Senior Breakout Players: 757 Edition
The saying goes: Freshmen want to play, sophomores want to start, juniors want to score and seniors want to win! With the high school season getting started a couple of weeks ago there’s already been a number of seniors who are stepping up and helping their team reach that goal of winning. Over the next few days, we’ll take a look at some of the breakout guys to keep an eye on in their last season of high school basketball. To get us started, here’s a look at seven of them from the Hampton Roads area.
Darien Allison | 6’2” G | IC Norcom
Allison is one of the few returners for a young Norcom group that knows the success of the past. He’s a stocky guard that can shoot the deep ball,. use his body in the lane to complete plays through contact and can find shooters on the drive. He’ll have to score the ball at a high clip for them if they’re going to be successful, but he has the tools to get it done.
Malik Jordan | 6’0” PG | Kempsville
Jordan has talent around him which will only make him much better as a playmaking point guard. He’s a drive and kick specialist who can read the pick-and-roll. maintains his dribble in traffic and has great creativity and vision off the bounce. He has a great middle game and can really hit the pull up, and the fact that he lives in the lane means defenses will always have trouble containing his ability to make others better.
Marcus Custis | 5’10” PG | Smithfield
A shot making guard who will be the go-to guy for a young Smithfield team, Custis has already shown his ability to score over the past couple of years but this year they will rely heavily on it. He’s a lightning quick guard that gets in the lane off the bounce, is a crafty finisher around the basket and can score in bunches when he gets it going. He’s also a lock down on ball defender and playmaker in his own right.
Tisheed Jones | 5’9” PG | Landstown
With the departure of last year’s 6A State Player of the year Mike Christmas to Huntington Prep, Jones has to step up and play a bigger role for Landstown and so far he’s done just that. He finished with 17 points in their overtime win against Kempsville, and scored six of them in overtime when his team needed him to. He sets the tone on both ends of the floor, as he straps the ball up and lives in the paint offensively where he has a good middle game and can set his teammates up as well. He plays great in transition too, as the faster the pace is the harder it is to stay in front of him.
Juwan Brown | 6’7” PF | Jamestown
Brown adds a dimension to the Jamestown Eagles that they didn’t have last year on their team that was the 4A State runner-ups, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. With the departure of most of their scoring last season, Brown gives them a mismatch at the forward spot with his mix of size and skill set. He’s strong enough to bang inside and control the glass, but he’s also skilled enough to take his man outside and take him off the bounce. He can stretch the floor, is an effort and energy guy and can guard multiple positions defensively.
Josh Moore | 6’1” PG | Grafton
I’m not going to lie, I may have missed the ball on this kid because so far this season Moore is playing like a scholarship level kid. The 6’1” point guard finished with 33 points in Grafton’s win over Churchland, and did so by shooting an efficient 11-for-19 from the field and dropping five assists as well. He’s a lightning quick kid with good bounce which makes him an explosive finisher, and he’s a kid who can shoot it off the bounce from anywhere and score it in bunches. The added bonus of him as a playmaker on both ends makes him the perfect go-to guy for Grafton, and he should put up some big numbers moving forward.