NIT Holiday Standouts
In my annual trip across Virginia, I decided to focus my first two days in the Roanoke/Salem area. While it’s three hours away from where I live in Richmond, I have always been partial to the Roanoke area and am…
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Continue ReadingIn my annual trip across Virginia, I decided to focus my first two days in the Roanoke/Salem area. While it’s three hours away from where I live in Richmond, I have always been partial to the Roanoke area and am always able to find some talent out there as well. My second stop was at the Northside Invitational Tournament at Northside High School, and it featured eight teams from across the region with a ton of talent all over the place. Here’s a look at some of the top standouts from the event.
Hunter Cannaday | 6’0”” WG | Franklin County ’20
With one of the best shooting performances I have seen all year, Cannaday flat out lit it up against Christiansburg and was the main reason they were in the game for so long. The 6’0” guard got hot early as he looked for his shot and hit a couple early, and that led to defenders closing out too hard and he was fouled on multiple three-point attempts too. He finished the game with 28 points, making shots from all over and he was super efficient. He finished the game going 8-for-11 from the field, 4-for-7 from deep and 7-for-9 from the line.
Aiden Proudfoot | 5’9” PG | Christiansburg ’21
The lead guard on a scrappy Christiansburg group that should be a tough out over the next few years, Proudfoot took over in the third quarter of their game against Franklin County and was the reason they were able to break it open and pull away. A 5’9” guard that’s usually one of the smaller guys on the court, Proudfoot has this mix of skill, flair and toughness that you have to love. He showed a tight handle and a quick first step, he made shots off the bounce from deep and made plays for others when he got in the lane. He finished with 20 points, going 6-for-9 from the field and 4-for-6 from deep while also having 5 assists as well.
Matt Collins | 6’0” WG | Christiansburg ’21
On a team where everyone seems to understand their roles and play them well, Collins ability to make shots from all over the floor and use his size to bully smaller guys played a huge factor in their win. He isn’t the most athletic guy but he can really stroke it from deep, he showed great mechanics from the feet up on his pull-up and showed great confidence even when he went through a lull. He finished with 15 points in their win over Franklin.
Caleb Henley | 6’1” G | Christiansburg ’21
Every team needs an energy guy, and Henley brought that on both ends of the floor for this Blue Demons group in their win over Franklin County. He was a one man press that used his length and quickness to make ball handlers uncomfortable, getting deflections and even just ripping them in the backcourt. He rebounded well for his size and showed he can make shots in the midrange and out to the three-point line. He finished with 14 points, 5 rebounds and 4 steals for them when I watched.
Landon Johnson | 6’0” G | William Byrd ’20
The senior leader for this Byrd group, Johnson was the most aggressive and made the most plays out of anyone on both ends of the floor in their win over Rockbridge. He’s a scrappy combo guard that has good feel and takes care of the ball, gets to the rim and finishes well in traffic and can make plays for others. He finished with 13 points and 5 assists in the win.
Tyler Martin | 6’2” WG | William Byrd ’21
Martin intrigued me a little bit when I saw him as a young guy last year, but he looks like a totally different kid this year from both a skill set standpoint and a confidence standpoint. He flat out knows how to play the game and makes winning plays, whether it’s winning a 50-50 ball, rebounding in traffic against bigger guys or making shots when he’s left open. He’s a triple threat guy offensively with good length and a high motor on both ends making him very effective and almost everything he does has a positive impact on his team. He finished with 10 points, 12 rebounds and 2 blocks in their win over Rockbridge.
Jahlik Lynch | 5’10” PG | Rockbridge ’20
It took a little while for Lynch to get going, but once he did his coach literally started calling for them to clear out one side for him and let him go as he screamed “He can’t guard you!” While that seems cliche, it was true as no one on Byrd could really stay in front of Lynch who showed good quickness, the ability to change speeds and stop on a dime and the ability to read the defense once they started to rotate and make changes. He finished with 15 points, 7 assists and 4 rebounds, and also made plays defensively as he took two charges as well.
Jordan Wooden | 6’3” WG | Northside ’20
The new face of the Vikings and go-to guy now that his brother is playing at JMU, Wooden seemed up for the task in their matchup with Brookville as he looked confidence and played with aggression early. He shot the ball well off the catch as he hit three from deep, he showed his athleticism off with a big time poster dunk in transition and he played with good energy on both ends while scoring the ball from all over the court. He looks improved in his handle and ability to create for himself, and he also worked well off the ball and got easy shots within the offense and by cutting and filling in the right spots. He finished with 23 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals in their win over Brookville.
Quentin Slash | 5’8” PG | Northside ’21
After Nick Price started almost every game for four years, the Vikings decided last year to put the ball in Julien Wooden’s hands and have him initiate the offense, which worked well for them as they won a state championship. Now that he’s gone, they’re back to having a table setting point guard in Slash who was phenomenal as a playmaker and made great decisions throughout the game putting his guys in positions to score without dominating the ball the whole time. He finished with just 6 points but he has an impressive 11 assists to just two turnovers and he had 3 steals as well.
Aryion Journiette | 6’0” WG | Northside ’22
Journiette was a freshman on last year’s state title team and he played sparingly off the bench, but with Jordan Wooden being the only returning starter Journiette is looking like he’s going to be the second option this year and the main guy moving forward after this. He’s a fearless guard with good speed that can get downhill and get out in transition, he showed the ability to hit the midrange jumper and he finishes well among the trees with his athleticism. He finished with 16 points on 7-for-12 shooting from the field, and with continued development he’ll be one to watch in the area moving forward.