Festgiving Classic: All-Classic Team (Part III)

The Festgiving Classic was definitely a fantastic way to begin the prep basketball season. The two-day, shootout style event was deep with talent. In this final installment, I will highlight the another talented set of players who made this event a must attend event. [player_tooltip player_id="977259" first="Cooper" last="Rachow"] (Slidell / 6’3" / 2021) - Rachow was another Bengal Tiger that kept them connected to Hahnville while they made their run late. His 15 second half points came from him attacking the rim and not settling for threes. Rachow kept taking the ball to the rim and finding little resistance. If he can continue to attack in this manner while making triples, Rachow will be hard to stop as the season progresses. [player_tooltip player_id="781853" first="John-Paul" last="Ricks"] (Jehovah-Jireh / 6’0" / 2022) - Even in a loss, JP Ricks shows people why he is such a good player. He changes pace in the open floor extremely well. Ricks knows how to create contact to get to the foul line and he makes the opposition pay when he gets there. On this day, his clutchness did not travel with him in crunchtime. However, Ricks is a player who held his own during Festgiving. [player_tooltip player_id="970133" first="Tyler" last="Ringgold"] (Southern Lab / 6’7" / 2023) - Ringgold has one of those versatile skill sets that a lot of players dream about. He is long, athletic, and can do multiple things on the floor. In the Southern Lab win over Crescent City, his 12 points came in various ways. He scored in the paint, made a three, and hit critical free throws in the fourth quarter. Tyler’s solid Festgiving game should hint of more to come from him. Amir Rios (East St John / 6’3" / 2023) - Rios is a 6’3" sophomore who fits the profile of a basketball player. He is athletic, has good court awareness, and is good at several things on the court. Rios is good at shooting the corner three, and he is not afraid to attack the rim. He is not shy about guarding the best player on the other team. His 16 point effort was a bright spot in the ESJ loss to Cecilia. [player_tooltip player_id="980482" first="Zavier" last="Sims"] (Liberty / 6’2" / 2021) - Sims is as steady as it gets at the point guard position. However, when Liberty played Holy Cross at the Festgiving Classic, Sims put up 8 and 9 point quarters on his way to 20-plus point performance. Whether it was via turnover in the press or at thre charity strip, Sims made the best of his visit to New Orleans. [player_tooltip player_id="566569" first="Derrick" last="Tezeno"] (North Central / 6’5" / 2021) - While he put up a great effort of his own on Day 2 of the Festgiving Classic (scoring 22 points), the Hurricanes could not muster enough to take McMain. Tezeno showed the ability to handle pressure and break double teams by himself. His guard skills have improved along with his outside shot making. Even in a loss, Tezeno displayed why he is one of the Boot’s top players. [player_tooltip player_id="765903" first="Jamond" last="Vincent"] (LB Landry / 6’3" / 2021) - Vincent had his own acrobatic dunkfest during his 30 point performance at Festgiving. Not only did he show off his athelticism, he put players in compromising positions all game. Defenders could not stay in front of him driving to the cup and they did not effect his shot because he could jump higher than everyone. His performance was one of the top three from the weekend. N’Derius Walker (East Ascension / 6’0" / 2023) - The Spartan sophomore was the spark in their attempted comeback against Jesuit. Walker was able to penetrate the lane and shoot his floater almost at will. He also got to the free throw line plenty during the 4th quarter. His 18 points might not have been enough to pull out that game, but it was a stellar performance for a guard filling big shoes at East Ascension. Cole White (Holy Cross / 6’6" / 2023) - White was one of the most active players during the Festgiving Classic. Holy Cross did not run any plays for the sophomore but he made the most of the opportunities he was given. White crashed the boards and finished in the paint time and time again. His 17 points was not enough to pull off the win against Liberty. However, he made his mark as one of the best during the Classic. [player_tooltip player_id="781863" first="Jacob" last="Wilson"] (Liberty / 6’4" / 2022) - Players who affect the game without scoring are valuable and Wilson fit that persona. While Wilson only scored twelve points during the contest with Holy Cross, it was his activity at the top of the Liberty pressure that caused plenty of Tiger mistakes. He and his teammates converted those mistakes into points. What he did defensively for team success helped Wilson be one of Festgiving’s finest. Joe Bob Wiltz (Cecilia / 6’5" / 2022) - Wiltz 31 point performance was definitely one of the most impressive outings of the weekend. He punished East St. John at the rim with several layups and And-1 finishes. Wiltz added a three pointer and a couple of breakaway finishes to his dominate performance. While Ledet is the go-to-guy for this Cecilia team, Wiltz put Festgiving observers notice that he is force as well. This classic produced many minutes of good basketball over the two day period. The talent at Loyola-New Orleans was definitely top notch. I am definitely looking forward to the next installment of the Festgiving Classic.

The Festgiving Classic was definitely a fantastic way to begin the prep basketball season. The two-day, shootout style event was deep with talent. In this final installment, I will highlight the another talented set of players who made this event a must attend event.

Cooper Rachow Cooper Rachow 6'3" | SG Slidell | 2021 State LA (Slidell / 6’3" / 2021) - Rachow was another Bengal Tiger that kept them connected to Hahnville while they made their run late. His 15 second half points came from him attacking the rim and not settling for threes. Rachow kept taking the ball to the rim and finding little resistance. If he can continue to attack in this manner while making triples, Rachow will be hard to stop as the season progresses.

John-Paul Ricks John-Paul Ricks 6'0" | PG Jehovah-Jireh | 2022 State #206 Nation LA (Jehovah-Jireh / 6’0" / 2022) - Even in a loss, JP Ricks shows people why he is such a good player. He changes pace in the open floor extremely well. Ricks knows how to create contact to get to the foul line and he makes the opposition pay when he gets there. On this day, his clutchness did not travel with him in crunchtime. However, Ricks is a player who held his own during Festgiving.

Tyler Ringgold Tyler Ringgold 6'7" | SF Legacy Early College | 2023 State SC (Southern Lab / 6’7" / 2023) - Ringgold has one of those versatile skill sets that a lot of players dream about. He is long, athletic, and can do multiple things on the floor. In the Southern Lab win over Crescent City, his 12 points came in various ways. He scored in the paint, made a three, and hit critical free throws in the fourth quarter. Tyler’s solid Festgiving game should hint of more to come from him.

Amir Rios (East St John / 6’3" / 2023) - Rios is a 6’3" sophomore who fits the profile of a basketball player. He is athletic, has good court awareness, and is good at several things on the court. Rios is good at shooting the corner three, and he is not afraid to attack the rim. He is not shy about guarding the best player on the other team. His 16 point effort was a bright spot in the ESJ loss to Cecilia.

Zavier Sims Zavier Sims 6'2" | PG Liberty Magnet | 2021 State LA (Liberty / 6’2" / 2021) - Sims is as steady as it gets at the point guard position. However, when Liberty played Holy Cross at the Festgiving Classic, Sims put up 8 and 9 point quarters on his way to 20-plus point performance. Whether it was via turnover in the press or at thre charity strip, Sims made the best of his visit to New Orleans.

Derrick Tezeno Derrick Tezeno 6'5" | SF North Centrals | 2021 State LA (North Central / 6’5" / 2021) - While he put up a great effort of his own on Day 2 of the Festgiving Classic (scoring 22 points), the Hurricanes could not muster enough to take McMain. Tezeno showed the ability to handle pressure and break double teams by himself. His guard skills have improved along with his outside shot making. Even in a loss, Tezeno displayed why he is one of the Boot’s top players.

Jamond Vincent Jamond Vincent 6'2" | SG Landry-Walker | 2021 State LA (LB Landry / 6’3" / 2021) - Vincent had his own acrobatic dunkfest during his 30 point performance at Festgiving. Not only did he show off his athelticism, he put players in compromising positions all game. Defenders could not stay in front of him driving to the cup and they did not effect his shot because he could jump higher than everyone. His performance was one of the top three from the weekend.

N’Derius Walker (East Ascension / 6’0" / 2023) - The Spartan sophomore was the spark in their attempted comeback against Jesuit. Walker was able to penetrate the lane and shoot his floater almost at will. He also got to the free throw line plenty during the 4th quarter. His 18 points might not have been enough to pull out that game, but it was a stellar performance for a guard filling big shoes at East Ascension.

Cole White (Holy Cross / 6’6" / 2023) - White was one of the most active players during the Festgiving Classic. Holy Cross did not run any plays for the sophomore but he made the most of the opportunities he was given. White crashed the boards and finished in the paint time and time again. His 17 points was not enough to pull off the win against Liberty. However, he made his mark as one of the best during the Classic.

Jacob Wilson Jacob Wilson 6'5" | SF Liberty | 2022 State LA (Liberty / 6’4" / 2022) - Players who affect the game without scoring are valuable and Wilson fit that persona. While Wilson only scored twelve points during the contest with Holy Cross, it was his activity at the top of the Liberty pressure that caused plenty of Tiger mistakes. He and his teammates converted those mistakes into points. What he did defensively for team success helped Wilson be one of Festgiving’s finest.

Joe Bob Wiltz (Cecilia / 6’5" / 2022) - Wiltz 31 point performance was definitely one of the most impressive outings of the weekend. He punished East St. John at the rim with several layups and And-1 finishes. Wiltz added a three pointer and a couple of breakaway finishes to his dominate performance. While Ledet is the go-to-guy for this Cecilia team, Wiltz put Festgiving observers notice that he is force as well.

This classic produced many minutes of good basketball over the two day period. The talent at Loyola-New Orleans was definitely top notch. I am definitely looking forward to the next installment of the Festgiving Classic.