Monsignor Martin League Breakout Candidates: Forwards
Western New York is an underrated basketball hotspot chockful of promising, talented recruits. The 2019-2020 Monsignor Martin League (Buffalo NY) was highly competitive and produced many memorable moments for both teams and individuals alike. This article will focus on 4…
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Continue ReadingWestern New York is an underrated basketball hotspot chockful of promising, talented recruits. The 2019-2020 Monsignor Martin League (Buffalo NY) was highly competitive and produced many memorable moments for both teams and individuals alike. This article will focus on 4 Forwards who are poised for a breakout season in 2020-2021.
Jimmie Green III – Cardinal O’Hara – Class of 2022
Green III logged substantial playing time in 2019-2020 for a Cardinal O’Hara team that struggled overall with consistency. As a Sophomore, Green III appeared in all 26 contests and was a bright spot for a 10-16 team. He played particularly well in a three-game stretch during the last month of the regular season. In consecutive games against Middle Early College, Health Sciences Charter, and Nichols, Green III scored in double digits twice and managed 9 points against Nichols, matching his season average. More impressively, Green III pulled down 22 rebounds in that span, significantly higher than his 5.2 per game average for the entire season. Now an upperclassman, I expect Green III to raise his level of play even higher and produce more across the board for the Hawks.
Tyreke Hopkins – Cardinal O’Hara – Class of 2022
Hopkins, a teammate of Green III, is another Forward that I feel can make a large impact this season. I am a fan of Hopkins because in his inaugural varsity season, he showed remarkable consistency on a team that did not. In fact, there were only two games all season long where Hopkins failed to register a point. Unsurprisingly, one of these games resulted in Cardinal O’Hara being eliminated from the conference playoffs. Hopkins makes the most of his shot attempts; he converted an impressive 57% of his field goals a season ago. His game can take another giant step up if he can perform better from the free throw line, as he shot only 63% from the stripe in 2019-2020.
Declan Ryan – Canisius – Class of 2022
Ryan should personally benefit from the reigning Monsignor Martin League Champion’s mass frontcourt exodus. Canisius will begin this season four Bigs down from last year due to graduation. These circumstances should result in much more consistent playing time for the 6’4” Ryan, who appeared in just 5 games in 2019-2020. He is valuable to his team because he can float and split time between the wing and the frontcourt. The Crusaders would benefit from Ryan focusing most of his efforts on the boards, as the team is now tasked with replacing more than half of their rebounding from a year prior!
Ryan McCarthy – Nichols – Class of 2022
McCarthy was one of Nichols’ most steady players in 2019-2020. Though he missed some time with a nasal fracture, he was still able to manage 6 points, 2 assists, and 5 rebounds per contest. McCarthy is poised for a big year, partially due to the fact that Nichols will need to make up for the loss of their most accomplished player from 2019-2020 (the now-graduated Aidan Horan). I was fortunate to attend a handful of Viking practices last season, and McCarthy stood out to me as a leader and a player who is clearly extremely intelligent on the court. He routinely is able to get his teammates into position if they find themselves out of it and was an overall calming presence for Nichols on both ends of the floor. McCarthy should excel in 2020-2021 as one of the team’s most vocal players.
*All Statistics Come From Maxpreps.com. All Analysis Is My Own.