Holiday Tournament Standouts

<p>From the Doc Edwards tournament in Shreveport to the Sunkist Shootout in Lafayette, the hoops action has been white hot. There have been plenty of top notch performances that have turned heads of fans and coaches alike. In this holiday edition, we will take a look at standout preps from several holiday tournaments.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="765931" first="Gage" last="Larvadain"] / 5’9" / 2021 / Riverside Academy</strong></p> <p>The holidays have been good to Larvadain.  In the Rumble on the River (Madison Prep) and the Sunkist Shootout (St. Thomas More), Larvadain has had 30 point performances.  He is a ligthening quick point guard who loves to shoot it from deep.  His range extends well past the three point line and he will shoot it if you are not guarding him tightly.  Larvadain is also good in penetration and kick situations.  Defenses contract on him and his deep penetration constantly.  Even at his small stature, he still finds open shooters.  Larvadain and his scoring can keep Riverside in any game.  When he is allowed to penetrate, Riverside is very difficult to beat.  </p> <p><strong>Nick Hudson / 6’3" / 2020 / Southern Lab</strong></p> <p>Hudson is a more decorated football player.  However, during the Rumble on the River, Hudson was the key in Southern Lab making their semifinal run.  Hudson has an old school feel to his game.  He can back a defender down from the wing and shoot over them or post up.  Hudson is also good at shooting the corner three when the post is doubled.  During their contest against Jehovah-Jireh, Hudson twice took big shots to keep Lab even or ahead.  Then, he made the winning free throws for the Kittens.  While basketball might not be his primary sport, he has an ability to take and make big shots.  Those traits are why he is a Holiday tournament standout.  </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="848257" first="Victor" last="Dupre"] / 6’2" / 2020 / Lafayette Christian (pictured above)</strong></p> <p>Sometimes your best assets are highlighted in a particular setting.  For [player_tooltip player_id="848257" first="Victor" last="Dupre"] in the championship game of the Holiday Classic at Northwest High, his shooting and defense were front and center.  Dupre, who seems to have the wingspan of a 6’6" or 6’7" wing, knocked down open jumper after open jumper during the contest.  When he was not making outside shots, he was defending all three perimeter positions and disrupting any Northwest offensive attempts.  Dupre can fill it up quickly from the perimeter.  If he gets going, Lafayette Christian is tough to handle.  </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="848210" first="Billy" last="Francis"], Jr. / 6’2" / 2020 / Lafayette Christian</strong></p> <p>Francis has been one who has expanded his game.  Last year he was more of a shooter.  Against Northwest in the Holiday Classic, he showed that he is more than a shooter.  Francis was able to help his team win by taking players off the dribble and either scoring or getting fouled in the lane.  While he did has his signature spot up going, Francis has added a dribble pull up to his perimeter game.  There were even a couple of possessions where Francis posted up.  Lafayette Christian did go on to win the tournament final and Francis was a big part.  Francis showed that he can do multiple things on the offensive end.  That can only help LCA going forward.  </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="687739" first="Brayden" last="Thompson"] / 6’6" / 2020 / Airline </strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2018/08/Brayden-Thompson.jpg"></a></p> <p>Thompson has really improved his game over his four years at Airline.  His first round triple double against BTW-Shreveport was the best example of that.  Thompson has always been a good rebounder.  In this game, he used his size to position himself for putbacks or tip-ins.  What was even better on the offensive end was his passing from the high post.  He found cutters from the wings and baselines for layups on numerous occassions.  On the defensive end, Booker T. guards would challenge the paint and he would send shots away.  Eleven times he rejected shots.  His defense and offensive game are very good.  Thompson can anchor a Viking playoff push as district begins.  </p> <p>Holiday hoops have been very good and are ending this weekend in various areas of the state.  Next week, most teams will be moving into district play.  Look for these players to be big parts of their teams success as the season moves towards the playoffs.  </p> <p>&nbsp;</p>