Sophomore Sensations Headline Standouts from Idaho's 2A Tournament

Another 2A season is in the books. Congratulations goes out to the players from North Fremont who took 1st, West Side who came in 2nd, and St. Maries on their 3rd place finish. With that, let’s take a look at the top performers from the tournament:   Jordan Lenz- 6’0 G, North Fremont 2022 Lenz was the best player in the 2A State Tournament. In fact, Lenz was the best player in all of 2A this year. As a sophomore, Lenz is poised to continue his run of dominance at his classification. He projects as a scoring point guard. He can get into the lane to create havoc around the basket. He has confidence to shoot over size. Lenz has a nice pull-up at midrange to keep his offensive game balanced. Can he shoot 3s? Why, yes he certainly can. Lenz has great handles that allow him to penetrate defenses who have constructed their whole game plan around stopping him. Offensively, Lenz has managed to put together a great skill set. With a couple more years to develop, it will be intriguing to see the type of player that he develops into by the end of his career.   Bryler Shurtliff- 6’1 G, West Side 2022 Shurtliff has the prototypical length that you are looking for in a basketball player. Someone once told me that height matters far less in basketball than people think. It is a game that needs length and Shurtliff has it in spades. He can attack the basket and can create shots for others as a wing player. He has a shooter’s mentality when he is given any room beyond the arch. Shurtliff can make shots from deep consistently. He gives great energy when the shot goes up to be in position to grab rebounds. It should be fun to watch the battles between Shurtliff and Lenz in the years to come as they compete for their respective 2A powerhouse schools.   Jordan Hess- 6’1 F, North Fremont 2020 The senior leader for the back-to-back state title winner, Hess is a strong versatile player. When he is in the post, he is tough to defend. Possessing a solid frame, Hess is able to get to his spots and finish with finesse around the basket. However, he also spends time initiating the offense and can take his defenders off the dribble. With his strength, it is hard for defenders to match-up against him. Defensively, Hess can hold his own against opposing post players or wings.   Isaac Frankman- 6’1 F, West Side 2020 In the championship game, Frankman drew the tough task of guarding Jordan Hess, however, Frankman was able to handle the assignment with tenacity. He did not back down from Hess whatsoever. A player who definitely leaves his mark defensively, Frankman was able to show an array of post moves and a soft touch off the glass to go shot-for-shot against Hess. He is a hard working player who leaves it all out on the court every game.   Tristan Gentry- 6’5 C, St. Maries 2022 Gentry is a true center for St. Maries. With an excellent combination of height and length, Gentry is able to be a constant presence in the post. He has such a soft touch around the rim that allows him to score with height defending him as well as allowing the payoff when guards are able to locate him between zones. Defensively, he is able to use his length to disrupt shots as well as grab loose boards. Only a sophomore, Gentry has time to grow his game as well as physically grow. Programs should be following Gentry to see if there is an opportunity to get a true post player.   Haydon Harmon- 6’3 F, Cole Valley Christian 2020 The senior for Cole Valley does just about everything for his team. He gets to be the one to defend opposing bigs but can switch onto wing players when the situation calls for it. He can score inside the arch but certainly initiates his game from outside the 3-point line. He likes to get the ball outside the line, facilitate for his teammates, shoot the shot when given space, or attack the hoop.   Randie Becktel- 6’4 F, St. Maries 2021 Becktel plays a similar game to teammate Tristan Gentry. He has the length and height that you look for from a wing player. The part of his game that is different is that he can stretch the court from beyond the arch. The highly efficient Becktel projects as a stretch-four. St. Maries has a talented roster shaping up for next season.   Trever Howe- 6’2 G, Malad 2020 Howe is a versatile wing player. When you see him, you expect that he is going to be used off-ball. However, he is the primary ball handler for Malad. The offense flows through him. He is a good decision maker who is able to facilitate plays for others. He can create his own shot. Additionally, Howe has decent size that allows him to score when he has space around the basket. Offensively, Howe is a good shooter who can capitalize on scoring opportunities.   Derek Hampton- 6’2 G, [player_tooltip player_id="929608" first="New" last="P"]lymouth 2020 The offense of [player_tooltip player_id="929608" first="New" last="P"]lymouth operates around creating opportunities for Hampton to score. Seldom does he initiate the offense; however, seldom is there a play where he does not touch the ball. He is an excellent 3-point shooter. [player_tooltip player_id="929608" first="New" last="P"]lymouth runs a good deal of action to get Hampton corner 3-point looks. He uses that constant threat of making long-range looks to utilize another plus tool in the tool chest that is his excellent step-back shot off of drives. Hampton plays the game calm, cool, and collected.   Honorable Mention:   Garrett Smith- 6’1 F, Cole Valley Christian 2021   [player_tooltip player_id="919709" first="Eli" last="Gibson"]- 6’2 G, St. Maries 2021   Traven Ward- 6’1 G, Malad 2021   Blaze Brown- 5’10 G, West Side 2022   Kyle Frie- 6’3 F, Grangeville 2020   Matt Hall- 6’5 F, [player_tooltip player_id="929608" first="New" last="P"]lymouth 2021   [player_tooltip player_id="919712" first="Aiden" last="Anderson"]- 6’0 G, Grangeville 2020   [player_tooltip player_id="917680" first="Caleb" last="Fong"]- 5’9 G, Melba 2020

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Sophomore Sensations Headline Standouts from Idaho’s 2A Tournament

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