Jack’s VISAA Final Four Standouts (Part 4)
A big time weekend in Virginia high school basketball that brings scouts and college coaches from all over, the VISAA Final Four at Virginia State University is a must attend event for high school basketball fans. With nine games over…
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Continue ReadingA big time weekend in Virginia high school basketball that brings scouts and college coaches from all over, the VISAA Final Four at Virginia State University is a must attend event for high school basketball fans. With nine games over two days in three divisions, it’s a weekend of competitive basketball and a ton of talent from all over. Below, we have listed the results for each game as well as part four of a series of articles highlighting the many standouts from the weekend. Enjoy and stay tuned for more!
Friday Results
Game 1 (D3 Semifinal): Life Christian 69 Covenant 51
Game 2 (D3 Semifinal): Eastern Mennonite 64 Carmel School 62
Game 3 (D2 Semifinal): Blue Ridge 62 Middleburg 43
Game 4 (D2 Semifinal): Norfolk Collegiate 75 Highland School 71
Game 5 (D1 Semifinal): Paul VI 76 Trinity Episcopal 68
Game 6 (D1 Semifinal): St. Stephen’s St. Agnes 74 Episcopal 65
Saturday Results
Game 7 (D3 Championship): Life Christian 70 Eastern Mennonite 41
Game 8 (D2 Championship): Blue Ridge 78 Norfolk Collegiate 68
Game 9 (D1 Championship): Paul VI 67 St. Stephen’s St. Agnes 59
Standouts
Henry Coleman Henry Coleman 6'8" | PF Trinity Episcopal | 2020 State #35 Nation VA | 6’8” PF | Trinity Episcopal 2020
The Duke commit will go down as perhaps the greatest player in Trinity Episcopal history and he did everything he could to try to keep his team’s season going in their semifinal loss to Paul VI. The 6’8” forward played with that great motor that he’s known for, and after a quiet first half he picked up the aggression and found his way to the hoop and dominated on the glass on both ends. He finished with a game high 24 points in their loss, scoring 18 of them in the second half, and had a double-double with 12 rebounds as well.
Burke Smith Burke Smith 6'10" | PF Trinity Episcopal | 2020 State #240 Nation VA | 6’11” C | Trinity Episcopal 2020
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The Boise State commit had a big role as the size of TES was the advantage against PVI, and he came to play early. The 6’11” big did a great job of presenting himself at the high post and sealing on the block, he made good decisions as far as passing and he finished well in the paint too. He finished with 10 points and 6 rebounds and was a big presence defensively as well with 3 blocks.
AJ Williams | 6’0” G | Trinity Episcopal 2021
Williams has a knack for playing well in big games in his two years at Varina, and he stepped up in a big way against Paul VI as well. The 6’0” combo guard showed some great shot making ability both off the bounce and off the catch, and despite playing against some nationally ranked kids he went right at them and made big shots throughout the game. He finished with 17 points hitting five three-pointers and chipped in 5 assists as well.
Jamal Barnes | 6’3” WG | St. Stephen’s St. Agnes 2020
One of the best available seniors in the area, Barnes showed why with some huge production in the first game especially, as he was a big reason they were able to beat Episcopal. The 6’3” sniper was on one in their win, going for a game high 23 points 7-for-10 shooting from the field and 6-for-8 shooting from the line, and he competed on the glass as well pulling in a team high 8 rebounds as well. He’s a guy who could thrive at the next level with his high IQ and ability to make shots from all over the floor.
Xavier Lipscomb Xavier Lipscomb 6'3" | PG St. Stephen's-St. Agnes | 2020 State #449 Nation VA | 6’3” PG | St. Stephen’s St. Agnes 2020
The Radford commit did everything he could to help his team win, and despite the loss to Paul VI in the championship he was impressive in a number of ways. The 6’3” guard is the definition of a floor general and tone setter, as he’s a guy who will guard the best player and make everyone on his team better as well. He showed he can make shots and get downhill and finish in the lane as well, and he finished with 10 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds in their win over Episcopal in the semifinal and 15 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists in their loss to PVI in the championship.
Andre Screen Andre Screen 6'11" | C St. Stephen's-St. Agnes | 2020 State #339 Nation VA | 6’10” C | St. Stephen’s St. Agnes 2020
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The Bucknell commit was huge on both ends throughout the weekend for SSSAS and was a big reason they almost won a second state championship. In their win over Episcopal he did a good job taking advantage of his opportunities showing his low post moves and passing ability out of the post, and in the championship game he dominated in the paint on both ends making it tough for anyone to come down the middle. The skilled big finished with 9 points and 7 rebounds in their win over Episcopal and finished with 8 points, 7 rebounds and 6 blocks in their loss to PVI.
Jared Cross Jared Cross 6'2" | SG St. Stephen's St. Agnes | 2020 State VA | 6’4” WG | St. Stephen’s St. Agnes 2020
The Army commit has been the the Saints’ x-factor over the past few years and he was a big reason they came so close to winning yet another state championship. The 6’4” wing didn’t put up the biggest numbers but he made winning plays throughout the weekend and the way he plays within the system and is still a standout is something that should make for a seamless transition at the next level. He made shots and made plays on both ends, finishing with 9 points in the semifinal win over Episcopal and 12 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals in their championship loss to Paul VI.
Tymu Chenery Tymu Chenery 6'6" | SF Episcopal | 2020 State #337 Nation VA | 6’6” WF | Episcopal 2020
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The Quinnipiac commit came out on fire in the semifinal round against Episcopal’s arch-rival St. Stephen’s St. Agnes, showing his terrific finishing ability around the rim and through traffic. The 6’6” wing used his natural athleticism and great size to get to the rim both in transition and in the half court and used that size to be able to finish around the rim, and he got off to a hot start scoring 10 points in the first half and was really aggressive throughout the game. He made some big plays on both ends of the floor and was big time on the glass as well, finishing with 17 points and 9 assists in the loss.
Darius Johnson Darius Johnson 6'0" | PG Episcopal | 2021 State #159 Nation VA | 6’0” PG | Episcopal 2021
Johnson was terrific last year in the final four as he helped Episcopal get to the state championship before falling to their archival St. Stephen’s St. Agnes, and in their matchup this year he had moments that were impressive as well. The two teams have played each other a total of nine times over the past two seasons, so they know him well and did a good job against him, but he was still successful with the ball in his hands as a dual threat guy who can score and make plays for others. He’s a strong, downhill guard who can score from multiple levels and brings it on both ends, and he finished with 13 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds in the loss.