Way Too Early 2021 Mr. Basketball Preview
Thanks to COVID-19, we still haven’t crowned 2020 Mr. Basketball yet but with the lull in basketball activities, there has been a lot of social media posting by fans and parents about the 2021 award already. So I figured I…
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Continue ReadingThanks to COVID-19, we still haven’t crowned 2020 Mr. Basketball yet but with the lull in basketball activities, there has been a lot of social media posting by fans and parents about the 2021 award already. So I figured I would take my best shot at it as it stands right now. This is only my opinion. Feel free to disagree in the comments.
The Favorite:
Ben Johnson Ben Johnson 6'3" | CG Lexington Catholic | 2021 State KY , Lexington Catholic – The best player on a top 5 team in the state next season, Johnson spent his Junior season racking up big wins while putting up huge numbers. His team fell short of a trip to Rupp Arena but thanks to the pandemic so did everyone else. It’s going to be hard to top the numbers Johnson should put up (barring injury or otherwise) and Catholic is likely to play a big schedule as usual. He’s the early leader, in my opinion.
The Second Favorite:
Zion Harmon Zion Harmon 5'10" | PG Marshall County | 2021 State #52 Nation KY , Marshall County – The discussion around Zion is rarely about what he does on the court. Several have said “Zion is the best player in the state. He should win and it shouldn’t be close” but if anything has been proven over the years, the Mr. Basketball race is ultimately a popularity contest in a lot of ways. The elephant in the room with Harmon is that very few in Kentucky like him. His image is that of a mercenary who has been at 3 schools in 4 years and he doesn’t even claim Kentucky. He claims Maryland which is where he was until he arrived in Tennessee and ultimately Kentucky. It’s hard to see Zion winning the award, regardless of the numbers he puts up. Having said that, Johnson posted better Junior stats and his team won more games than Harmon.
The Third Favorite:
Trey James, Martin County – Revisiting the idea of Mr. Basketball as a popularity contest, if the mountains decided to all vote together for one candidate instead of splitting votes, Trey could win the award. He’s had a good statistical career and just got his team a regional title. He dominates his area and is a tough matchup for virtually all of his opponents. He’s been starting varsity for what seems like a decade and if you think of Mr. Basketball as an award for best career as opposed to best season, Trey could have a solid claim to the award.
Others in the Mix:
Jaden Rogers Jaden Rogers 6'1" | PG Fern Creek | 2021 State KY , Fern Creek – The guard has a solid resume as a candidate but plays on probably the most loaded team in the state as there are 3 players with D1 offers on the roster. It will be hard for Jaden to get enough shine to garner the attention
Isaiah Mason Isaiah Mason 6'4" | SF Bowling Green | 2021 State KY , Bowling Green – Another player on a team where no individual shines that much brighter than the others, BG returns their top 5 scorers and will have Jordan Dingle returning as well. Isaiah should have a good season but it’s hard to see him posting huge numbers.
DeAjuan Stepp DeAjuan Stepp 6'5" | SF West Jessamine | 2021 State KY , West Jessamine – Likely to be the 12th region player of the year, Stepp is a top talent but likely lacks the notoriety to garner enough votes to win the award.
JaQuais Franklin JaQuais Franklin 6'1" | PG Elizabethtown | 2021 State KY , Elizabethtown – Franklin and Stepp both lack the name recognition to win the award unless they have a crazy Senior year.
Scotty Draud Scotty Draud 6'6" | SF Beechwood | 2021 State KY , Beechwood – He’s had a tremendous career but at this point, Sam Vinson Sam Vinson 6'3" | CG Highlands | 2021 State KY has passed Draud for top player in the 9th region in many eyes. A big Senior season could put Scotty back as the favorite to win 9th region POY and become a Mr. Basketball finalist.
Sam Vinson Sam Vinson 6'3" | CG Highlands | 2021 State KY , Highlands – One of the few players in the state with multiple D1 offers, Sam had a massive Junior season and could work his way up the list with a similar Senior season. He’ll need Highlands to venture out from the 9th region to see more voters though.
Mason Moore Mason Moore 6'3" | SF Rowan County | 2021 State KY , Rowan County – Moore has had a massive career and is a pure scorer who has played great in big games. He was an early commit for baseball and is likely to try and play both in college. He could have a chance if Rowan will travel some this winter and get him in front of more potential voters.