AHSAA Top Players from January 20-26
Below are the 8 top players from around the state for the week of January 20-26. Cameron Crawford, Spain Park: Inevitably the star on Tuesday against Hewitt-Trussville, Cameron Crawford showed up and played great when it mattered. He was able…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingBelow are the 8 top players from around the state for the week of January 20-26.
Cameron Crawford, Spain Park: Inevitably the star on Tuesday against Hewitt-Trussville, Cameron Crawford showed up and played great when it mattered. He was able to attack and spin to his right and able to finish. He had active hands on defense and huge a huge block. He was able to step outside and knock down a three pointer. Being able to do that, opened up the court and allowed him to attack. As time wound down in regulation, he took the ball attacked to his left, spun, and floated it over the defense winning the game with 1.8 seconds remaining. As it’s been said time and time again, big time players make big time plays.
Colby Jones, Mountain Brook: Colby was clearly the best player on the floor Friday night against Hewitt-Trussville. He was excellent at drawing contact and getting to the free throw line. He can spin either way and finish with either hands. He has incredible hang time which allows him to float above the defenders and get easy buckets. It seemed like he always knew to make that “one more pass” and get the easier bucket when he could have forced his own shot. He quietly led the Spartans to win the regular season area championship pouring in 28 points.
Kelton Seals, Pell City: Kelton brought many goods and bad on Tuesday against Southside-Gadsden. For the good, he is relentless and never stops. His batteries never run out. On the other hand, though, he can sometimes be selfish and force. He loves to spin in the lane. But it’s important to control the spin and your body and not force a wild shot. He runs a pretty good pick and roll, but needs to dish more than he needs to attack. As relentless as he was, he finished with 20 points leading the way for his team.
Joshua Harrington, Spain Park: Standing at 5’7″ and weighing 125 lbs, Joshua was by far the smallest player on the court on Tuesday, but played as if he was 6’5″ dominating the game. He opened up the game with a huge wing three pointer. He played with so much energy. He dove on the floor for lose balls keeping possessions alive. He was clapping after good calls or big shots. He handled the pressure well being able to dribble through the press. His size hurt him getting rebounds and being able to finish in the paint. But he was a sharp shooter from the perimeter. He finished with 17 points from 5 three pointers.
David Martin, Whitesburg Christian: David was a force to be reckoned with the entire game against Randolph on Friday night. From the start, he was on the attack with big strong moves in the post. He could finish through contact. He can take the ball off the dribble from the high post and attack the basket. He seemed to throw a different mix of face up moves or back-to-the-basket moves. He showed extremely good footwork on the block and made himself difficult to guard. In the first half, he had three or four drives that should have been finished with his left hand instead of forcing with his right. In the second half, he showed the ability to use the left but was unable to capitalize on it. As hot as he was in the first half, he really cooled off in the second half. Being 6’4″, he needs to be a little more aggressive on the boards. He’s only a junior, though, so expect a huge senior season from him with a big summer of work. David finished with 17 points.
Malley Cooper, Randolph: Malley was the star of the show for the Randolph Raiders on Friday against Whitesburg Christian. At times, it seemed like he was their entire offense. His first bucket came by him getting lost on an inbound pass and knocking down a corner three pointer. He could finish strong through contact off the drive and found a way to get to the free throw line. He was good at exploiting the sometimes overaggressive defense and getting passed them with the dribble. He was the entire Randolph offense finishing with 25 points. Late in the game, he made the biggest play of the game. In the waning seconds, he evaded a charge, finished the bucket through contact, tied the game, and sealed the game for the Raiders.
Hopkins Long, Hewitt-Trussville: Hopkins was all over the court Friday night, dictating the pace of the game. His head was always up and he was surveying the floor. Early in the game, he passed to a cutting teammate but led him into a lose-lose situation forcing a charge. He cleaned those mistakes up as the game went on. He was able to attack, but also step out and confidently shoot the three ball. He had harassing individual defense with active hands and forcing turnovers. He finished with 17 points in the loss to Mountain Brook.
Christopher Lengyel, Southside-Gadsden: Christopher led the way for Southside-Gadsden in Tuesday’s game against Pell City. He has an excellent eurostep in transition. He had a slow start and really caught fire for the Panthers in the second half. He had a big time buzzer beater runner from the freethrow line to end the first half. He finished with 23 points and was a force to be reckoned with.
“There’s a choice that we have to make as people, as individuals. If you want to be great at something, there’s a choice you have to make. We all can be masters at our craft, but you have to make a choice. What I mean by that is, there are inherent sacrifices that come along with that. Family time, hanging out with friends, being a great friend, being a great son, nephew, whatever the case may be. There are sacrifices that come along with making that decision” -Kobe Bryant