Chance Harman Day 2 Standouts (Part 3)
It’s the new year which means it’s time for one of my favorite events in the state, the Chance Harman Classic in Floyd, VA. Nestled on the mountainside about 30 minutes outside of Christiansburg, this small town with one stop…
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Continue ReadingIt’s the new year which means it’s time for one of my favorite events in the state, the Chance Harman Classic in Floyd, VA. Nestled on the mountainside about 30 minutes outside of Christiansburg, this small town with one stop light that is best known for selling Christmas trees brings in some super talented teams from all over the area and beyond, all in the name of raising money for childhood cancer research.
The event has seen as much talent as any over the years including a number of NBA players like Andrew Wiggins, Keldon Johnson, Bam Adebayo, Miles Bridges, Dwayne Bacon, Frank Mason and Harry Giles, among others. The second day this year featured eight games with teams from Virginia, West Virginia, Florida and North Carolina. Here’s a look at part two of the day two standouts, featuring the standouts from Virginia teams in the last few games of the day.
- Side Note: All stats referenced were official stats from Legit Sports Stats, one of the best stat keeping companies in the country.
Scores for day 2 games:
Game 1: George Wythe (Wytheville) 77 Chatham 63
Game 2: Calvary Day (NC) 71 Roanoke Catholic 69
Game 3: Cave Spring 64 Blacksburg 47
Game 4: Northwest Guilford (NC) 77 Northside 75
Game 5: Freedom Christian (NC) 62 Cape Henry 44
Game 6: East Rockingham 59 Floyd County 51
Game 7: Blue Ridge 68 Victory Rock (FL) 34
Game 8: Massanutten PG 80 Huntington Prep PG (WV) 54
Tanyan Sutphin | 6’1” PG | Floyd County 2021
Sutphin didn’t have his best shooting night in their loss to East Rock (none of the Buffaloes really did), but you have to admire the toughness and grit the kid plays with. At 6’1” he isn’t the biggest or most athletic guy but he isn’t afraid to mix it up in the paint on the glass, and he effects the game in so many ways across the board. He finished with 14 points, 8 rebounds and 4 steals in the game.
Josiah Banks | 6’4” F | Floyd County 2022
Banks is a guy who is chock full of potential and is one of the reasons I believe Floyd is going to be a team to reckon with in Class 2 moving forward, especially next year. The 6’4” forward is long and athletic, and he has a skill set that’s very hard to matchup with as he can play on the perimeter and mix it up in the paint. He showed touch out to the three-point line, he got after it defensively and he played with a lot of heart. He finished with 11 points and 4 rebounds in the loss.
Kaiden Swortzel | 6’2” F | Floyd County 2023
Swortzel continues to be one of the most impressive freshmen in that area, and while he’s undersized at his position he’s extremely crafty and plays hard on both ends. He was probably the biggest reason that most of the East Rock team was in foul trouble, as he used great footwork and an array of fakes and spins to draw contact on the offensive end, and he also took three charges on the defensive end. While he needs to work on his perimeter skill set moving forward, he’s already able to play in the post against much bigger guys and be effective. He finished with 19 points before fouling out, going 4-for-7 from the field and 11-for-17 from the line.
William Lee | 5’10” G | Blue Ridge 2020
Blue Ridge struggled on the first day in a close loss to NW Guilford, and Lee in particular struggled as him and others have dealt with illness over the last couple of weeks. However, I said it when he was 3-for-14 against NWG that it wouldn’t happen again, and it didn’t as he came out aggressive, confident and filled it up in bunches like he usually does. He was on fire in the first half going 4-for-7 from the field and 3-for-6 from deep, and with their blowout over Victory Rock he didn’t play much in the second half but still finished with 19 points and 3 assists in the win. He’s one of the best available combo guards in the state.
Mike Gray | 6’2” CG | Blue Ridge 2021
Gray also struggled from the field against NWG on Friday night going 5-for-20, but it was obvious it was rust as it was shots that I have seen him take and make with consistency over the past three or so years. Gray was fantastic in this one as he was aggressive but didn’t force things or take bad shots, and after he started scoring it well he used that to set up his teammates and make plays for them. He’s a true three level scorer that can play on or off the basketball and when he’s in a rhythm he makes the right play and makes others better as well. He finished with 20 points and 7 assists to just 2 turnovers, with shooting splits of 54%/60%/100% on the game.
Tyson Brown | 6’9” PF | Massanutten 2020
Before Massanutten’s game against Huntington Prep, their Head Coach Curtis Peery told me it would be crucial for Brown to play well with them missing two of their top guys, and boy did Brown step up and play well. From the very tip he showed he was going to have a great game with a big two handed slam, and it didn’t stop as he had the game of his life finishing with 40 points and 14 rebounds in their blowout win over HP. Brown did everything you’d want out of a face up four as he rebounded well on both ends, ran the floor hard and got easy buckets doing so, showed good touch in the midrange and played with great energy on both ends. He wasn’t just jacking up shots either as he was 19-for-25 from the field, and he scored all those points while only going to the free throw line twice the whole game.
Touba Traore | 6’11” C | Massanutten 2020
Traore is a project big man at the next level but one that has a very high ceiling and already plays with a high motor so he looks like one to take a chance on. Traore is already 6’11” but also has extremely long arms and is mobile and gets off his feet well allowing him to rebound at a high rate and contest shots even when he doesn’t block them. He doesn’t need to score to be effective but he is a good finisher around the rim and tries to dunk as much as he can. He finished with 8 points and 13 rebounds in their blowout win over Huntington Prep.
Benez Woodard | 6’3” G | Massanutten 2020
Woodard impressed me for the second time this season as a big guard that’s a two way impact guy. He has a great frame that’s college ready, he’s a blue collar guy who will rebound and defend multiple positions and he’s a playmaker off the bounce with great vision and passing ability. He’s an under the radar guy who could be a steal at the next level, as he finished with 10 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists in the win.