Acadiana’s Rising Stars: Part 1

Clifton Dixon

May 17, 2020 @ 12:05 PM

We take a trip down to South Louisiana to check out some of the Rising Stars Of Acadiana (Opelousas, Ville Platte, Lafayette and surrounding areas) Acadiana has a rich basketball tradition and is the home to many traditional powerhouse programs such as the Northside Vikings (Lafayette, LA), St. Thomas Moore Cougars (Lafayette, LA), New Iberia Yellow Jackets (New Iberia, LA), Comeaux Spartans (Lafayette, LA) and The Carencro Bears (Carencro, LA) and some of the newer power programs such as Lafayette Christian Academy (Lafayette, LA), Breaux Bridge Tigers (Breaux Bridge, LA) and the North Central Hurricanes (Lebeau, LA) just to name a few. These top tier programs are in the State Championship conversation every year and not only have the championship hardware to show it, but more importantly the players to show it. The basketball programs in Acadiana produce next level talent every year and the 2020-2021 season will be no exception. That’s take a look at some Acadian’s top players from the Class Of ’21 and ’22. *THIS IS NOT A RANKING*   1. [player_tooltip player_id="765916" first="Carter" last="Domingue"] (Class Of ’21) 6-3, G/F - ST. Thomas Moore Cougars (Lafayette, LA) *Class 4-A All-State First-Team Selection *District 5-4A MVP and First Team Selection *Superior Shooter *Excellent Playmaker (Led Team In Assists) *Clutch Performer *Ultimate Team Player *Proven Winner and Leader *Does Not Need To Have The Ball In His Hands To Have An Impact On The Game   2. [player_tooltip player_id="765919" first="Jaden" last="Shelvin"] (Class Of ’21) 6-2, G - ST. Thomas Moore Cougars (Lafayette, LA) *Class 4-A All-State Second Team Selection *District 5-4A First Team Selection *Big Game Performer That Performs Well Under Pressure *Versatile Offensive Player *Slasher *Can Easily Get Into The Lane *Gets To The Free Throw Line Effectively *Finishes At The Rim Well (Most Of Shelvin’s Scoring Comes At The Rim)   3. [player_tooltip player_id="931050" first="Bailey" last="Despanie"] (Class Of ’21) 6-1, G - Carencro Bears (Carencro, LA) *Class 4-A All-State Honorable Mention *District 5-4A First Team Selection *Shoots The 3-Point Ball Well *Solid Pull-Up Game *Excellent Defender *Has The Ability To Finish At The Rim *Solid Penetrator *Tough, Athletic Player   4. [player_tooltip player_id="765932" first="Jayden" last="Lazard"] (Class Of ’21) 6-1, PG - Opelousas Tigers (Opelousas, LA) *Class 4-A All-State Honorable Mention *District 6-4A First-Team Selection *Can Play and Defend Both Guard Positions *Excellent Ball Handles *Easily Penetrates Into The Lane and Finishes At The Rim *Scrappy Defender (Plays The Passing Lanes And Great On Ball Defender). *Excellent 3-Point Shooter *Very Smooth and Dynamic Offensive Player *Can Easily Create For Himself and Teammates (Very Unselfish Player) *Can Create Off The Dribble *Athletic (Good Leaping Ability) * Great Court Vision and Play making Skills *Can Control The Tempo Of The Game   5. Kylan Williams (Class Of ’21) 6-5, G/F - Opelousas Tigers (Opelousas, LA) * Class 4-A All-State Honorable Mention *District 6-4A Second Team Selection *Versatile Offensive/Defensive Player *Excellent Size and Length *Handles The Ball Well *Can Create His Own Shot *Elite 3-Point Shooter *Solid Defender (Never Gives Up On Plays, Effectively Plays The Passing Lanes and Effectively Turns Defense Into Offense)