Names to Know in the Class of 2023
The month of August got kicked off with an alumni tournament at Minden High School on August 3rd. Some former northwest Louisiana preps and college notables played for bragging rights in the area. Before the championship, we were introduced to…
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Continue ReadingThe month of August got kicked off with an alumni tournament at Minden High School on August 3rd. Some former northwest Louisiana preps and college notables played for bragging rights in the area. Before the championship, we were introduced to some of the 2023 hoopers in the area as the 14U Xpress and Minden Tarheels played in an exhibition game. We will look at some of the new talent entering the high school ranks this coming season. If the rest of the state has a group of skilled ballplayers like this group, the class of 2023 might be one of the best in recent history.
Members of the class of 2023
Lakavin Thomas – Bossier High School
Davirious Dunigan – Bossier High School
Kareon Taylor – Huntington High School
Devin Myers – Huntington High School
Malaki Thomas – Minden High School
Vernon Johnson – Northwood High School
Christopher Carpenter – Southwood High School
Bossier just keeps adding to their talent pool with the addition of Thomas and Dunigan. Both players are solid defenders and scorers. Dunigan is an all around athlete who can read cuts and slash with the best of them. Thomas is a freshman guard who can beat defenders off the dribble or shot it from deep. Going to Bossier High, they will have to play on the defensive side of the ball to earn their minutes. If they defend in a team concept like they did on Saturday, they will adapt easily to the Bossier defensive scheme.
Taylor and Myers are two very skilled offensive players. During Saturday’s exhibition, they were the two leading scorers for their team. Combined, they were responsible for 24 of the 64 points scored by Xpress. Myers walked away impressing other coaches in the gym with his overall ability to rebound and play hard on both ends of the floor. He is an enerygy guy who gets his buckets in the paint. Taylor made two threes and was able to get to the free throw line as well. He is also has the knack to get to the rim. Coach Jones has often catered to offensively skilled players. Adding these two to what they have in their program will definitely keep with the tradition of scorers Huntington has produced.
Minden and Southwood have young, talented programs on the rise in Louisiana while Northwood is a rebounding program talent-wise. Malaki Thomas (Minden), Chris Carpenter (Southwood), and Vernon Johnson (Northwood) will only add to the talent pools at these schools. Malaki Thomas is a freshman big who can play with his back to the basket or face up. Johnson is the sharpshooter of the crew and did a good job by knocking down three threes on Saturday. Carpenter is a steady guard who plays both ends well. He is a high-IQ guard who works best when he is facilitating the offense for his team.
This influx of this type of talent to the high school scene in Shreveport-Bossier should bring excitement. We will keep an eye on these freshman and highlight others as the school year moves into the basketball season.