Week 2 Scouting Report: Standout Seniors

<p>The high school basketball season is finally underway in Texas. I had the opportunity to attend two Week 2 matchups. The McKinney Boyd Broncos grabbed a 43-41 road victory over the Hebron Hawks on Tuesday, and the iSchool of Lewisville Cougars hosted and defeated the Waxahachie Indians 87-83 on Friday in an exciting matchup that featured several highly touted prospects. </p> <p>Here are five standout seniors from this past week’s action:</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="594588" first="C.J." last="Noland"] | 2021 | 6’4’’ Shooting Guard | Waxahachie HS</strong> - The No. 8 ranked prospect in our <a href="https://prephoops.com/texas/rankings/2021-rankings/">Prep Hoops Texas 2021 rankings</a> was nothing short of dominant vs. iSchool of Lewisville. Noland feasted in the paint. He was virtually unstoppable when he decided to put the ball on the floor and take it to the basket. His combination of strength and finishing ability near the hoop is exceptional. The Oklahoma commit is simply too strong for guards to defend and too quick for wings and bigs to keep up with. He also had a solid night shooting from distance. He had a good game rebounding and passing the ball as well. Noland ended his night with a monster stat line: 42 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists.</p> <p><strong> [player_tooltip player_id="959054" first="Elijah" last="Taylor"] | 2021 | 5’10’’ Point Guard | iSchool of Lewisville</strong> - Taylor is the captain and senior leader of the Cougars. He is an excellent distributor who makes smart decisions with the basketball. He is also a very capable scorer. The 2021 floor general showed the ablity to hit mid-range jumpers off the dribble in transition. He had an efficient night shooting from behind the arc too, making both of his three-point attempts on Friday. Furthermore, he is a scrappy defender who finds ways to make plays at that end of the court. Taylor finished the game with eight points, four rebounds, six assists, one steal, and one block. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1047575" first="Montez" last="Young Jr."] | 2021 | 6’5’’ Small Forward | Waxahachie HS</strong> - Young is a freak athlete who can jump out of the gym. His explosive leaping ability allows him to play bigger than his size. The senior forward plays above the rim in transition and was responsible for numerous high-flying slams against iSchool of Lewisville.  That said, Young Jr. is more than just an athlete on the wing. He was extremely active on the glass at both ends and regularly pulled down rebounds over opponents who boasted a significant height advantage. Additionally, the Waxahachie wing displayed a relentless motor, drilled a catch-and-shoot three, made some nice passes, and defended multiple positions. He is certainly someone to keep an eye on this season. </p> <p><strong>David Deal | 2021 | 5’11’’ Point Guard | Hebron HS</strong> - Deal is a gritty player at the one spot. His hustle was never in question vs. McKinney Boyd on Tuesday. He is an accurate facilitator who has a knack for delivering drive-and-kick passes on the money. As a scorer, the Hebron senior made a big-time three off the dribble late in the game that brought the Hawks within four points of the lead, showing that he isn’t afraid to take shots when the game is on the line. Beyond that, Deal did a great job of crashing the offensive boards to earn his team extra possessions.</p> <p><strong> Tate Stevens | 2021 | 6’1’’ Shooting Guard | McKinney Boyd HS</strong> - Stevens is one of those guys who constantly makes plays that won’t show up in the box score. The starting two-guard for the Broncos dives for loose balls, consistently sprints up and down the court, and plays hard from start to finish. He shines the most on the defensive end of the floor. The 2021 guard prospect gets down into a stance and sticks to his man while also keeping his head on a swivel in order to play the passing lanes. He was responsible for the defensive play of the game vs. Hebron, blocking the Hawks’ last-second three-point attempt which ultimately enabled McKinney Boyd to escape with a win. </p>