchell High School alumnus in his second year at the helm.
Blazers feature one of the top shooters and scorers in the three-state region in 6’3 Kenyon Dowl, who plays high school basketball for Independence High School in Coldwater, Mississippi. Independence went to the state 3A semifinal game in Jackson, Mississippi, and finished the season at 30-7 respectively. Another key player is 6’3 Kason Thomas from Middle College (23-12), who has played for the Bulldogs since the ninth grade, and hit the winning shot to propel Middle College in the 2024 postseason. Thomas is a great facilitator with a high basketball IQ who sees the entire court, handles the ball well, and rebounds aggressively, with an assists-to-turnovers ratio among the best in the state and circuit.
Two-way sports player 6’6 Raoul Johnson attends Mitchell High School and is the starting quarterback on the Mitchell Tigers football team and a 3-year starter on the basketball team. Johnson has grown 5 inches in the last year, and eye-foot coordination is still adjusting accordingly. Another player is a dynamic speedster, 5’10 Derrick Shine from Augusta High School in Augusta, Georgia. Shine has tremendous ball-handling skills, is almost impossible to trap, and has the ability to see the entire court. A teammate of Shine is 6’6 A.J. Luke, who, along with the other player, is a state champion in 2026.
6’3 Manny Jones and 6’5 Lochlan Myers – transfer from Kansas City, Missouri, both players play for Coach Marcus Williams at PCA, one of the top upcoming programs in the city. These young men will provide valuable minutes off the bench with some of the top teams in the Puma circuit.
The Memphis Blazers’ 2026 schedule kicks off with a trip to
March 28-30 Rockford, Illinois.
April 10-12 The Tip Off Classic Atlanta, Georgia
April 17-19 Puma Pro 16 Detroit, Michigan
May 1-3 Puma Pro 16 Memphis, Tennessee
May 8-10 Puma Pro16 Memphis, Tennessee
May 15-17 Puma Pro 16 (Live) Tulsa, Oklahoma
May 22-24 Puma Pro 16 Hamilton, Ohio
July 3-5 Puma Pro 16 Franklin, Tennessee
July 9-12 Puma Pro 16 (Live) Richmond, Virginia
July 16-19 Puma Pro 16 (Live) Bryan, Texas
July 22-26 Puma Pro 16 (National) Orlando, Florida
