Unranked seniors who impressed this season
With the 2019-20 high school basketball season officially over, it’s time for some unsigned seniors to narrow down their choices and close in on the recruiting process. While some players have been coveted from time to time here at Prep…
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Continue ReadingWith the 2019-20 high school basketball season officially over, it’s time for some unsigned seniors to narrow down their choices and close in on the recruiting process. While some players have been coveted from time to time here at Prep Hoops, others went under the radar until their senior season. Here are five seniors that began the season unranked that surely made a name for themselves.
Garrett Green – Holy Family
You want to talk about making sure that you’re noticed. The type of year that Garrett Green had this season was amongst some of the most improved seasons in the state. It was as if he hit a switch from junior to senior year as he improved in every single category. Watching Green as a junior and then as a senior told the story of two different players. Junior year, the combo-guard put up 5.8 points a game. As a senior, he jumped up to 18.9 points a game, which was 7th highest in 4A, and that was including scoring 25, 35, and 23 in his final games. He found a rhythm late in the season, and his teammates made sure to find him. Green played well off of the ball as he hit the open 3-ball, got to the rim, and also got out on the break. He is a creative finisher and makes smart decisions on the court. Green is a player that went from unranked to a player that you have to take seriously, and he will surely help a school at the next level.
Ezekial Estrada – Kennedy
It took only two seasons, but Estrada quickly became one of the better scorers in the Denver Prep League. Every single team that went against the Commanders knew that there was only one player to worry about, and he still was able to score from everywhere on the court. The Kennedy guard shot 42% from beyond the arc and also was the primary ball-handler that ran the offense. He got through double teams and different, all while still finding his teammates. Estrada led Kennedy in every category. Estrada was the No.3 overall scorer in 4A last season at 21.3 points a game and also dished out 3.5 assists, 7.1 rebounds, and 2.3 steals a game to go along with it. Estrada was not ranked heading into the season, but after a year where he began to right the ship for the Commanders and scoring from everywhere on the court, he is a player that surely rose by the end of the season.
Lawrence Lucero – Wiley
Lucero came to a showcase this summer and wholly dominated at it. He scored from all three levels and was one of the better isolation players at the event, which he went onto our radars. We kept an eye on him this season, and while we expected big things from the wing from Wiley, we did not expect a season like what he had. Wiley finished the season averaging 23.3 points a game and 9.1 rebounds a game for good measure. Lucero showed that no matter the competition, he is going to compete and can do it all. Lucero surpassed the 1,000 points scored mark in his senior campaign and is a player that is extremely experienced as he played varsity for four straight seasons. Lucero is a player that was unranked heading into the season, and most of it had to do with not seeing him much. Still, after a season like he had, he would’ve surely got ranked as he gets to the rim as easy as any other player in the state and also is not exposed much defensively.
Matt Chen – Monarch
Scoring the basketball was not a problem that Monarch had this season. They had about six players that were capable of leading the team on any given night, but consistency ended up being the issue. A player that was able to show that he could score when called upon was Senior guard Matt Chen. Chen shot the ball well from deep, hit his mid-range shot, and also applied pressure to the defense with his aggressiveness. He is a glue guy that can score in various ways, as seen by his 9.6 points a game. He can score but is also willing to do all of the small things as well. When watching him, a ton of his production comes under the radar. He doesn’t seem like he is doing much, and you look up, and he has 10 points, six rebounds, and a few assists. Chen came into the season unranked, but with how the season end made a name for himself.
Konner Ruth –Chaparral
Nobody had quite a season curve as Konner Ruth. Chaparral had a solid young bunch but not much outside shooting for a majority of the season, and then when teams started to figure it out, they unleashed their secret weapon Ruth, and he delivered. Ruth’s confidence from outside just clicked out of nowhere, and the Wolverines leaned on him. “Playoff Ruth” is what he had to be referred to as he had a stretch of 23 points as he hit six 3-pointers against Douglas County and four 3-pointers against Smoky Hill including the game-winner in double overtime as well as hitting his only shot of the game at the Coliseum in the Wolverines loss. Ruth did not have huge numbers throughout his career and went unranked the entire time but seems to be heading in the right direction as a knockdown shooter that can affect the outcome of games.