Monsignor Martin League Breakout Candidates: Guards

<p><b><i>Western New York is an underrated basketball hotspot chockful of promising, talented recruits. The 2019-2020 Monsignor Martin League (Buffalo NY) was highly competitive and produced many memorable moments for both teams and individuals alike. This article will focus on 4 Guards that are poised for a breakout season in 2020-2021.</i></b></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">[player_tooltip player_id="1047083" first="Keiyan" last="Clarke"] - Cardinal O’Hara - Class of 2022</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Clarke returns to a Cardinal O’Hara team that finished an even 6-6 in Monsignor Martin League play in 2019-2020. As a sophomore, Clarke’s play all season long could be described as “steady.” I believe he is poised for a tremendous season because he really began to heat up towards the end of last season. He played his two best games in consecutive February victories against Nichols. He posted 28 points and snagged 11 rebounds in the contests; most impressively, he shot 67% from the floor in both games. Clarke is certainly a Guard to watch as a breakout candidate in 2020-2021.</span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Trenton Rumley - St. Mary’s - Class of 2021</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Trenton Rumley will enter his final season as one of only three returning Lancers from a season ago who played more than 9 minutes per game in 2019-2020. As a frequent ballhander, Rumley will need to cut down on last season’s turnover average of 3.2 per game to be at his most effective. Outside of ball security, his game is one of the most complete that St. Mary’s has to offer. Rumley is the </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">only</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> returning player on his team to have averaged at least one rebound, two assists, and one steal per game. Look for the consistency to continue in 2020-2021.</span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Aidan Brunner - St. Francis - Class of 2021</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The best part of Brunner’s game is his ability to take care of the basketball. He played a handful of outstanding games in 2019-2020 in terms of controlling the pace and setting up his teammates. Some of his best Ast:TO ratios of the year include games of 4.0, 3.0, and multiple games over 2.0. Now a senior, I can see Brunner cementing himself even further as one of the most sure-handed players in the 2020-2021 Monsignor Martin League.</span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jaden Washington - Cardinal O’Hara - Class of 2021</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Washington posted solid numbers across the board in 2019-2020. Even more impressive to me than his scoring, assist, and rebounding numbers was the 1.2 steals per game he accrued last season. That mark is highest amongst all returning Hawks. Standing at 5’10”, Washington excels at getting his body low and putting himself into position to swipe the basketball free from his opponents. Similar to the aforementioned [player_tooltip player_id="1047083" first="Keiyan" last="Clarke"], Cardinal O’Hara will need Washington to play even better this season in order to improve their status from a year ago.</span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>*All statistics come from Maxpreps.com. All analysis is my own.</em></p> <p>&nbsp;</p>