2018 TOC: All-Underclassmen
One of the most surprising facets of the 2018 Tournament of Champions field was the multitude of freshmen and sophomores stepping up to play pivotal roles in their teams’ success. The future of Oklahoma high school hoops looks bright thanks…
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Continue ReadingOne of the most surprising facets of the 2018 Tournament of Champions field was the multitude of freshmen and sophomores stepping up to play pivotal roles in their teams’ success. The future of Oklahoma high school hoops looks bright thanks to these guys. With our subsequent 2018 Tournament of Champions All-Tournament team, here’s our 2018 Tournament of Champions All-Underclassmen team.
MVP
So. Matthew Stone — Kingfisher
16 PPG / 9.3 PPG
For the third-place winning Kingfisher Yellow Jackets, Matthew Stone was as or more important than any sophomore in the TOC. Nearly averaging a double-double, “Stoney” was one of four Kingfisher scorers to average at least nine points per game on the weekend. Stone’s offensive prowess consists of out-of-the-gym hops, a quick release, and a great ability to finish at the rim. Defensively, Stone aided the Jackets by protecting the rim, getting rebounds to prevent scoring runs, and locking down opposing swingmen. In a 21-point victory against Putnam City West, a 6A powerhouse, Stone dropped 25 points on 9-14 shooting with 14 rebounds and 4 steals. Stone has a bright future ahead of him, and we think this is far from the last time we’ll hear about the sophomore standout tearing it up in the 2018-19 season.
FIRST TEAM
So. Bijan Cortes — Kingfisher
13 PPG / 6.6 RPG
Bijan Cortes played great overall, versatile basketball. The sophomore point guard helped the Kingfisher back-court to overpower opposing guards and wings. While adding an important share of the scoring for the Yellow Jackets, what Cortes did especially well was penetrate opposing defenses to the hoops then fire accurate passes to shooters at the corner or the wing. He buys into what Kingfisher has going as perhaps the best-functioning offensive machine in 4A
So. Jayse Ward — Whitesboro
8.6 PPG / 6 RPG
Jayse Ward, a 6-foot-3 wing from Whitesboro stretched the floor with his versatility and did a lot of clean-up work for the Bulldogs. Ward was especially significant at the wing position as a drive-and-score or drive-and-kick player. With a great basketball iQ and overall court awareness, Ward continually placed hisself in excellent rebounding position to play smarter, not harder against forwards considerably taller than he is. His best moment came in an 8-point, 9-rebound performance against Booker T. Washington in the first round of the Tournament. Though Whitesboro came out with a 77-59 loss, Ward proved that a 6-foot-3 Class A wing can hang with the powerhouses.
So. Tyson Eastwood — Fort Cobb-Broxton
8 PPG / 6.3 RPG
Tyson Eastwood provided a solid second scoring option for Fort Cobb-Broxton at the TOC. While he gets his share of the scoring, there’s no doubt that Eastwood is one of those glue guys that makes your program go. Eastwood plays on the wing for the top-ranked Class A Mustangs and is always prepared to spot up for a shot, get to the rack and finish high, or draw a foul and give the ‘Stands an edge in the foul count.
Fr. Elijah James — Putnam City West
7.6 PPG / 64% shooting from the field
It takes a special freshman to get minutes for a flagship Oklahoma 6A program. It takes even more to do it at 6-foot-even. James started for the Patriots in the TOC and put up a fight each game as an accurate shooter and efficient guard presence. James has especially good handles for a freshman, and doesn’t give up costly and ill-advised turnovers like many young players do. He knows his role, shooting a tournament-high 64 percent as a guard, exactly what you would want from a freshman. He also had two perfect shooting games from the field and a perfect game from the free-throw line in the TOC. James will be a special player in years to come.
(Photo cred: Hudl – Matthew Stone)