2022 class: Stat fillers/impact players
It feels good to discover new talent. It feels good to introduce myself to players I have yet to see play. A pleasant introduction from the players is a beautiful thing as they’re allowing a reporter like myself to get…
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Continue ReadingIt feels good to discover new talent. It feels good to introduce myself to players I have yet to see play.
A pleasant introduction from the players is a beautiful thing as they’re allowing a reporter like myself to get a glimpse of how important basketball is to them.
That’s what happened to me on Tuesday as I went searching for more talent in the 2022 class. Within the next month or so, I’m hopeful that the first 2022 ranking will be available to the public.
In a short period of time, I had a chance to find out how productive eight players were during the 2019-20 season.
All of them had a positive impact on the court one way or another.
Here are 8 stat fillers in the 2022 class:
Micah Simpson, Morristown East: Simpson averaged 24.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.9 steals per game last season. The 6-foot point guard was named to the All-State First Team and All-Region First Team.
Taylor Groves, East Robertson: The 6-2 point guard averaged 21 points, nine rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.3 blocks per game. Groves made 76.7 percent of his free throw attempts.
Tyler Byrd, Memphis Central: In the backcourt playing alongside sophomore point guard Amarr Knox, Byrd emerged as a solid two guard, averaging 19 points, 6.6 rebounds and two steals per game. If both players return to the Warriors next season, Byrd and Knox will be one of the best backcourts in West Tennessee.
Willie Wilson Jr., East Nashville: The 5-8 combo guard averaged 14 points, three assists and three rebounds for the Magnets.
Jarrod Taylor, East Nashville: The shooting guard averaged 13.5 points, five rebounds and three assists for the Magnets.
Zach Amonett, Pickett County: The 6-2 combo guard averaged 24.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and three assists per game, while converting on 38 percent of his 3-point attempts. Amonett made 85 percent of his free throw attempts in 2019.
Braden Ilic, Morristown East: Ilic is a 6-9 forward with a nice shooting touch. He runs the floor well and is all about helping his teammates win games. Ilic mentioned to me via Twitter that he needs to improve on being more physical and being more of a leader. Well, if he’s all about the team, then he’s heading in the right direction of being a leader.
Craig Cunningham, Lausanne: The 5-9 guard played a limited role for the Lynx since the backcourt was crowded with Hayden Ledbetter, Jalen Bo Montgomery, AJ Dillworth and Dylan Andrews eating up all of the minutes, but Cunningham managed to average 4.9 points per game. His head coach Marvis Davis mentioned to me via text that Cunningham is one of the best on-ball defenders in the city of Memphis. People will get to see more of Cunningham in 2020.