PH Nebraska : Juniors to Watch Part 1
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In a class loaded with talent, here is part 1 of some 2023’s who are raising their stock this winter.
Wade Voss Wade Voss 6'5" | PF Lincoln Southeast | 2023 State NE | 6’7 F | Lincoln Southeast
Voss has been one of the more dominant big men I have seen this winter so far. He’s a very aggressive rebounder and works hard on the glass, both offensive and defensive. He has a great variety of finishes in the paint. Very smart on the defensive end, he is always straight up and doesn’t commit any unnecessary fouls.
River Johnston River Johnston 6'1" | PG North Platte | 2023 State NE | 6’2 G | North Platte
One of my favorite guards I have watched this season, their are not a lot of flaws in Johnston’s game. His jab and hesitation move are second to none, to pair with his quick first step is tough to tame. He takes a lot of high percentage shots, finds his teammates at the right time, and doesn’t force anything. He is a very fundamentally sound player and a big time stock riser in his class.
Rylan Smith Rylan Smith 6'1" | PG Lincoln Southwest | 2023 State NE | 6’1 G | Lincoln Southwest
Smith is a great example of what a floor general should look like. He is an on court leader and that’s one trait that I think makes him the player he is. He’s got a very pure shot and is a volume shooter. He can score efficiently at all three levels, but can dime it off to a teammate to knock down a shot. He’s got a bag of athletic finishes is a very high energy player.
Andrew Gaines Andrew Gaines PG Lincoln High | 2023 State NE | 6’0 G | Lincoln High
I got to watch Gaines score 19 points this past Tuesday and he showed out to be quite the rim runner. He gets by his defenders then has a quick burst of speed to get to the rim. He doesn’t do a whole lot of dribbling antics, he just gets downhill and fast. His foul drawing ability matched with his body control is what helped him convert quite a few and-1s.
Christian Winn Christian Winn 6'4" | SF Lincoln Northeast | 2023 State NE | 6’4 G | Lincoln Northeast
First thing that stood out to be about Winn’s game was his ability to knock down the three. He is a lights out shooter. I believe he hit four or five deep balls in his game this past Wednesday with a team high of 20 points. He was able to knock down both the spot up three and contested. He utilized his size well against smaller guards to back them down and finish a layup or knock down the mid range jumper.