Louisiana Top 28: Division II Tournament Teams
First Team:
Jonathan Cisse 6’2 G 2018 St. Thomas More
Cisse played a hell of a game for St. Thomas More in the semifinals, and lead all scorers in that game with 25. He has a very smooth game, and he has redefined his game this season, going from mostly a spot up shooter last year, to living in the paint this season. In my opinion, he was the most talented player in Division II, but he simply lacked the help around his team to get the job done.
Spencer Mays 6’4 G 2018 U-High
Mays was impressive all weekend long, and as a result was able to put his stamp on both games. In the semi-finals against St. Michael, he was able to rack up steal after steal, which lead to a ton of open layups, finishing with a game high 21 points. In the state final game, he was able to do the most work on the glass, and finished with 15 rebounds. Next season will allow Mays to have the ball in his hands even more, and we will be able to get a better look at how his skills will translate to the next level.
Rodney Munson 6’0 G 2019 De La Salle
Munson was the biggest difference maker in the semi-final game against St. Thomas More, and a huge reason why De La Salle was able to come away with the championship. In the semi-final game, De La Salle went into halftime down nine, and only scored 19 points in the first half. However, Munson hit 3 3s in the third quarter, and De La Salle scored 28 points in the 3rd quarter alone, and never looked back. Munson finished with 18 points, including 16 in the second half.
John Jones 6’0 G 2017 U-High
Despite not getting it done in the state championship game, it has been a fantastic career for John Jones. This season was the only year during his four years at U-High that they didn’t capture a state title, and it wasn’t because of Jones. He finished the game with a team high 23 points, including a half court buzzer beater to end the first half.
Ahmad Taylor 6’4 F 2017 De La Salle
Taylor was the 2nd and leading scorer in De La Salle’s semi-final and championship game, respectively. Just like the rest of De La Salle, he is a bonafide shooter, but one things that really impressed me this weekend was his ball handling and decision making abilities. He looked really comfortable with the ball in his hands, and was able to find open guys. Of course in the state championship game, he handled the bulk of the scoring, going 9-10 from the field and finishing with a game high 26 points.
Second Team:
Jude Joseph 5’10 G 2018 St. Thomas More
Joseph is a shifty lead guard that is capable of scoring at the rim at a high level. However, anything that he brings on the offensive end, pales in comparison to his defensive prowess, where he is capable of locking guys down.
Trent Schiller 5’9 G 2018 St. Michael
Schiller is a heady guard, and was the best player for a St. Michael’s team that was simply outplayed by Uhigh in the semifinals.
Jalen Henry 6’3 G 2018 De La Salle
Henry is the only player to make it on the Top 28 all tournament team that came off the bench for his own team. However, that shouldn’t at all take away from his sweet stroke, and he was able to finish with 17 points off the bench in the final game.
Eric Reed 6’1 G 2018 U-High
Reed is an incredible athlete that is still a tad rough around the edges. However, he has shown that he is capable of getting to the rim at will, and he has as high of a ceiling as anyone.
Nate Cox 6’8 F 2017 St. Thomas More
Cox was St. Thomas More’s second leading scorer and leading rebounder at 14 and 12. However, I’m sure he wishes he could have scored 16, as he missed a two foot bunny at the end of regulation to give STM the win in the semi’s.