Recent 1,000 points scored club members
There is a prestigious club that not many players get invited to in their careers and it is only open to a select few. Reaching 1,000 points in a high school basketball career is a benchmark every top scorer hopes…
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Continue ReadingThere is a prestigious club that not many players get invited to in their careers and it is only open to a select few. Reaching 1,000 points in a high school basketball career is a benchmark every top scorer hopes to achieve and it is no easy task.
Yet, with only a couple weeks until the state playoffs, we have recently had a few players accomplish that task in their senior season.
Below is a look at those hoopsters that have recently reached that magic number.
Quinten Rock – Smoky Hill
Rock is a player that it truly feels as if he has been in high school for about a decade as he is a four-year starter for the Buffaloes that has been making waves ever since his first game that freshman season. Rock’s game has evolved like not many players in the state which is interesting seeing as he has been a go-to scorer for Smoky Hill from the jump. He has had some really good teams and has been a constant for the Buffaloes. Freshman season he had quite the varsity debut. He put up 27 points on opening night to show, “I’m here,” but was only able to put up 7.8 points a game as a sharpshooter. Sophomore year his game started to change as he went from a shooter that began to take over as the primary ball-handler. He put up 12.7 points a game but was more confident with the ball in his hands and started attacking defenders at the rim. As a junior he stepped into the leadership role on one of the top teams in the state and he also had his best year passing the ball as he led 5A in assists. He was able to dominate opposing teams with his but great passing playing alongside the Gatorade player of the year but also showed that he is still an offensive force as well. He put up 13.9 points a game and improved as a ball-handler as well. Senior season, he has opened a door that not many players have gotten to. The passing, shooting, scoring in the paint and leadership have all come together as he is enjoying his best season yet. Smoky Hill is the No. 2 team in the state and Sanders is the team’s leading scorer (20.1 ppg) and also assist-man (5.1 apg). He just recently passed the 1,000 points scored list earlier this year and if he is also able to dish off 97 assists by the time the season is over he will have 500 assists as well. Spectacular career for the high IQ guard over at Smoky Hill who just now seems to be playing the best basketball he has ever played. Scary times.
TJ Bamba – Lincoln
The future Washington State Cougar is enjoying maybe his best season thus far from a statistical standpoint as he is putting up 24.8 points and 8.7 rebounds a game to go along with it. He is willing his team to victory and carrying such a big scoring load but that is nothing new for him as he has been a walking bucket ever since he came over from Bronx, New York in the 2017-18 season as a sophomore. Since then he has been a staple at Lincoln playing on varsity in that season and having a pretty decent year and then putting up 13.5 points a game as a junior until finally breaking out this season and scoring in every way imaginable. He is a three-level scorer that has worked on his outside shooting. He gets to the lane as easy as anyone else in the state and has the size to score over double-teams. He uses his body and also is a player that reads his guard to put himself in scoring positions and the No. 6 overall player in the class just recently passed the 1,000 points goal on a 3-pointer against Scottsbluff who came in from Nebraska on a night that he had 24 points.
Jackson Romero – Resurrection Christian
Romero is the player that I was most shocked to find on this list as he is a true point guard that has been surrounded by some very good scorers over the last four seasons. But, when you take a look at it, he has been productive ever since he played as a freshman. Romero is a player whose game has evolved in every single season as he continues to get better. As a freshman, he averaged 7.3 points a game on a team that went 23-1. You had to be good to play significant minutes then. As a sophomore, while Resurrection Christian took a step back, Romero had his best game scoring the basketball. Romero put up 16.9 points a game and was the go-to scorer that the Cougars needed. This is also when he started to find a passion in passing the ball and setting up teammates for open shots as well. Junior season he was again a scoring force that found his rhythm on the offensive end of the floor. He set teammates up, drained 3-pointers and was efficient and also led his team to wins and now as a Senior he has stepped into the full leadership role with his team finally fully healthy and ready to make a run at the state title. Resurrection Christian is the No.1 team in all of 3A with an unblemished 12-0 record as Romero has seen his game expand into one of the most balanced seasons thus far. He is putting up 10.8 points along with 5.3 assists and also has 3.8 rebounds to go along with it. He is still a bucket and also possesses the clutch gene as seen by his game-winning shot against Lutheran a few weeks back that pushed the Cougars into the No.1 spot. Romero has been a consistent scorer over the years and just joined the 1,0000 point club recently. Now I am ready to see how he finishes off this great season.
Wes Ryan – De Beque
Ryan is a proven winner whose team is currently on a 38-game winning streak with him leading the way. Ryan is a player whose accolades continue to get better as he is also the defending 1A state champion and also the defending 1A player of the year with a very high chance of repeating at both honors. What is scary is he is only a junior and won player of the year as a sophomore while averaging 19.5 points and 6.5 rebounds a game. Well, Ryan is above that production as he is currently averaging 23.6 points and 11.2 rebounds a game which is both at the top of 1A, yet again and just recently broke the 1,000 point mark. Maybe he makes it to 2,000 points at this rate with him scoring with ease and pushing his team to countless victory. I am excited to see how long of a winning streak the Dragons go on. Will they lose before he reached the 1,500 mark!?
Donta Dawson Jr.– Harrison
Dawson is the most recent player to reach the 1,000 club, and what’s special about his is it came in only his junior season so he has room to grow and continue to build on his. By the time that he finishes up, he can step into an elite category as a top-10 scorer in Colorado Springs history. Dawson is a three-year starter and has been a focal point of the offense since he stepped foot on the Harrison campus. He is a player that had one of the most impressive freshman seasons putting up 16.5 points a game, saw those numbers increase as a sophomore (17.0 ppg) and has gone up from there as he is putting up 19.1 points a game as a junior with his team also a Top-10 team in 4A. What separates Dawson from the pack is his ability to also dominate the game in other categories as well. He is averaging 6.7 rebounds a game as well for his career and has also improved as a passer as well. He is not just a gunner taking volume shots every single game. Harrison is not a fast-paced team that is just looking to blow teams out and score quickly on possessions. They are a team that controls the pace and can slow it down and with a player like Dawson on the team, they have a player that they can throw it to and have him go get his own or also run a play to get their best player some wiggle room. Dawson Jr. is a solid player and he was able to reach the 1,000 point club against Widefield in a game that he went for 23 points in.