Winter Climbers: Class of 2020 Part I
The natural curvature of the basketball Earth just began to rotate our impending playoffs into view. It is that time when the upper limb of the playoff sun appears above the horizon as a result of the diurnal rotation of…it…
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Continue ReadingThe natural curvature of the basketball Earth just began to rotate our impending playoffs into view. It is that time when the upper limb of the playoff sun appears above the horizon as a result of the diurnal rotation of…it is a sunrise metaphor. Deal with it.
Time to revisit the Class of 2020 rankings and adjust to account for the player’s growth and stagnation. Also, 23 new players splashed into the pool.
If you want to look at the complete rankings, smash here.
Climbers are either players previously undervalued, unseen, or possibly players that developed their game in the last few months. These players represent the four biggest climbers (LEFT-new rank, RIGHT- spots climbed upward).
#103 LaDarius Chigano ⇑64
Impressive defender. LaDarius showed up at PrepHoopsTN Fall Combine in wonderful physical shape, but desperately raw. The physicality is really encouraging. Frankly, Chigano began his basketball journey years behind his peers. That is both bad and good. The bad is the race started without him. The good news is that Chigano’s trajectory will be greater. With proper instruction under Calvary Christian Head Coach JaMichael Heathington, Chigano can and appears to be improving rapidly.
In the last few months Chigano started showing better court awareness. He understands spacing and where to get his buckets. Chigano’s hands are really good. Lobs and direct passes are caught better be LaDarius than most bigs his age. Obviously, catching passes leads to more successful possessions.
Chigano’s weak points are still explosion upward. In order to fully benefit from his soft hands and improved positioning Chigano needs to attack vertically with ferocity. Overall, both coach and player are working hard on his game.
#37 Taras Carter ⇑61
Hard work helps, but sometimes you just aren’t athletic enough. Opponents of Taras Carter are noticing they just aren’t fast enough to keep up. Carter stepped into starting guard for East Nashville after an enormously successful senior class (Gene Holmes, Jayden Lockett, etc.). Most programs would have taken several months or even years to challenge for a new district title. Not Taras and East Nashville. They are out leading the pack again with nary a district loss. Only Pearl Cohn has a decent chance at catching the Eagles. Stratford, Maplewood, and MLK need to make up three games on a sizzling team.
Carter’s special athleticism vaulted him the charts after his fall debut. In truth, he shares many of the same physical traits as top 10 player Marvin Hughes, but certainly lacks some of the polish and seasoning. Keep an eye on Carter though. That is all defenders can get on him.
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