804 Breakout Player Candidates
With the summer coming to an end and we start to look forward to the next high school season, we’ll be doing way too early preview content based on what we’ve seen over the summer. This series will take a…
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Continue ReadingWith the summer coming to an end and we start to look forward to the next high school season, we’ll be doing way too early preview content based on what we’ve seen over the summer. This series will take a look at some juniors and sophomores that could be breakout players in the different areas of the state.
Today, we take a look at six players in the 804 that could take the biggest leaps in production and be considered among the top players in the area.
Brandon Jennings | 6’3” PG | St. Chris 2024
Jennings is in the midst of a growth spurt and took a huge leap this summer with Team Push, and division one schools are starting to notice as he picked up his first couple of offers. He’s the clear favorite to be the breakout player in Richmond, as he’ll have the ball in his hands a lot and he is a true point guard who has great feel and playmaking ability, he can get to spots and knock down shots from both deep and in the midrange and he’s a big time athlete who can play above the rim.
Owen Gray | 6’8” C | Steward School 2024
Gray has been on a Steward School team with other bigs for most of his career, and he recently announced he’s reclassifying to the 2024 class and that peaked the interest of D1 schools as he picked up his first offer from NJIT. Gray is a big time athlete who gets up and down the floor well and can play above the rim with authority, he can step out and stretch the floor and he he rebounds well and protects the rim too.
Cam Sampson | 6’1” CG | Clover Hill 2024
Sampson is pretty much an unknown player in the Chesterfield area as he split time with JV and varsity at Clover Hill last year, but this summer he played 17U with Circle Sports and showed that he can flat out score the ball and that could make him a breakout guy in this area. The 6’1” combo has long arms and is shifty off the bounce to get in the lane or create space, he can drill it from deep off the catch or off the bounce and he can get hot quickly and fill it up in bunches.
Nigel Clarkson | 6’5” WF | Cosby 2024
Clarkson doesn’t go to a basketball powerhouse in Cosby, but he has a lot of tools that are intriguing for coaches moving forward and he could be one of the top scorers in the Richmond area this season. At 6’5” he has very long arms and is a good athlete, he’s a big time shooter from deep who can knock it down consistently and he can attack closeouts and use his length and athleticism to finish at the rim.
Shawn Long Shawn Long 6'5" | SG Hopewell Highschool | 2024 VA | 6’4” WF | Hopewell 2024
Long had a good sophomore season at Prince George and he recently transferred to Hopewell where he’ll be paired up with some talented guards who can get him shots. At 6’4” he has good size and strength on the wing allowing him to get in the lane and finish at the rim, he’s an excellent shooter from deep who is consistent and he’s a good rebounder meaning he should put up big numbers this year.
Donovan Richardson | 6’5” CG | Collegiate 2025
Richardson is quickly solidifying himself as one of the top young prospects in Richmond and with his reclassification to the 2025 class he’s already pulling in division one offers after his big summer in both the high school and AAU live periods. While he had a good season last year he is fully healthy and looks more confident as a scorer, he’s a walking mismatch with his size and can bully smaller guards and get to spots to make shots over them and he is an excellent and unselfish playmaker as well who can stuff the stat sheet across the board.