Thanksgiving Week Gamechangers: Standout Forwards & Centers
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Cameron Barnes TX #22 C #3 HEIGHT 6'10" POS C CLASS 2023 View Profile Cameron Barnes Instagram Twitter State: Texas School: Duncanville Club: Team Trae Young Cameron’s stock is back on the rise as he continues to show everyone why…
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Continue ReadingCameron’s stock is back on the rise as he continues to show everyone why he’s the most sought after center in Texas. While facing off against Corona Centennial, Barnes showed off his versatility from the beginning to the end, displaying a pull-up three-point jumpshot in transition, the ability to put the ball on the deck to produce his own shot off the dribble from the perimeter as well as attack closeouts, Barnes even gave us some mean putback slam dunks that really showed off his leaping ability, motor, and timing in the post.
6-foot-5-inch forward Dakarai Hodge Dakarai Hodge 6’5″ | SG Boerne-Champion | 2023 State TX was wildly impressive during the Thanksgiving break at the Harlandale ISD Tip-Off Classic. Incredible versatility and skill for a postman, Hodge displayed the ability to create shots for himself and others with his back to the basket by utilizing his very well-polished footwork where his variety of pivots kept defenders guessing, Hodge showed a smooth drop step and even added a spin move to it at times, along with a sweet reverse pivot. High IQ off ball movements, Hodge made himself a scoring option on a consistent basis by floating around the post establishing position and sealing off his man, he shows the wherewithal to screen unprompted to both on and off the ball with an understanding of when to slip screen, hard cut, backdoor cut, and duck in or out of the lane. Hodge got the job done inside as a primary big man and he also showed his stretch-forward skillset and abilities to space the floor and nail spot-up jumpers all the way out to the perimeter. Dakarai Hodge Dakarai Hodge 6’5″ | SG Boerne-Champion | 2023 State TX was the most effective player on the floor at times without every taking a dribble or a shot, his intangibles are tremendous, he’s the type of player that does all of the little things to help his team win.
This top ranked power forward brings a standout post presence to every game he participates in. While competing at the High School Circuit tournament, Thomas put his dynamic game-changing defensive productivity on full display. Thomas had the paint on lockdown, anything that came inside his house was met with force, physical contact, and rejection. The 6-foot-7 defensive anchor covered the paint extremely well block to block showing elite quickness rotating from one defender to another while showcasing ultra awareness and effort as a helpside defender where he was always a very reliable teammate who communicated loudly and constantly stepped up to protect the rim with his body and massive reach. As a shot blocker, M.J.’s timing was unbelievable, the way he stuffed shots before the ball got to it’s peak or even out of his opponent’s hand was on another level, his explosiveness on his first and second jumps are going to propel Thomas on the defensive end at the college level. Right now, Denton’s M.J. Thomas is continuously proving that he can absolutely effect the game without dominating the ball.
Highlights
Jared McCain and the Centennial Huskies came into the Panthers den and quickly realized while Ron Holland Ron Holland 6’9″ | PF Duncanville | 2023 State #7 Nation TX is the big man on campus. Once again, the Duncanville legend lived up to all of the hype that surrounds him and exceeded the expectations that came with it, everything about his game and basketball mentality were on a college level. Holland came out the gate with an abundance of energy and it didn’t take long for everyone on his team and in the building to match it. The senior forward never gave up on a possession, he was all over the floor making play after play after play, Centennial had no answers for Ron’s next level motor, he was consistently the reason for countless second chance shot opportunities and extended plays for the Panthers all night long. Anytime Duncanville needed a bucket they put the ball in Ron Holland Ron Holland 6’9″ | PF Duncanville | 2023 State #7 Nation TX ‘s hands, let him take over, and once he got it going there was no stopping this man, Holland created highlight plays as he skied through the lane dunking everything on anyone that was crazy enough to stand in his way, he threw down multiple putback slams, and got to the basket among traffic while finishing with multiple defenders draped over him.