Class 5A POY Candidates
WIth the season nearly upon us, we will be looking at Player of the Year Candidates heading into the season for each classification, before doing individual articles on Mr. Basketball candidates. We will start by looking at the POY candidates…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingWIth the season nearly upon us, we will be looking at Player of the Year Candidates heading into the season for each classification, before doing individual articles on Mr. Basketball candidates. We will start by looking at the POY candidates playing in Louisiana’s largest classification. (We will be grouping players together based on the 7 [5A-C] classic classifications, and not as the 12 classifications for playoffs this year.)
Once again, the Player of the Year options for 5A are going to be one of the toughest to choose from. 5A is the host of 7 of the top 15 players for the 2017 class, as well as the top overall player of the 2018 class. Everyone listed here could end up being not only the best player of 5A, but Mr. Basketball for the entire state as well.
Javonte Smart 6’3 Scottlandville- Smart holds a lot of honors as first and only’s. He was the first sophomore to ever win the Louisiana Gatorade Player of the Year, an award that has been handed out for 30 years. He is the only returning Prep Hoops Louisiana Player of the Year. Last year, Smart averaged 22.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 5.5 apg, all while shooting 49% from the field and 45% from 3. He is a consensus top 5 player nationally in the 2018 class, and spent this summer as the starting PG on the 16u Team USA, which brought home the gold in the world championships. Look for Smart to build on that experience this year, and lead Scottlandville back to their 8th straight state title game.
Mitchell Robinson 7’0 Chalmette- If anyone has the ability to uproot Smart from the 5A (and Mr. Basketball) throne, it is Robinson, a long 7’0 forward who is capable of doing anything that you ask him to on the basketball court. The Western Kentucky commit is a consensus top 10 player nationally in the 2017 class, and spent the summer rocketing up national recruiting boards after going into the summer barely ranked in the top 40 for his class. He averaged 15.5 ppg, 11.4 rpg, and 4.1 bpg this summer in the Nike EYBL playing against the nation’s best players. The biggest question mark surrounding Robinson is whether or not he will have enough talent surrounding him to get the wins needed to be crowned Player of the Year.
Brandon Rachal 6’6 Natchitoches Central- Rachal is a combo guard with a great chance at winning the 5A Player of the Year award. The recent LSU commit has the ability to effect the game in every way possible, as shown last year in the state championship game against Smart’s Scottlandville team, pouring in 24 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks, all while guarding Smart on the defensive end. Last year, Rachal averaged 16 ppg and 7 rpg, all while guarding the other teams best player, a skill Rachal relishes in. Rachal hopes to lead NCHS back to the state championship, a goal Rachal has accomplished every year he has been there.The biggest reason why Rachal wouldn’t win the Player of the Year in 5A this year, is simply because he isn’t selfish enough, and won’t put up the gaudy numbers that some of the other players in 5A will this year.
Joseph Thompson 6’9 Bonnabel- The good news for Thompson is that he is projected to be a top 10 player and one of the best big men in the state this year. The bad news is that odds are, he will have as tough a time winning district MVP as he will 5A Player of the Year. Thompson and Bonnabel share a district with Robinson and Chalmette, who you’ve already read about. But something about Thompson’s demeanor tells me that he isn’t shying away from anyone, even if that someone is 7’0 and a top 10 player in the nation. He might be almost as excited to show what he can do as high school basketball fans are to watch the battle. Great news is that we will be able to see it twice. The athletic forward looks the best in transition, where he can show off his first class athleticism. Whether you see him in a gym or in a vine, Thompson is going to have some big highlights once again this year.
Caleb Daniels 6’4 St. Augustine- Despite injury setbacks for Daniels this past summer, expect big things from the St. Aug G/F this year. With teammate Devante Jones graduating this past year, Daniels is going to be the undisputed first option on offense this year, so expect Daniels to fill the stat sheet this year. Last year Daniels averaged 20 ppg, so don’t be too surprised if Daniels leads 5A in ppg somewhere between 25-30. The biggest concern is going to be his health, but if he can stay on the court, there is no doubt he is capable of producing at a high level.
Lamont Berzat 5’8 Landry/Walker- Berzat is generously listed at 5’8, but make no mistake about it, the kid can flat out ball. He is next in line as great Landry/Walker PG, a tradition that has been upheld since the school’s opening nearly 5 years ago. The UNO commit spent the summer playing with New Orleans Elite, and put on a show every time he stepped on the court. What was especially promising was the way he looked in the pick & roll with fellow New Orleans Elite and Landry-Walker teammate Malik Lagania, scoring at will, and setting up teammates nicely. With a disappointing loss to Bonnabel in the playoffs last year, marking the first time in school history that didn’t culminate in a state championship, look for Berzat to come out extremely aggressive, and perhaps picking up Player of the Year honors along the way.
LeAaron Cain 6’2 East Ascension- LeAaron and East Ascension showed just what they were capable of in the playoffs last year. After coming in as the 13th seed (even though we had EA ranked as the 6th best team heading into the playoffs), they knocked off team after team and made it all the way to the Top 28, before falling in the semifinals to eventual champions Natchitoches Central. LeAaron’s most impressive game, not only of the tournament, but in my opinion, of the season was what he did against St. Paul’s, in the second round of the tournament. On the road against St. Paul’s, a team that had won 30 games straight and hadn’t lost since the very first game of the season, LeAaron asserted his dominance from the beginning, scoring 25 points in the first half, and East Ascension never looked back. Cain averaged 20.3 ppg last season, and look for him to continue to build on that this year.
My Pick– Javonte Smart. Smart is the total package, and will pick up the slack where his two biggest threats lie. Mitchell Robinson is going to have just as big, if not a bigger impact on a game by game basis, but whether or not he will have an adequate surrounding cast has yet to be seen. If Chalmette is able to dominate 5A this year, and get a top 3 seed, then Robinson will get the award, but if they once again hover around the 15th seed (17 seed last year), then he will have a tough time winning, even if he averages near a triple double. Smart’s other biggest threat will have no problem reaching the win threshold that Player of the Year requires, but I don’t think that he will have the stats to win the award. That leaves Smart once again atop the 5A throne.