Preseason All Tidewater Dark Horse Candidates (Part 1)

<p>The high school season in Virginia would usually be started by now, however it’s still up in the air in many areas are some school districts have already announced that they will cancel winter sports this year. However, we will remain optimistic that we will have some sports this year, and we will look forward as if we will.</p> <p>We will take a look at our picks for preseason all area teams as if everyone will play, looking now at the 757 area which features some of the top talent in the state. This made it very difficult to pick the teams, but we did our best on what we’ve seen over the past few years and what we saw this summer and fall.</p> <p>Here’s a look at the seven guys that just missed our cut for First or Second Team, but could easily be there by the end of the year.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="697100" first="Quadir" last="Pettaway"] | 6’0” PG | Woodside 2021</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/07/Pettaway-Quadir.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1015652" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/07/Pettaway-Quadir-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>Pettaway is transferring back to the Newport News area from Miller School and brings a scoring punch to an already talented Woodside backcourt. The scoring guard is a guy who is wired to go and despite not being the biggest or most athletic guy he’s a shot creator and shot maker from multiple levels that’s capable of going for 20 plus on any night.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="798738" first="Bobby" last="Johnson"] | 6’2” WG | Western Branch 2021</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/Johnson-Bobby-CBG.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1062317" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/Johnson-Bobby-CBG-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>Johnson is one of my favorite players to watch in the 757, and if he wasn’t on such a talented Branch team he likely would have made our cut for first or second team. The hard nosed wing is the perfect glue guy who gives maximum effort on both ends of the floor, he’s able to impact the game across the board as a scorer, rebounder and defender and he he flat out makes winning plays for his team every time he’s on the floor.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="798708" first="Mason" last="Makovec"] | 6’6” PF | Kellam 2021</strong></p> <p>The Lynchburg commit is quietly one of the more productive big men in the 757 and he’ll have the green light this year for a young Kellam team if they’re able to play this season. The 6’6” forward is a mismatch nightmare as he is big and strong enough to play in the post, he’s skilled and confident enough to step outside and shoot the ball and he plays with a good motor on the glass and on the defensive end.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="798746" first="Sterling" last="White"] | 5’11” PG | Catholic 2021</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/11/Rickards-Josiah.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1089824" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/11/Rickards-Josiah-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>One of the better floor generals in the 757, White really impressed me in his last showing as he found the perfect balance of running the team and being the alpha dog, and he looks like he’s confident and ready to have a huge senior season. He’s quick on the ball and able to get in the lane, he can create space and shoot it from deep, he has excellent vision and playmaking ability and he locks up the opposing team’s best guard as well.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="798749" first="Jakari" last="Wilkins"] | 5’9” PG | Williamsburg Christian 2021</strong></p> <p>Wilkins may not be the most household name on this list, but the WCA PG is a guy who is a cookbook and has the green light and should put up huge numbers this year in the Metro Conference. He’s a lightning quick guard that changes speeds and directions on a dime, he can hit an array of tough shots and understands angles in the midrange and he’s a blur in transition where he can flat outrun guys with the ball in his hands.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="815586" first="Greg" last="Melvin"] | 6’7” F | Cape Henry 2022</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/07/Melvin-Greg.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1025492" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/07/Melvin-Greg-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>Melvin is far from a dark horse guy in the Beach area as he’s already getting recruited by a number of division one schools and his game has improved immensely over the past few years, but he’s behind two seniors who will likely lead the team in scoring, but he’ll do plenty to be considered for this team. He’s a very versatile guy who can guard multiple positions and has transformed his game to be a mismatch on the offensive end, he plays with a great motor on the glass on both ends and he can take over games and get double-doubles without even breaking a sweat.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="962787" first="Kendon" last="Peebles"] | 6’4” WF | Catholic 2022</strong></p> <p>Peebles is another player at Catholic that is set to take the TCIS by storm after a big time sophomore year at Hampton Christian last year. A strong and high motor wing, Peebles is a guy who doesn’t need a lot of stuff run for him to be successful, and he brings great energy on both ends of the floor. He’s long and athletic in transition where he can finish above the rim, he can guard multiple positions and rebounds well and just flat out knows how to make an impact in a number of ways.</p>