District 2-3A preview
Arguably the most entertaining 3A district in the state last year is poised for another run just like it, and with several familiar faces stealing the show. STATE CONTENDERS Wossman – It’s pretty easy to return the defending state runners-up…
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Continue ReadingArguably the most entertaining 3A district in the state last year is poised for another run just like it, and with several familiar faces stealing the show.
STATE CONTENDERS
Wossman – It’s pretty easy to return the defending state runners-up in this category, especially when they return three starters from last year’s team: point guard C.J. Jones, the No. 13 ranked 2017 prospect in the state and seventh among guards, and a pair of small forwards, Zach Smith and Darrell Comanche. The narrative will be the same this year as it was last year for the Wildcats: as they figure out their frontcourt, they increase their playoff potential.
Carroll – This team has the core to challenge just about anyone in 3A: forward Larry Owens is a top 10 prospect in the state and he has help in guard Jarrell Gundy that I think is poised for a breakout year (more on him later). There are a few pivotal pieces to replace from last year, but coach Jesse Burnette’s Carroll program doesn’t rebuild, it reloads.
NEXT TIER
Richwood – Last season was disappointing by the Rams’ high standards, but the Rams have enough coming back to get back to their norm. The loss of guard Justin Williams is unfortunate, but returning Jaewon Williams and Joseph Smith in the backcourt give the Rams a nucleus. Zachariah Malone is back, too.
Madison – Length and athleticism were the key to make Madison a tough out last year, and we can assume there’s enough of it returning to make the Jaguars the same in 2016-17.
DISTRICT ANALYSIS
Carroll and Wossman are the favorites, but Richwood and Madison both project to be good enough to topple one of them and turn things upside down as they go: for example, Richwood beat Wossman in overtime last year and Madison gave Carroll a pretty good scare on the road last year.
MVP RACE
This should come down to C.J. Jones or Larry Owens – they are the only two players in the district ranked in our 2017 rankings right now, and they’ve earned those spots. I firmly believe this district could see a player or two get more recognition in the recruiting ranks throughout the course of the season, but it’ll take something epic to unseat those two preseason candidates.
UP AND COMING
Jarrell Gundy, G, Carroll – Carroll’s front court was really strong last year and didn’t ask much of him, but he still produced key buckets both from the perimeter and on dribble-drives. With Sendarius Pratt gone form last year’s frontcourt, the Bulldogs are likely to put the ball in his hands much more often.
Darrell Comanche, G/F/ Wossman – He made massive strides in his first season of varsity basketball last year on the way to the state championship game; we can expect him to have a larger role, especially while Wossman waits for football players to come back to the team and figures out what it’s going to do in thw low post.
GAMES TO WATCH
The Wossman-Carroll series: Carroll at Wossman Jan. 24, Wossman at Carroll Feb. 10. If things are nice and clean in this district, these two games could decide the district title (or call for a tiebreaker game, like last year). For what it’s worth, I don’t expect things to be that clean.
Richwood’s upset potential home games: hosting Carroll on Jan. 10, hosting Wossman on Jan. 13. This is the classic fly in the ointment I referenced earlier: Richwood piecing it together for a couple of hours on a given night could make things all the more difficult for Wossman or Carroll.
The Richwood-Union-Madison series: All three of them should be playoff teams, but seeding is everything in this 3A bracket that’s much more getable than last year. All three of these squads can drum up a really good homecourt advantage, so getting a quarterfinals game at home, or even a difficult second-round matchup, could make a world of difference.