Louisiana Class of 2020 Top 5 Players breakdown
Jalen Cook 6’0 G Walker
Cook is a strong, athletic lead guard, who can use his body to bully defenders all the way to the rim, and finish through contact. He can score on all three levels, but his bread and butter is getting to the goal.He is a slightly above average playmaker, and is willing to get the ball to the open man. He is also a good shooter from distance, and has steadily improved in that aspect of his game.
Chanse Robinson 6’0 G Lincoln Prep
Chanse is an uber-athletic point guard, even for Louisiana standards, which is saying something. Despite being on a senior laden team, with two teammates in the top 20 for the 2017 class, Robinson put up some pretty big numbers last season, including a few triple doubles. These season, I expect much of the same thing, and there is a possibility he is the “Russell Westbrook of Louisiana” this year.
Corey Smooth 6’0 G Rummel
Smooth is a flashy, pass first point guard. He has a great chance to be the best passing point guard out of Louisiana over the past five years by the time things are all said and done. He has fantastic vision, and does a good job of sensing when players need the ball, and where to get them the ball for his teammates to be most successful. He is also a very creative finisher around the rim, and can use his strong body to finish through contact. If he is able to score at a higher rate, he can continue to boost his stock.
Byron Joshua 5’9 G Crescent City
The biggest debate I had when it came to these rankings was Corey Smooth vs. Byron Joshua, and to be honest they might as well be 3a and 3b. Despite his size, Byron is a super strong finisher around the rim, and can finish as well as anyone through contact. He sees the floor well, and is able to make the extra pass. What really separates Byron is his ability on the defensive end, and his ability to lock guys down on defense before going down and scoring in their face on offense. If he is able to hit a growth spurt before graduation, he will be a top flight recuit.
Reece Beekman 6’1 G Scotlandville
Reese is the only player on this list to already have a state championship under his belt, winning state with Scotlandville last season. He also was named 15u MVP of the highly prestigious Fab48 in Las Vegas. Beekman plays with Wisconsin Playground Warriors of the Under Armour Association, and was an absolute monster in July. He shoots the ball as well as anyone in his class, and is capable of scoring in bunches. He is also a very capable defender on the other side of the ball and is known for getting steals.