Under the Radar: Making the Junior Jump
The class of 2021 has plenty of talent in it which should make for a very competitive season between the two strong upper classes. Below I will highlight a few players who had strong sophomore seasons for their teams and…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe class of 2021 has plenty of talent in it which should make for a very competitive season between the two strong upper classes. Below I will highlight a few players who had strong sophomore seasons for their teams and have gone under the radar thus far but should break onto the scene this year. Many of the players below played a significant role for their teams as underclassman and will have lead roles coming into their junior year. I look for several of these players to make their way into the rankings as well this year.
Griffin Lauritano – Evergreen
Griffin averaged: 13.8 PPG, 1.5 APG, 5.6 RPG, 1.5 SPG playing in twenty-four games last season for Evergreen, he also recorded four double-doubles. He is very effective from inside the arc, shooting it at fifty-eight percent on one-hundred and eighty two attempts. Griffin does a nice job of rewarding himself from the foul-line, shooting seventy-five percent on over one-hundred attempts. He led his team last season in rebounds and steals, and was third in assists. Griffin has good size, at 6’4, he is able to finish through contact and get his shot off against smaller defenders. He is a strong rebounder, who can pull the boards himself and lead the break the other way.
Jaromy Morgan – Thompson Valley
Jaromy played in twenty-two games as a sophomore, averaging: 13.5 PPG, 1.2 APG, 4.5 RPG, 1.7 SPG. His 13.5 PPG last season led the team as did his 1.7 SPG. He was second on the team in rebounding. He has good size at 6’5, and is able to stretch the floor knocking down the mid and long range shot. Last season, he shot thirty-six percent on eighty-six shots from behind the three point arc and just under fifty percent from inside the arc. He has a nice mid-range game, creating shots off the dribble with soft touch. His length creates problems on the defensive side of the ball, and he is able to guard multiple positions. Morgan does a nice job of pursuing the offensive glass and is able to finish through contact.
Michael Bennett – Lakewood
Bennett played in sixteen games last season for Lakewood, he averaged: 8.8 PPG, 1.5 APG, 2.3 RPG, 1.8 SPG. Bennett will be stepping into a lead role his junior year as Lakewood had two key seniors graduate last year in, Pierce Holley who averaged 17.1 PPG and Omar Vargas at 12.6 PPG. Michael was tied for first one the team last season in three point shooting percentage at thirty-nine, on forty-six attempts. It will be interesting to see how Bennett does leading the group this year, I look for him to be a little more aggressive on the offensive side of the ball.
Graham Kroll – Faith Christian
Kroll played in twenty-three games last season as a sophomore averaging: 8.6 PPG, 2.8 APG, 2.8 RPG, 1.6 SPG. Graham led his team last season in three point shooting percentage at forty-six percent on seventy-nine attempts. He also shot the ball very well from the foul-line at eighty percent on forty-nine attempts. As a sophomore, he was second on his team in total assists, and first in steals. The two leading scorers for Faith Christian last season were both juniors, Caleb Ruter who averaged 16.4 PPG and Isaiah Kroll 13.0 PPG, Graham should see a increase in his assists per game and will have the opportunity to knock down the open shot with teams focused on Caleb and Isaiah. This will be a fun team to watch this season, after going 17-7 last year and 9-1 in league.
AJ Kula – Valor Christian
AJ played in twenty-four games last season for Valor averaging: 5.1 PPG, 2.9 APG, 1.7 RPG, 1.1 SPG. His 2.9 APG ranked third on the team last season and he should have a chance to lead the way this season. He is a high IQ guard with great vision and does a great job of getting players into position. At 6’5, Kula has good size, but is also quick with the ball and is able to create off the dribble for himself and his teammates. He can also stretch the floor and knock down the long-range shot, shooting thirty-two percent on three last season on sixty-six attempts. AJ is a player I look to have a big breakout junior year with a talented team surrounding him.