Jack’s VA Preps Standouts (Part 1)
It was the second session of the VA Preps Classic held by Matt Hatfield at Churchland this past weekend, and as always the field featured a number of talented teams from all over the state of Virginia. I wasn’t able…
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Continue ReadingIt was the second session of the VA Preps Classic held by Matt Hatfield at Churchland this past weekend, and as always the field featured a number of talented teams from all over the state of Virginia. I wasn’t able to get to all of them, but I was there for the final four games of the day. Below is a list of the scores from those games, and a list of nine standouts from the first two games.
Varina 60 Lake Taylor 57
North Stafford 57 Menchville 52
Western Branch 56 LC Bird 39
John Marshall 78 Oscar Smith 66
Zy’Rail Mitchell | 6’3” G | Lake Taylor 2020
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One of the best available guards in the 757, Mitchell was fantastic both as a ball handler and as a scorer from Lake Taylor in their close loss to Varina, and was the main reason they held the lead for much of the game. Mitchell used his size to see over defenders and delivered a number of great passes that he didn’t get credited for because his teammates didn’t finish, but he also showed the ability to score from multiple levels off the bounce as well. He finished with 28 points and 6 rebounds in their loss to Varina.
Na’Quan Lyons | 6’5” PF | Lake Taylor 2020
The transfer from Petersburg held it down in the middle for Lake Taylor and turned in one of the most impressive defensive performances of the day. Lyons is a strong and long big man that’s super active in the paint on both ends and uses his athleticism to make plays on the glass as well. He protected the rim and was a vacuum rebounder throughout the game, finishing with 7 points, 14 rebounds and 6 blocks.
Alphonzo Billups | 6’5” WF | Varina 2022
If there’s been a stock riser in the 2022 class so far in Richmond my pick would have to be Billups who has shown flashes of dominance and high level skill set. He can play multiple positions as a guy who can handle it and play the point forward, create for himself and others on the ball while also being able to shoot and run the wing in transition with great size off the ball as well. He has good feel defensively and a body to guard multiple positions, and looks like he’ll be very good moving forward. He finished with 23 points, 5 steals, 4 rebounds and 3 assists, getting much of that in the second half.
Christian Carden | 6’4” F | Varina 2022
While Billups was the one in the second half, Carden was the guy who got it done in the first half for the Blue Devils. He plays a versatile four man kind of role, where he works a lot in the deep midrange and will step out some, and he can put it on the deck and get to spots to make his shots. He was a tough guy to guard because he can do a lot of things at his size, and he showed that finishing with 15 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks
Jayson Harris | 6’5” PF | Menchville 2021
Harris is an under the radar junior who can really get it done in the paint in a number of ways. He’s got kind of an old mans game with his ability to score over the shoulder and shoot the midrange, but he also does a good job of just moving and being available to finish. He can rebound at a high rate and is strong with the ball, and with continued development could be a guy to keep an eye on moving forward.
Chaunce Jenkins | 6’4” WG | Menchville 2020
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Jenkins is right up there for the best available player in the 757, and even though he didn’t have his best game against North Stafford he did show flashes of what makes him college ready now. The 6’4” wing has a high motor and is a natural athlete, and he has a game that allows him to both score it and make plays on the defensive end. He rebounded well, he showed the ability to create off the bounce and he had a couple of very impressive dunks showing off his athleticism. He finished with 13 points and 7 rebounds in the loss.
Javon Swinton | 6’2” PG | North Stafford 2020
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An Indiana football commit, Swinton has a game that likely would have made him a division one basketball player as well had he chose that route. He’s a natural athlete with a great build and good feel for the game, as he’s the straw that stirs the drink on both ends for NS. He’s a ball hawk defensively, he has a great midrange game with a number of floaters and he can run the team and set the tone as well. He finished with 15 points and 3 assists in the win.
Elisha Brown | 5’9” G | North Stafford 2020
The x-factor for this North Stafford team, Brown was great down the stretch as he made shots and iced the game when they needed to put it away. A smaller two guard with a good feel that knows how to play the game, he found hisself in the right places and took advantage of his chances by making shots from all over. He earned MVP by scoring a team high 17 points, many of them coming in the fourth.
Holt Egan | 6’3” G/F | North Stafford 2021
While Brown was the x-factor, Egan was the unsung hero who did the dirty work and made the right plays throughout the game to help his team win. At 6’3” he played both inside and out, he rebounded well and he finished a lot of plays in the paint and in the midrange. He scored 13 points on 6-for-9 shooting from the field and he pitched in 6 rebounds as well.