VISAA D1 Preview: All State Contenders (Part 2)
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With the high school season around the corner, we have been previewing the up coming season in a number of different ways, including our All State teams by class which is only done here at Prep Hoops. For the more…
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Continue ReadingWith the high school season around the corner, we have been previewing the up coming season in a number of different ways, including our All State teams by class which is only done here at Prep Hoops.
For the more traditional readers, we will be doing a preview of All State teams by classifications too. While most VISAA All State teams have two teams with between 14 and 16 players between the two, we have decided to simply list some of the players we expect to be on the team at the end of the season.
With that being said, here’s a look at some of our picks for VISAA D1 All State candidates, looking at six players we expect to be in the conversation.
Markus Robinson Markus Robinson 6'2" | SG Veritas | 2024 State VA | 6’3” WG | Blue Ridge 2024
Robinson comes to Blue Ridge from Veritas and before that he played varsity basketball since 7th grade in Upstate NY and he has a chance to set all sorts of records as he has already scored over 3,000 points in his high school career. He’s a talented two guard who has a lot of tools to him as a shot maker as he has great balance when he gets to his spots and understands how to create space, he can score the ball from all three levels efficiently and he doesn’t get sped up or take bad shots despite being a high level scorer.
Jadyn Harris Jadyn Harris 6'6" | PF Bishop O'Connell | 2024 State #239 Nation VA | 6’6” PF | Bishop O’Connell 2024
Harris returns to a young but talented O’Connell team, and after the summer and fall that he’s had I expect him to be one of the top players in the WCAC moving forward. The 6’6′ forward is a walking mismatch with his versatility as he can bang in the post against smaller forwards and hits the offensive glass hard, he’s excellent in the mid-post area with his ability to make midrange jumpers and face up and put it on the deck and he can get out in transition where he’s an excellent athlete and finisher around the rim.
Brandon Jennings Brandon Jennings 6'4" | PG St. Christopher's | 2024 State VA | 6’3” PG | St. Chris 2024
Jennings is my pick for breakout player in the Richmond area this year as the 6’3” lead guard is coming off of a huge summer where he picked up multiple division one offers and showed his all-around ability as a point guard. He’s long and athletic allowing him to get out in transition for big finishes and use his positional size defensively to make plays, he has tremendous pace and feel for the game allowing him to get in the lane to make plays for others and he picks his spots and scores it well from all three levels.
Darren Harris Darren Harris 6'6" | SF Paul VI | 2024 State #59 Nation VA | 6’6” WF | Paul VI 2024
The recent Duke commit is on a PVI team that is absolutely loaded and has a chance to be one of the top teams in the country, and he’ll play a big part as he’s one of the top shooters in the state by no stretch of the imagination. At 6’6” he has great positional size that, along with his quick release, allows him to get off shots with little to no room, he has deep range off the catch and is always shot ready, he gets hot quickly and fills it up in bunches and he’s no slouch defensively either as he can guard multiple positions.
Josiah Rickards Josiah Rickards 6'3" | CG Catholic | 2024 State VA | 6’3” CG | Catholic 2024
Rickards was a Second Team All State selection last year for a Catholic team that exceeded many expectations, and they’re even more loaded this year and will be a tough out for anyone. Rickards is a talented combo who can impact the game in a number of ways both as a scorer and a facilitator, he can get to spots off the bounce and understands angles and has great footwork to create space and he can score it in bunches and fill it up from all over.
Kosi Mgbejiofor | 6’11” C | Catholic 2026
While there usually aren’t freshmen on the All State team, there usually aren’t freshmen who are as big and athletic as Mgbejiofor and he’ll be a dominant force from day one for Catholic. At 6’11” he’s an absolute freak of an athlete who runs like a guard and has ridiculous bounce for a player his size, he is an elite level shot blocker with great timing and the ability to come help side or chase down people in transition and he can dunk and finish almost anything when he catches it in the paint.