Region by Region: Class A Breakout Player Candidates (SD)

Ryan James August 27, 2020 @ 05:03 PM

Top players we have our eyes on for a breakout 2020-21 season? Here is the PHD list! Region 1. [player_tooltip player_id="975524" first="Dylan" last="Goodhart"] of Sisseton (sr). Dylan is a 6-foot-2 wing from Sisseton that is a top 50 player in the South Dakota senior class. He was a third team all league player last year and is ready to make a first team push. His left handed shooting stroke will be one of the more dangerous of it’s type in the senior class. A shot maker, contested or open, Dylan is a shot maker. Region 2. [player_tooltip player_id="975617" first="Layton" last="Eide"] of Deuel (sr). Layton can play either guard spot but his scoring feel is very tempting to call plays for. Scored 18 a game last winter and has the potential for a top five scoring numbers senior year push. Region 3. Tyler Johnson of Tri-Valley (sr). What we saw from Tyler Johnson is very encouraging for his senior campaign. Johnson has the skill to play away from the basket but the strength at 6-foot-5 and 200 pounds to make a home in the paint. Scored 12-13 a game last season for Tri-Valley finishing at a higher than 50 percent rate. Region 4. Jeffrey Worth of Tea Area (sr). Tea Area was better than expected last season despite a full team lacking varsity experience. Now that most the talent in the Titan uniform is experienced you are going to see execution that devastates teams. The [player_tooltip player_id="812209" first="Cael" last="Lundin"] and Jeffrey Worth combination could really reek havoc. Lundin is Class A’s best player and will draw attention, that will leave Worth on the wing with space to change games. Worth has a shooting stroke that’s up for the task as well. Region 5. [player_tooltip player_id="963774" first="Reed" last="Rus"] of Mt Vernon/Plankinton (so). There is a maturity to Reed’s game that I think is going to lead to a massive sophomore year. This is a physical competitor with the skills to be a main weapon for MVP, but more importantly Reed makes veteran like plays on both ends that lead to bigger plays. He’s one of the better "next pass" players we saw over the summer, Rus is the type of defender that fights that extra step to spots stopping the play, and he’s a very good "one more dribble attack" player who can sink defenses. Take the veteran plays and add the main option ability and you have a strong sophomore. Region 6. [player_tooltip player_id="963771" first="Elias" last="Sims"] of McLaughlin (so). A top 30 sophomore and climbing player. Sims averaged 15.8 points and 8.8 rebounds a game as a 6-foot-4 freshman wing. With numbers like that the next steps are exciting. Already honored by the league a couple times already, and Sims is now becoming an experienced player with good size. Agile player that will learn to use that mobility as a defender that makes quick transition plays. Region 7. [player_tooltip player_id="968161" first="Tristan" last="LeBeau"] of Pine Ridge (jr). Tristan is a player we have had our eyes on for some time as a potential breakout guy for a quality team. Tristan has good size at 6-foot-5 with a growing skill set. He came on later in the season in blowout wins against Bennett County and St. Francis Indian with huge numbers, and then earned a bigger role and played very well against Little Wound. We expect Tristan to take a next big step. Region 8. [player_tooltip player_id="975604" first="Wrider" last="Allison"] of Hot Springs (sr). A wing that needs to be located each night is 6-foot-3 senior wing [player_tooltip player_id="975604" first="Wrider" last="Allison"]. A double figure scoring wing with strength and skill, Allison earned all league honors as a top scorer in his league. This season should be an even bigger jump with Allison able to use his physical gifts to score in high percentage ways at the rim, and continue to move around the floor clearing defenders to get into his jumper.