Team Preview: Booker T. Washington (6A)

<p>Booker T. Washington will be without the services of [player_tooltip player_id="535589" first="Bryce" last="Thompson"], [player_tooltip player_id="535593" first="Trey" last="Phipps"] or Jalen Breath this season. Coach Conley Phipps also called it quits following the 2020 season.</p> <p>Regardless, first-year Hornets coach Eli Brown does not look at the 2021 season as a lost cause, but rather a new chapter in Booker T. Washington’s basketball history.</p> [caption id="attachment_1087728" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/11/Kam-Parker.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1087728" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/11/Kam-Parker-300x217.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="217" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="955391" first="Kam" last="Parker"] (Joshua Cleary/Prep Hoops).[/caption] <p>"The expectation for me, as well as everyone else, is to go play for state," Brown said. "That may not seem like a legitimate expectation for what we lost. . . I see how people can gather that, but our success as a coaching staff is that we can get the most we can out of our players.</p> <p>"I firmly believe that this team can make a push for the State Tournament," Brown said.</p> <p>That push will start with [player_tooltip player_id="955391" first="Kam" last="Parker"] and [player_tooltip player_id="955394" first="Ijai" last="Johnson"]: the junior corps and only returning starters for the Hornets. Both were central in helping the Hornets to the 2019 Gold Ball, and their experience will be indispensable for Booker T. Washington’s campaign through the Frontier Conference, Brown said.</p> <p>"Anybody who’s been around high school basketball the last two years knows that those two guys are really essentially the only two returning contributors," Brown said, "so it’s going to be essential for those two to kinda lead the way in terms of what the expectations are for Booker T. basketball."</p> <p>Parker, a scoring guard, is a poised two-way contributor with shooting skills, defensive strengths and passing capabilities. He can distribute the ball into tough spots, both in the half- and full-court, often displaying great vision and floor leadership.</p> [caption id="attachment_1085290" align="alignleft" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/11/Kaden-Vande-Ijai-Johnson.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1085290" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/11/Kaden-Vande-Ijai-Johnson-300x188.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="188" /></a> Tuttle’s [player_tooltip player_id="958061" first="Kaden" last="Vande"] (left) and [player_tooltip player_id="955394" first="Ijai" last="Johnson"] (Joshua Cleary/Prep Hoops).[/caption] <p>Johnson is an athletic scorer with a similar skill-set. He also shoots the ball well, but does a great job attacking the rim and getting to the free-throw line, as well, and he can handle the responsibilities of a point guard when necessary.</p> <p>"[Kam and Ijai] work hard every day, they come in and compete," Brown said, "and I think they have us headed in the right direction."</p> <p>The Hornets will be playing a new style without the presence of a pure post and will rely on their speedy play and sharpshooting skills. Senior point guard Leo Ruffin will be stepping into an expanded role for the Hornets in their guard-centric offense, Brown said. </p> <p>"Leo is a very skilled passer," Brown said, "and he’s a wonderful shooter, and you mix that with senior leadership, and Leo has the opportunity to emerge as one of the better passers in the state and one of the better shooters in the state."</p> <p>Another senior leader, Chase Carpenter, will also bring a leadership aspect as a significant contributor, Brown said.</p> <p>Lathan Boone, a two-sport star at quarterback, will be helping Ruffin at the one, Brown said.</p> <p>"The first thing I think about is [Boone’s] poise," Brown said. "He’s very under-control. He’s a really good shooter and a really good subtle athlete. . . like, you don’t look at him and say ’he’s super athletic,’ but he is a sneaky athletic player."</p> <p>A host of two-sport athletes, including Boone, will be starring along the perimeter for Brown. Defensive lineman Jayden Oates and receiver Demitrius Prudom are among those players.</p> <p>"Kam and Ijai are those two that everybody knows," Brown said, "but there’s about eight more kids that could be in starting positions. We’ve got so many kids that are interchangeable, so that the style we’re playing, the numbers help us.</p> <p>"Once we get those football players in and acclimated, we plan on taking off and having a brand of basketball that’s exciting and fun to watch," Brown concluded.</p>