Top 5 Teams To Watch For This Season
I said I would talk about it in my last article. I feel like now’s a great time before the season starts to look at 5 schools that are loaded with talent and talk about how well they play together.…
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Continue ReadingI said I would talk about it in my last article. I feel like now’s a great time before the season starts to look at 5 schools that are loaded with talent and talk about how well they play together. This will be a great way to refresh some memories about who can compete for the state championship while also highlighting some great players. We might as well talk about one of the best stories from the tournament last year and the team that has our #1 ranked player in the state.
Calhoun
If you recall it took Calhoun every single second to pull out the win against Barbour County to win the 2A State Championship. JD Davison JD Davison 6'3" | PG Calhoun | 2021 State #10 Nation AL hit a very impressive step-back three to win the game at the buzzer. I expect Calhoun to compete as well this year. JD Davison JD Davison 6'3" | PG Calhoun | 2021 State #10 Nation AL is the best player in the state for a reason and can definitely lead this team to another championship. The question is where will some of the lost production come from. Spencer Johnson and Trayvon Brown were solid seniors last year for Calhoun. Losing these guys means some other players will be stepping up to replace them. Keep an eye on Ladarren Mason to make some strides and post good numbers this season. It’ll be interesting to see how this smaller school can restock its team.
Pinson Valley
Greedy Williams Greedy Williams 6'3" | PG Pinson Valley | 2021 State AL , GaQuincy McKinstry GaQuincy McKinstry 6'1" | CG Pinson Valley | 2021 State AL , and Jojo James Jojo James 6'0" | CG Pinson Valley | 2021 State AL headline an always competitive Pinson Valley team. This could be a very fun trio to watch for this year. That is if they all play together. Mckinstry has just accepted a scholarship from the University of Alabama to play football. He says that he wants to play both basketball and football for the university. That’s asking a lot from this kid. He absolutely has the skill and talent to do it, it’s just that he might not be able to commit 100% to both sports his senior year of high school. I’m in no way saying he can’t do it, he’s been doing it all his life, but it just seems like a tall task especially this year. If they all play together though they can easily challenge for another state title.
Oak Mountain
Oak Mountain is probably the team I’m most excited to watch. This is a team with great height and skill that will be fun to watch compete in 7A. Will Shaver Will Shaver 6'10" | NA lbs | C Oak Mountain | 2022 #130 Nation AL and Wilder Evers Wilder Evers 6'3" | NA lbs | CG Oak Mountain | 2022 State #NA Nation AL make a devastating 1-2 punch. I’ve talked in previous articles about what I like in Will Shaver Will Shaver 6'10" | NA lbs | C Oak Mountain | 2022 #130 Nation AL so check those out. I haven’t talked enough about Wilder Evers Wilder Evers 6'3" | NA lbs | CG Oak Mountain | 2022 State #NA Nation AL however. If Shaver is the bread to this team than Evers is the butter. He’s a junior who looks like he’s already on a college team. He plays so intelligently and has a silky smooth jumper. I can not wait to see these two play together on a team with great depth and size.
Lee-Montgomery
The defending 7A champions are looking to repeat this season. They’ll give teams like Oak Mountain a run for their money also. Look for Jamal Albritton Jamal Albritton 6'8" | PF Lee (Montgomery) | 2021 State AL to be the leader for this team. The senior should expect good minutes and could see an increase in usage. This team will also look to juniors Demontae Washington Demontae Washington 6'2" | NA lbs | SF Tallassee | 2022 State #NA Nation AL and Christopher Dillihay Christopher Dillihay 5'11" | NA lbs | SG Lee (Montgomery) | 2022 State #NA Nation AL to offer more support for the team. Lee-Montgomery is setting up for another great season.
Hoover
One of the most dominant overall programs in the state, Hoover looks to bounce back from an early exit in the state championships last season. Seniors DJ Fairley DJ Fairley 6'1" | CG Hoover | 2021 State AL , Colby Carter Colby Carter 6'5" | SF Hoover | 2021 State AL , and Shun Sheffield Shun Sheffield 6'2" | SG Hoover | 2021 State AL look to bring the Bucs back to glory. The players are ranked #26, #76, and #79 respectively in our state rankings. This team has real firepower we’ll see if they have enough support from some of the younger players to compete with the big boys in the class like an Oak Mountain or Lee-Montgomery.