Senior Bigs Preview – UIL Class 5A Region 2
With the 2021-22 Texas UIL season fast approaching, Prep Hoops Network previews several players in Region 2 of the 5A conference for this next season. This article focuses on bigs in the senior class. 6A seniors’ player previews: Region 1…
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Continue ReadingWith the 2021-22 Texas UIL season fast approaching, Prep Hoops Network previews several players in Region 2 of the 5A conference for this next season. This article focuses on bigs in the senior class.
6A seniors’ player previews:
Region 1 PG’s, Wings, Bigs
Region 2 PG’s, Wings, Bigs
Region 3 PG’s, Wings, Bigs
Region 4 PG’s, Wings, Bigs
5A seniors’ player previews:
Region 1 PG’s, Wings, Bigs
Region 2 PG’s, Wings, Bigs
Region 3 PG’s, Wings, Bigs
Region 4 PG’s, Wings, Bigs
Justin Haire Justin Haire 6'8" | PF Sulphur Springs | 2022 State TX – 6’8″ – PF – Sulphur Springs – Beast Up
Haire is an athletic slashing big with incredible off-ball movement where he doesn’t even need to put the ball on the floor to make an impact. He makes strong and timely cuts to the paint and has immense talent to finish the play once he receives the ball near the basket. He has beautiful hook shots, powerful and quick leaps on dunks and alley oops, and he is undeterred by contact as he attacks the rim. He also has the versatility as a catch-and-shoot threat from midrange and beyond the arc, providing a lethal option in the offense after setting brick wall screens for his team’s ball handlers. His defense is also rock solid, shutting down the paint and emphatically blocking anyone that dares to put up a shot around him, or even sliding in to take a charge against any opponent that drives to the hoop. Haire’s off-ball movement is elite but he took this past offseason to add another element to his game, putting in a lot of work on his ball handling and creating off the dribble, and he continued to improve his jump shot. He also wanted to increase his size in preparation for the next level, “looking to gain weight for the transition to college.”
Micah Clark Micah Clark 6'6" | PF Lancaster | 2022 State TX – 6’6″ – PF – Lancaster – Urban DFW Elite
Clark is an impressive offensive talent with a versatile skillset that allows him to score from anywhere on the court in any fashion. His length, size and athleticism afford him the ability to play in the post where he has good control and a variety of moves to get off a good look at the rim. He has fantastic mobility and agility, moving around the court like a guard, along with superb ball handling, getting to any spot on the court he wants. He has a very smooth shooting form, hitting the dribble pullup with ease from anywhere on the court extending all the way out to the 3-point line and providing a reliable catch-and-shoot option for his teammates to dish to. He creates his own offense incredibly well, getting to the basket with ease from the perimeter and using his length to finish around the basket in a numerous amount of ways, taking contact, finding open seams, and rising up over defenders. He moves well off the ball too, making timely cuts and patiently moving around screens at the perfect angles. He’s a willing passer as well, maintaining awareness of where his teammates are as he moves with the ball and delivering passes on the move to find the best possible shot. Clark spent this past summer focusing specifically on that part of his game, his playmaking, telling Prep Hoops, “I’ve specifically worked on improving my handles, turning into more of a guard but still being able to use my big body in any situation…and I’ve been working on my playmaking skills and putting my team in places to score.”
Mason Wujek Mason Wujek 6'8" | PF Frisco Memorial | 2022 State TX – 6’8″ – PF – Frisco Memorial – Texas Impact 4:13 UAA 2022
Wujek plays with extreme patience and intelligence and understands how to make a positive impact on the game even with a lack of elite athleticism. He has a large, strong body but doesn’t force his way towards the basket, instead using finesse to find certain angles and seams in the paint to find a good look at the rim. He has an extremely soft touch in the paint, almost Tim Duncan-like, putting up smooth hook shots, throwing up effective pump fakes, and using the rim to protect his shot from any surrounding defender. He can also step out and hit the midrange and 3-point shots out of the pick-and-pop or off a drive-and-dish from a teammate, and he’s an effective roller to the basket, making timely cuts and following his point guard to the basket for an easy dump off. He’s clearly well-trained and well-practiced on boxouts, using his strong frame to clear out opponents and grab rebounds on both ends of the court. His basketball IQ is clear on the defensive end too. He uses his body to stay in front of his opponent with solid and firm post defense, stopping any opponent from backing him down towards the basket, and he uses his length to maintain verticality while staying close to the floor, blocking shots out of the post or forcing his matchup to pass to another option.
Kyron Henderson Kyron Henderson 6'6" | PF Dallas Kimball | 2022 State TX – 6’6″ – PF – Dallas Kimball – Dallas Showtyme
Henderson is a long and athletic big that also stars as a wide receiver for the Kimball Knights. His athleticism as a wide receiver translates beautifully to the basketball court, showing great speed and agility and throwing down crowd-pleasing dunks and alley oops. He’s a sight to see on the fast break with long strides and no regard for any defender in his way. He has great timing on his jumps and puts his aggressive mindset to work, grabbing rebounds in bunches on both ends of the court and emphatically blocking any shot within his long arm radius. He sets hard screens and can quickly roll to the basket for an easy dish from his teammate. His game doesn’t just rely on his extreme athleticism, though. He has the skillset to step out and hit from range on catch-and-shoot attempts and he also has the ability to handle the ball and attack from the perimeter, using his strength and length to finish through contact or his agility to weave through traffic and pull off an array of acrobatic layups to finish the play and get the basket.