2021 Under The Radar Prospects

James Richards

May 4, 2020 @ 10:08 AM

Prep Hoops West Virginia released its inaugural 2021 class rankings this week and the updated list features 75 players. Here Prep Hoops takes a look at the four of the most under the radar players in the class of 2021 in WV.   [player_tooltip player_id="977521" first="Troy" last="Battle"] - Morgantown 2021 Battle, a 6’2” SG from Morgantown, is someone who needs to be talked about more. Because everyone on Morgantown gets similar numbers, you tend to hear about some of their players. Battle is a good scorer and can do it from all 3 levels. He shoots the ball very well from mid range and is a decent 3 point shooter. Battle finishes well and is skilled with both hands. Troy is a solid ball handler and has decent court vision and passing. Defensively he is one of the best perimeter defenders in the state and guards 1-3. This kid is willing to do whatever to come up with a loose ball. He will guard the other team’s best player, he will step up and take a charge, he will make the open shot. Troy is someone who can fit into any role and is tough as nails on top of that. He is a good rebounder for his position. D2’s need to be all over Battle.   [player_tooltip player_id="977531" first="Leo" last="Lin"] - Teays Valley 2021 Lin, a 6’4” forward, from Teays Valley is someone who really surprised me this year. At 6’4” he is able to be used at the 3 and even can be used as a stretch 4. Lin scores the ball from all 3 levels. He shoots the ball very well from both mid range and from the 3. He is a solid finisher and uses ball fakes well when inside. Lin is a decent ball handler for his position and is a solid passer. Defensively, he is able to guard 2-4. Lin plays extremely hard and that allows him to defend multiple positions. He’s not the fastest and he doesn’t jump the highest but he’s able to guard the 2-4. I really tip my hat off to him on that one. He also rebounds very well for his size. D2’s, NAIA’s and D3’s need to reach out.   [player_tooltip player_id="977547" first="Camden" last="Lawrence"] - Richwood 2021 Lawrence, a 6’0” combo guard from Richwood had a terrific junior season. He really surprised me with the development of his game. I had seen him in April of 2019 and then I saw him in December 2019 and was pleasantly surprised with his improvements. Cam is a solid scorer who scores from all 3 levels. He is a good shooter from mid range and is a solid shooter from 3. Lawrence is a good ball handler with solid passing. Cam takes so much pride in defense. He is always somewhere making that hustle play. He takes a ton of charges, dives on all loose balls and will fight inside to try to get a rebound. D3’s need to call Lawrence.   [player_tooltip player_id="977539" first="Joe" last="Patterson"] - Huntington 2021 Patterson, standing at 6’1”, is able to play either guard spot. To me, he is better at the 2, but with his passing and ball handling abilities, he is also able to play the point. He is a solid mid range shooter who is able to make shots off the catch or he is able to hit pull up jumpers. He sees the floor well, is a good passer and makes solid reads. Defensively, he’s solid and can guard 1’s and 2’s because of his length and lateral quickness. His numbers don’t represent really how good he is either being that he was used as the fourth option, and with Torin Lochow graduated and off to Marietta College, it will give Joe a bigger role on offense. Last season, Joe averaged 4.1 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.8 blocks per game. High level D3’s should reach out.