Top Players of the Week
I spent most of my time this week covering the Division II-AA Boys State Tournament, and I came away impressed with talent I saw for the very first time this season.
I was really impressed with the ball movement and discipline of the Baylor Red Raiders. Baylor, which is led by senior point guard Beyuan Hendricks, never rattled when it trailed Christian Brothers 6-0 in the early minutes of the first quarter.
Hendricks controlled the tempo from start to finish, and he’s a big reason why the Red Raiders are in the final four of the DII-AA Boys State Tournament.
I’m doing things different this week. This week’s list features the top eight performers from the DII-AA Boys State Tournament.
I covered two games of the tournament on Saturday, and I have a top performer from each school I saw, with Briarcrest and Baylor leading the way with three apiece.
Here are the top players of the week:
Beyuan Hendricks, Baylor: Hendricks was patient with the basketball and didn’t force any of his shot attempts. He led the Red Raiders with 20 points in their 65-51 win over the Christian Brothers Purple Wave.
Nick Kurtz, Baylor: The power forward had 17 points against Christian Brothers. Kurtz went 8 for 8 from the field.
Blake Pruitt, Baylor: The senior shooting guard provided 11 points off the bench.
Chandler Jackson, Christian Brothers: The freshman point guard led the Purple Wave with 21 points.
Marcellus Brigham, Briarcrest: The junior forward led the Saints with 24 points in their 70-36 win over Montgomery Bell Academy.
Michael Malone, Briarcrest: The junior guard had 14 points against the Big Red.
Kennedy Chandler, Briarcrest: The DII-AA Region Player of the Year finished with 20 points and six steals against MBA.
Will Montana, MBA: The sophomore forward led the Big Red with 15 points in their loss to the Saints.