Prospect Spotlight: Sayvion Armstrong (2020)

Junior guard Sayvion Armstrong moved into the starting lineup this past season for the Sioux City East Black Raiders and used his scrappiness and quickness to frustrate opponents. 

Armstrong may only be 5-foot-9, but he's a player with a chip on his shoulder that will come up big for his team down the final stretch of a game. Nothing speaks more to that than when he drove the length of the floor and hit a runner with seconds remaining in regulation to knock off Sioux City West 65-64 this season. 

"I have to use my quickness a lot," said Armstrong. "If they're bigger and stronger than me and I know they're not as quick as me, I have to go by them." 

The junior improved on his 4.6 points per game last season to 8.7 this year, while also shooting 47.5 percent from the field. He also led the Black Raiders in both assists (76) and in steals (53). Getting more playing time and being more of an impact player for Sioux City East helped improve his game. 

"It's benefited me well because I understand that I can't always play as fast as I want to and need to slow down at times", mentioned Armstrong. 

Armstrong, along with teammate Jaleque Dunson, will be the leaders of the East basketball program next season and it's inevitable that his growth as a player will continue in the offseason. Despite the Black Raiders getting eliminated in the quarterfinal round of the state tournament this past season, Armstrong shined by leading the team with 17 points in a loss to eventual Class 4A State Champion Cedar Falls. 

The junior, who has been on the AAU circuit with the Sioux City Bombers, says that playing with the Bombers has both helped him find his game and see what he's best at as a player.