Turn up the (3-point) Volume: Part I
Shooting deserves recognition always. The following players make the skill look absurdly easy. Zane Brown | White House High 2023 SG | 6-2 The well-supported Blue Devils of White House are young, so young that Amarion Lucas is the only…
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Continue ReadingShooting deserves recognition always. The following players make the skill look absurdly easy.
Zane Brown | White House High 2023 SG | 6-2 |
The well-supported Blue Devils of White House are young, so young that Amarion Lucas is the only senior within their top seven scorers. “First off, we want him taking shots,” said Head Coach Caleb Cook. “He’s our best shooter, so we look to run him off screens and get him looks in transition. Zane Brown (6-foot-2) is the leading scorer and his 17.0 points per game certainly stem from the 69 made three-pointers. Despite landing as the #1 defensive priority on all scouting reports Brown is still hitting 43%, as of early February. “First off, we want him taking shots. He’s our best shooter so we look to run in off screens and get him looks in transition. He shows up every day with a great attitude ready to work. He’s his toughest critic, he wants to hit every shot. We post him up at times so he’s a huge part of our offense.”
Carion Mitchell | Fayette Ware High 2022 G | @CarionMitchell1 |
Fayette Ware Head Coach Chris Chearis labels this edition as “better chemistry” than last year, despite possibly lacking the depth of elite talent. How did he bolster the 2021-2022 team? Added Carion Mitchell from Bolivar Central. “When Carion transferred in, we were missing that shooter, and he is shooting over 40% from three this year,” said Coach Chearis. Mitchell scores by “running off screens or going off the play Coach Chearis calls,” he said. Mitchell spent his summer getting into the high school gym or at Whiteville Elementary School to shoot. Now he enjoys playing alongside JaSteven Walker JaSteven Walker 6'10" | PF Fayette Ware | 2022 State TN (South Carolina State signee). “It makes it easier for me because they have to put so much attention on him.”
Andrew Lawrence | Providence Academy 2022 SG | @andrewlaw_03 |
Andrew is a smaller 2-guard. He finishes with a high release. There simply is not a player in Tennessee with better shooting touch. It is uncanny. His range is a little like Dame Lillard. “He has picked up offers from King and Johnson University,” said Providence Academy Assistant Coach Mike Burns. He is hitting over 51% with 109 made three-pointers! “Andrew has found his rhythm as a shooter, and has learned how to move without the ball,” said Coach Burns. “He has a feel for the game on the defensive end as well as he leads Providence in steals in for the season. His talent mixed with his attitude make him very coachable.”
Colby Raymer Colby Raymer 6'0" | PG Roane County | 2022 State TN | Kingston High 2022 G | @colbyraymer22 |
A thin trebuchet of a human, Raymer slings the ball at the cylindrical goal with stunning accuracy. Mid-December he put up 54 points in single game. Raymer is obviously the backbone of the Kingston offense and his Yellow Jackets have a feasible chance to return to the State Tournament. His outside shooting is hovering around 38%.
Keelan Jackson | Tyner Academy 2023 SG/SF | @keelan_jackson |
Since he was a pre-teen, Keelan was a surprisingly effective shooter, considering how much taller he was and still is than his peers. Facing Howard, KJ hit two three-pointers in the opening quarter an finished with 20 points. Keelan is a guy catches opposing defenders off-balance still. Tyner likes to show him in the blocks or as a screener and then find him as he flairs out to the wings. Jackson gets the ball in and out of the oven fast and delicious.