Louisiana Class of 2017 Stock Risers – July

<p>The class of 2017 has plenty of athletes who are on the national radar already and word is that the state is adding a transplant that would make that core group even stronger. <strong>Mitchell Robinson </strong>gets his first introduction into our website as someone who is not only rising nationally but may very well be a top player in his class in the state if he is indeed here for the long haul. The rest of the list is players who either proved their stock is real or really skyrocketed throughout the summer.</p><p><strong>Caleb Daniels</strong> and <strong>Joseph Thompson</strong> are two players who play their grassroots ball for Texas teams but are Louisiana prep players. Daniels (St. Augustine) played with EP Elite for a while before finishing with Pro Skills out of Texas. The athletic guard really caught people’s attention throughout July with his play. Thompson (Bonnabel) used July to play with Mo Williams Academy 16u instead of 17u and it allowed him to show off his leadership and ability to take over the game. He’s a versatile forward who is really taking off.</p> <p>The next couple of players, <strong>Tae Martin</strong> from Ellender and <strong>Dexter Dennis</strong> from Southern Lab, are in the 20s but proved they belong higher. Martin sat out last school year after transferring and really proved he used it to his advantage this summer. There were numerous big games in big moments for the 6’4 guard. Meanwhile, the human highlight reel in 6’4 wing Dexter Dennis proved his more than just a dunker. He has an improved jump shot that is just a quicker release from being really troublesome and his ball handling has constantly improved.</p> <p><strong>Kevin Tripeaux</strong> from Episcopal has shown improvement each year and this was no different. Recently in LA12 with EP Elite, he was their most consistent player throughout the weekend. That type of play is what will draw attention this coming school year. Meanwhile, the athletic slasher for Lafayette Chrstian <strong>Caleb Starks</strong> proved he was too low in the rankings as well. A high level defender whose game consistently improves is worth taking note of.</p> <p>Two guys who were not on our rankings but are certainly on the radar for the next edition are <strong>Deedy Gauno</strong> from Terrebone and <strong>Cameron Vickers</strong> from Salmen. Guano is an undersized scoring guard who really can light a scoreboard up. He is the type of player that you have to go see the books for after a game even if you were there to see someone else. Vickers is the younger brother of LSUA freshman Chris and much like him can score the ball inside and out. He’ll be on to watch for Salmen this year.</p>