2021 Rankings Update: Players whose impact goes beyond scoring

<p>PHC released the 2021 rankings update and, with that, broke down some of the top players in the class. With that, some players fall under the wayside. Here are some players who, off the top of my head, make an impact that goes beyond scoring. </p> <h2 style="text-align: center;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="916981" first="Austin" last="Peterson"] – Green Mountain</strong></h2> <p>Green Mountain was a surprise standout team last season that took 4A by storm. They began the season on a tear, calmed down, and then got back to their winning ways. Green Mountain played the right way and was a strong defensive team. One of the standout players that gave them an identity was combo-guard [player_tooltip player_id="916981" first="Austin" last="Peterson"]. Peterson was the team’s second-leading scorer as he put up 11.2 points and three boards a game. He is a hard-working guard that can get hot, and once he finds a groove is difficult to slow down. This summer, we saw him in a private workout and the Colorado Chaos, and he adds toughness to his unit. For the Chaos, he pushes the pace offensively as he relentlessly attacks the basket, stops and pops for open shots, and can create for himself off of the dribble. He is also a great positional rebounder that refuses to give up on battles. He provides great energy, defends without fouling, and is hunting for baskets throughout the game. Peterson will be a delight to have at a small school as his play is contagious, and this upcoming season should be able to improve in every way as he appears to be a gym rat that loves the game. </p> <h2 style="text-align: center;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1050937" first="Brayden" last="Legette"] – Eaglecrest</strong></h2> <p>Legette is a player who was on JV last season for Eaglecrest as they were top-heavy but will step into a situation where he will be able to prove himself in an important senior season. This summer for Colorado Mayhem, Legette was a player to watch as he showed glimpses. Legette is a true point guard who gets others involved, sees the floor well, and fights on every possession defensively. We saw him in a tournament where he was named the tourney MVP after leading his team to win after win with creative finishes at the rim, consistently knocking down shots and getting teammates involved. Legette is a leader on the court as he works hard on both ends of the floor and makes winning plays. Hopefully, he has continued to work on his game as I am eager to see how he can be utilized on a team going through some changes. The opportunity will be there; he just has to seize the moment.</p> <h2 style="text-align: center;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="965763" first="Braden" last="Boley"] – Legend</strong></h2> <p>Boley had a balanced statline and was an important piece to an exciting to watch Legend squad as a junior. He put up 8.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.0 assists a game as a versatile combo-forward that excels on both ends of the floor. The highlight of his season came on a buzzer-beater to give the Titans a buzzer-beating finish over Ponderosa. He does a bit of everything for the team and is a swiss-army-knife in that regard. Heading into his senior season, he will have to continue to provide that balance. Only one thing – it will be at Chaparral. The All-Conference Honorable Mention player will be going across town to the Wolverines and will immediately step into a position where he will be one of the team’s best players. He will be given the keys to the offense and will be asked to score the ball more. He will have to showcase the ability to score from all three levels, lead the defense and rebound as well. Boley will be a player to watch, and I feel confident in saying that he will be one of the most improved players this year and top transfers.</p> <h2 style="text-align: center;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="916988" first="Jayden" last="Foster"] – Rangeview</strong></h2> <p>Foster is a player that truly stars in his role and is an ultimate winner. Not often does a player understand that he can do all of the small things, and it translates to team success, but Foster has found his niche. Foster is a state champion who had a good chance of repeating, and what he does for his team goes beyond the scoreboard. Foster is an undersized big that plays with heart and above his size. He rebounds hard, sets hard screens, and gets his clean-up baskets. On defense, he is locked in as he can step onto smaller players and hold his own and his an aggressive defender that gets in the mix with bigger guys. Foster protects the rim, runs the floor, and is the ultimate teammate, and that was apparent this summer as well as he stuck with the Rangeview group with the Colorado Miners and brought those untaught intangibles to the squad as they picked up wins. He is a player that smalls schools should be on as he brings a defensive identity, toughness, and a winning attitude to where he is. Foster is a winner.  </p> <h2 style="text-align: center;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1050941" first="Graham" last="Kroll"] – Faith Christian</strong></h2> <p>I could find no statistics to attest to Kroll’s efficiency or volume, but my eyes tell me he was a very valuable player to that Faith Christian team when he did get to play. His size makes a huge impact, both height, and strength. He is 6’2 and will outmuscle most players he faces at this level, but he is also agile at getting to the rim and finishing through traffic. He will give defenders what looks like slight bumps, but he coordinates his body well enough through the motion that he creates space while staying controlled and not fouling. He has excellent hands around the basket and also can step out and shoot it as well. There are a lot of little things in his game to appreciate, like him keeping the ball above his head on rebounds and going right up on putbacks. On offense, he puts his body on defenders for control and either finishes or gets to the FT line. Kroll looked better in the summer as he showcased his athleticism and stepped out on the wing. This extremely high academic player is a prospect that small schools and DIII schools should be all over as he brings plenty of intangibles as a complete player that has not even played his best ball.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>