2022s Wings With Something to Prove
With the lack of AAU thus far and limited offseason to develop their games with their high school coaches, players are having to work on their games on their own or with their trainers. Heading into their pivotal Junior seasons,…
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Continue ReadingWith the lack of AAU thus far and limited offseason to develop their games with their high school coaches, players are having to work on their games on their own or with their trainers. Heading into their pivotal Junior seasons, here are some of the 2022 wings who need to prove something in the coming months.
Turrell Cleaves Turrell Cleaves 6'4" | SG Jeffersontown | 2022 State KY , Jeffersontown – Cleaves has shown flashes of being a big time athlete and college prospect but had a rough Sophomore season. Now he’s transferred to Jeffersontown and will share a loaded backcourt. Turrell needs to prove he can score the ball efficiently. He put up 5 points per game with shooting splits of 39/16/58 this past season. If he puts up those type of numbers again as a Junior, he’s going to struggle to get the type of recruiting he is seeking.
Rylee Samons Rylee Samons 6'7" | SF Pikeville | 2023 State KY , Pikeville – Samons has as much potential as anyone in the class thanks to his big frame and scoring abilities but for being 6’7, he is nowhere near as active as he should be as a rebounder. With his size and athleticism, Samons should be pulling down close to double figure rebounds every game out as opposed to the 4.2 per game he grabbed as a Sophomore.
Bryce Riley Bryce Riley 6'5" | SF Bardstown | 2022 State KY , Nelson County – Like Cleaves, Riley needs to become a more efficient scorer than what he showed this past season. Shooting splits of 38/27/65 are not going to blow anyone away. The fact that Riley put up 230 threes versus 192 twos shows that Bryce needs to put the ball on the floor and attack the rim more. If he can be a more efficient and aggressive scorer, his college stock could skyrocket.
Colby Fugate Colby Fugate 6'3" | SF Paintsville | 2022 State KY , Paintsville – Paintsville went 1-7 against non-mountain teams and the lone win was by a point over a Cooper team that finished 6 games under .500 for the season. That isn’t all due to Fugate. In fact, he played pretty well in most of those games but had some duds too. In order for Colby to raise his statewide profile and boost his college stock, Fugate needs to prove he can carry his team to wins against teams outside of regions 14-16. If he can do that as a Junior, he could be on his way to a solid Mr. Basketball campaign in 2022.
Gage Mabry Gage Mabry 6'2" | SG Evangel Christian | 2022 State KY , Spencer County – Mabry is another wing on this list who shot more threes than twos as a Sophomore. While that’s not uncommon for a “shooter”, Gage needs to become more of a “maker”. With the volume number of threes he’s putting up, the 6’3 wing needs to be shooting at least 36-38 percent from behind the line. If he does that as a Junior, not only will his scoring numbers take off, but so will his college stock as he could solidify himself as a top wing shooter in the class.