Top Players of the Week

High school basketball is really fun to watch, especially if there’s a lot of talent on the floor. I watched so many games this week, and because of that, my list was able to expand.

In the past weeks, I listed, at least, six to eight players who performed well. Well, this week’s list has doubled. On Friday and Saturday, I attended the Ultimate South Showcase where 20-plus college coaches attended the event.

There was competitiveness from every team that stepped onto the floor, and the best players from each team stepped up. Overall, I was impressed with the talent on the floor and took notes as each game was going, so I could finalize a solid list.

I’m not going to drag this on any longer. I just can’t do it anymore.

Here’s this week’s Top Players of the Week:

Chandler Jackson, Christian Brothers: The freshman point guard had 19 points and five assists in the Purple Wave’s 71-49 win over Germantown. Jackson added 25 points in Christian Brothers’ loss to Little Rock-Halls on Saturday. He’s a big part of the Purple Wave’s offense and will be for a long time.

Kennedy Chandler, Briarcrest Christian: As I said before, Chandler is one of the best point guards in the 2021 class. He had 29 points in the Saints’ 91-72 win over Ridgeway. He followed up that performance with 16 points in a 56-53 loss to Jonesboro, while playing on a taped ankle.

Andrew Anderson, Tipton-Rosemark: The senior point guard had 21 points, eight rebounds, four steals, and two assists in a win over SBHS Friday night. He had 31 points, five rebounds, and four assists in the 67-65 loss to Holly Springs in the Ultimate South Showcase. Anderson is only 6-foot-1, but he plays like he’s 6-4. The South Alabama commit has proved he can play the point guard position at a high level.

Calvin Temple, Center Hill: Temple’s best game this week came against Whitehaven. He finished with 15 points, nine rebounds, six assists, and two steals. The IUPUI commit had 14 points and six boards in the Mustangs’ 76-53 win over Collierville Friday night.

Kevin Henry, Center Hill: Henry played a huge part in the Mustangs’ win over the Tigers Tuesday night. He had 14 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and two steals in the 64-63 win. Henry also picked up an offer from Lemoyne-Owen College.

Decorian Payton, Center Hill: The 6-5 undersized post player showed he wasn’t scared of the 7-4 post player Jordan Wilmore. Payton attacked the basket each time the opportunity was there. He finished with 12 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, and one steal.

Kaeden Laws, Center Hill: The sophomore forward played great defense in the Mustangs’ win over Whitehaven. Laws had a better offensive performance against the Dragons Friday night, finishing with 12 points and eight rebounds. Laws also picked up his first Division 1 offer this week from IUPUI.

Kenneth Lewis, Center Hill: The senior point guard made three-consecutive 3s Tuesday night against the Tigers when his team needed points. He finished with 15 points, four steals, three assists, and two rebounds. Lewis had 18 points and four steals against Collierville.

Jordan Rawls, Hamilton Heights: The junior point guard isn’t afraid of the big stage. He knocked down big shots in wins over Bartlett and Memphis East. In the win over the Panthers, Rawls finished with 25 points and four assists. In the win over the Mustangs, he added 34 points.

Samson Ruzhentsev, Hamilton Heights: The 6-6 wing is very athletic, and he can score from different areas of the floor. Ruzhentsev had 18 points and four rebounds in the Hawks’ two-point win over the Panthers.

Jason Jitoboh, Hamilton Heights: The 6-10 post player came up big against Bartlett, finishing with 21 points and six rebounds. There were a lot of scouts in attendance at the Ultimate South Showcase, and if any of them need a big man, Jitoboh wouldn’t be a bad choice at all.

Andrew Williams, Hamilton Heights: Williams added 11 points and five crucial rebounds in the win over Bartlett. He’s another athletic wing the Hawks have this season.

James Wiseman, Memphis East: The Memphis commit had 31 points and 14 rebounds in the Mustangs’ win over Whitehaven Thursday night. He was unstoppable.

Malcolm Dandridge, Memphis East: Dandridge, who will join Wiseman at Memphis next season, had 17 points and 13 rebounds against the Tigers. He had 24 points in the loss to Hamilton Heights.

Matthew Murrell, Whitehaven: The Tigers lost two in a row this week, but Murrell still showed up. He had 25 points against Center Hill and 21 against the Mustangs.

Johnathan Lawson, Wooddale: Lawson is a point forward, one of the most gifted forwards in the 2021 class. He had 25 points and 12 rebounds in the Cardinals’ 75-65 win over Ridgeway Monday night.

Chandler Lawson, Wooddale: The Oregon commit, along with his brother Johnathan Lawson, were unstoppable Monday night against the Roadrunners. Chandler Lawson finished with 30 points and 14 rebounds in the win.

Antavion Collum, Bartlett: The Ole Miss commit had 24 points in the Panthers' win over Springdale Prep in the finale of the Ultimate South Showcase. Bartlett is now 12-1 of the season.

Rodney Mason III, Bartlett: Mason had 13 points and seven rebounds against Hamilton Heights. He added nine points and nine rebounds against the Lions.

Jefferson Walker, Bartlett: Walker had 18 points against the Hawks and 13 points against Springdale Prep.