Week 1 Scouting Report: Standout Forwards

The Texas high school basketball season is finally underway. Week one got off to a hot start giving us plenty of highlight plays, some upset wins, along with several high scoring and breakout performances. Here are just a few forwards that had an impactful or breakout performance during the opening week. <div> <div> </div> Arlington Martin 74, Lancaster 71 | [player_tooltip player_id="959059" first="Jalen" last="Williams"] | Small Forward | Lancaster | 2021 | <div style="padding-left: 40px;"> Texas top 100 recruit, [player_tooltip player_id="959059" first="Jalen" last="Williams"], is one of the best contributors you could ask for, the senior forward doesn’t care about stats, Williams focuses on doing what he can for the betterment of his team. During this game Jalen made several impactful plays defensively, the ball continuously fell right into his grasp just by him keeping his hands out and high, making him extremely effective in the passing lanes and on the boards. Strong hands, once Jalen had a grip on the ball there was no taking it away from him, a few tried but had no luck. [player_tooltip player_id="959059" first="Jalen" last="Williams"] is the type of player every winning team needs, he’s one of those teammates that anyone would love to go to war with, he’s willing to guard any player on the court, he’s a team-first player, and you always know he’s going to give 110% each time up the floor. </div> </div> <div> </div> <div> | [player_tooltip player_id="958622" first="Markeis" last="Sykes"] | Small Forward | Lancaster | 2022 | This Texas ranked forward is an essential piece to the success the Tigers will have this season. [player_tooltip player_id="958622" first="Markeis" last="Sykes"] is a tough gritty defensive player who takes pride in locking his man down. This defensive stopper gets all of the hustle points, he makes remarkable effort plays. Whenever he was on the floor, there was a noticeable difference in the amount of pressure being placed on the glass and the number of rebounds being pulled down both offensive and defensively. Sykes caused problems with his length, timing, and anticipation on defense and when going after rebounds. </div> <div> | Anthony Madison | Small Forward | Arlington Martin | 2021 | Anthony Madison brought the energy and competitive spirit for the Warriors. This tough kid wasn’t afraid to go inside and get physical with Lancaster’s big men. His outstanding effort on both ends of the floor resulted in him making some very effective plays that changed the course of the game. Anthony Madison was a vital reason Arlington Martin was able to come back, take the lead, and pull away with the victory. </div> North Crowley 71, Fort Worth Dunbar 60 | Marques Sales | Power Forward | North Crowley | 2021 | North Crowley’s 6 foot 6 inch, big body postman was the strongest player in the whole gym. Marques Sales got hacked a lot early on, leading him to the free-throw line where he was a very efficient shooter, making each shot count by going 4-4 from the stripe in the first quarter and 9-9 in the full game. For a big man, Marques is impressively skilled on the offensive end, showing the ability to put the ball on the floor, get to the rim, and finish. Sneaky range, he even displayed the ability to stretch the floor and pop out to the corner three effectively. Sales was a major key to the Panthers taking off with the lead in the second half, even making some big-time electric plays. Marques had a play where he received the ball in the post and threw it down off two feet with two hands, energizing all of his teammates and the entire crowd in attendance. Dunbar had no answer for Marques Sales or his post moves down low. <div> DasCHE 70, Newman International Academy 65 | Trey Fraizer | Small Forward | Newman International Academy | 2021 | Freak athlete, [player_tooltip player_id="765910" first="Trey" last="Frazier"], never disappoints, you’re always in for a show when he’s on the court. As usual, he was incredibly active across the board on both ends of the floor against DasCHE. He played well to his strengths, using his length and timing to be productive on the defensive glass. Frazier got his body in front of a man as soon as a shot went up, this effort helped him lead his team in rebounds from beginning to end. His rebounding is one of his best assets, Trey is able to leap higher than anyone on the floor and he’s strong enough and physical enough to compete on the boards against bigger, stronger guys. He’ll become even better as he puts on weight and strengthens his body. His conditioning also stood out, there wasn’t a single moment where he was tired or looked winded, the young man can jump and run the court all day long. [player_tooltip player_id="765910" first="Trey" last="Frazier"]’s best highlight play of the game came in the first quarter where he threw down a nasty windmill dunk on the fast break. </div>