Juniors On The Rise
The High School Basketball season in Western New York is complete! There is a myriad of young talent in the Monsignor Martin Conference. This article will focus on players who made the most of their Junior season. Declan…
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The High School Basketball season in Western New York is complete! There is a myriad of young talent in the Monsignor Martin Conference. This article will focus on players who made the most of their Junior season.
Declan Ryan – Canisius High School
Declan Ryan is a old school, back-to-the-basket player. He is most comfortable with both feet rooted in the paint. Ryan prefers to use his imposing size and strength to bully opponents into uncomfortable situations. Canisius was successful this season in large part due to his contributions in the Crusader frontcourt.
At the high school level, Ryan is hard to stop when he gets deep positioning. In the post, he is best when he can take his time and feel the defense on his hip. When he has enough time, more often than not he is able to hit a cutting teammate with a pass or call his own number. He made 61% of his field goals this season- that is a major problem for opposing defenses! All the other teams in the conference need to make immediate adjustments this summer and come back with a new gameplan to neutralize Declan Ryan in his final season.
Solomon Jackson- St. Joseph’s Collegiate Prep
Every once in a while, one can tell a student-athlete approaches the game with a certain edge. This particular 6’2” Center plays with a giant chip on his shoulder; possession after possession, he gets the most out of his body. All game long, pushes himself to match up with players much larger than him. For this reason, Solomon Jackson is one of my favorite players to watch in all of Western New York.
On offense, Jackson is able to pull opposing bigs out from where they are most comfortable guarding. He is a 40% three-point shooter, which puts him on pace with some of the sharpest snipers in the area, regardless of position. With offensive firepower permeating from the St. Joe’s backcourt, having another weapon such as Jackson gave the Mauraders a dearth of options all season long. Jackson has one season of eligibility left to show that his fantastic Junior season shooting the ball was no fluke!
Samir Bell Samir Bell 6'3" | SF Bellport | 2022 State NY – St. Francis High School
Samir Bell Samir Bell 6'3" | SF Bellport | 2022 State NY was one of the more consistent players all season long. Game after game, you could count on Reid to give his all on both sides of the floor. He is the type of player who truly seems to value each possession; he dives for loose balls, makes smart passes, and fights for every rebound. Statistically, Reid is good for a handful of points and boards each night. He was a major cog for the 2020-2021 Red Raiders.
Standing at 6’6” and weighing 235 pounds, Reid is able to, at the very least, hold his own physically against nearly any other player in the Monsignor Martin Conference. In the majority of cases, Reid overpowered his opposition. He does a fantastic job of getting his body low and using his strong base and frame to box out with strength. Though he is not a leaper, he does a really nice job of challenging opponents vertically and forcing them to alter their angles to the rim. All in all, Samir Bell Samir Bell 6'3" | SF Bellport | 2022 State NY is a key two way contributor that has a chance to break out as one of the conference’s most valuable players next season.
Marcus Stahlka- Nichols School
The Nichols Vikings were tasked with having to nearly completely overhaul their frontcourt after the loss of 2019-2020 players Aidan Horan, Lucas Suero, Chuck Newman, and Steven Hall. Their absences created a great opportunity for another player to step up and make big contributions in 2020-2021. One player who made major strides in his game is PF Marcus Stahlka, who earned his playing time by forging a dynamic “big-to-big” partnership with F Ryan McCarthy. Early on, the Vikings saw that the Stahlka-McCarthy duo is a pair that can play off of each other to challenge opposing defenses. Stahlka does a terrific job making entry passes; often times, the best offense for the Vikings came off of a set where Stahlka hit McCarthy deep in the post for a foul or a bucket.
Another aspect of Stahlka’s game that impresses me is the spacing he creates as a P&R roll man. After setting a hard screen, he does a fantastic job of making defenders travel a great distance to keep up. If they don’t, he glides to the three point line and shoots with confidence. Check out the short clip below to see exactly what I mean:
Forward Markus Stahlka is a steady, consistent producer in our frontcourt. Check out how he processes the game in real time! pic.twitter.com/49X3FIJvao
— Nichols Boys Basketball. (@NicholsHoops1) March 22, 2021
It is clear that Stahlka put a ton of work in last summer. The increase in productive minutes he spent on the floor spoke for itself. Nichols is no doubt counting on him to make a similar leap heading into his fourth and final season.