Top Players of the Week

Why am I able to find new talent in the state of Tennessee every week?

That’s because I look at different teams each week. That’s a good habit to have. A high school basketball reporter should never stick to just covering certain schools every week. When that happens, other kids get overlooked.

I’m always here to discover new talent.

Anyways, I’m not going to drag this on. I tend to get carried away. Let’s get to the list.

Here are my Top Players of the Week:

Chandler Lawson, Wooddale: The Oregon commit continues to build on his Mr. Basketball resume. Lawson had 31 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, and two blocks in the Cardinals’ 79-67 win over Mitchell Thursday night.

Johnathan Lawson, Wooddale: The sophomore forward had 12 points, 14 rebounds, nine assists, and three blocks against the Tigers. He and his brother, Chandler, were all over the glass.

Johnathan Duncan, Wooddale: The junior shooting guard recorded 16 points, three rebounds, and two assists against Mitchell.

Ragi Phillips, Whitehaven: Phillips knocked down some big shots for the Tigers in their 64-57 win over White Station Friday night. He scored 17 points.

Matthew Murrell, Whitehaven: Murrell led the Tigers with 22 points Friday night against the Spartans. Murrell can turn it on when he gets ready.

Jesse Payne Jr., Whitehaven: I don’t understand why college coaches aren’t looking at Payne Jr. He can shoot it from deep, he’s very physical, and he has nice ball handles. Payne Jr. scored 12 points against White Station.

Mike Rice Jr., Mitchell: Thursday night marked the first time this season I watched the Mitchell Tigers, and I came away impressed with their guard play. Rice Jr. is just one of many good guards the team have. In the loss, Rice Jr. had 22 points to lead Mitchell.

Mikell Rice, Mitchell: The guards for the Tigers kept them in a tight contest against Wooddale. Rice added 13.

Jamarious Horton, Mitchell: Horton also added 13 points for the Tigers.

Calvin Temple, Center Hill: The senior point guard had 23 points, five rebounds, five assists, and four steals in the Mustangs’ 78-62 win at Hernando Tuesday night. He had 29 points in a 117-45 win over Lewisburg.

Kenneth Lewis, Center Hill: Lewis had 17 points, eight rebounds, and three steals against the Hernando Tigers. He had 21 points against the Lewisburg Patriots. Honorable mentions: Kevin Henry and Cameron Goodwin each had 11 points against Lewisburg.

Decorian Payton, Center Hill: Payton had 18 points against Lewisburg. He had 11 points, six rebounds, and two steals against Hernando.

Kaeden Laws, Center Hill: Laws had 10 points, nine rebounds, and three steals against Hernando.

Jordan Rawls, Hamilton Heights: Rawls recorded 25 points and three assists in a 68-49 win over Charlotte Basketball Academy. He had 13 points and seven assists in a win over Superior Collegiate.

Andersson Garcia, Hamilton Heights: Garcia recorded a double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds) against Charlotte Basketball Academy. He had eight points and nine boards against Superior Collegiate.

Bayron Matos, Hamilton Heights: The Mississippi State commit had eight points and 10 rebounds against Superior Collegiate. He had 14 points and seven rebounds against Charlotte Basketball Academy.

Sammy Itodo, Hamilton Heights: The Gardner-Webb commit had 19 points, 17 rebounds, and five blocks against Superior Collegiate.

Samson Ruzhentsev, Hamilton Heights: The junior wing had 14 points and three boards against Superior Collegiate and 13 points and four rebounds against Charlotte Basketball Academy.

Lewis Duarte, Hamilton Heights: Duarte had 12 points and three rebounds against Superior Collegiate.

Harrison Kelly, Christian Brothers: Kelly led the Purple Wave with 10 points in their 59-37 win over SBA.

Sam Spence, Christian Brothers: Spence recorded nine points, six rebounds, and played great defense against SBA.

Antavion Collum, Bartlett: The Ole Miss commit had 16 points, 13 rebounds, and three assists in the 64-46 win over Cordova.

Sylvester Thompson, Bartlett: Thompson had 15 points, three steals, three assists, and two rebounds against the Wolfpack.

Rodney Mason Jr., Bartlett: Mason Jr. recorded nine points, eight rebounds, four assists, and three steals against Cordova.

Wynne Brown Jr., Bartlett: Brown Jr. had eight points, four rebounds, three assists, and three steals against the Wolfpack.

Bruce Guy Jr., Cordova: The Iona commit combined to score 52 points against Bartlett and Bolton this week.

Calvin Jennings, Cordova: The sophomore guard had 24 in a 92-88 overtime win at Bolton.