Preseason All Tidewater First Team

<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, starting with 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 eight guys we chose as the preseason All Tidewater First Team.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="787667" first="Jayden" last="Epps"] | 6’0” PG | King’s Fork 2022 (Preseason POY)</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/06/Epps.png"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1012357" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/06/Epps-300x284.png" alt="" width="300" height="284" /></a></p> <p>Last year’s All Tidewater Player of the Year, the nationally ranked guard was the area’s leading scorer at over 28 points per game, and he doesn’t look like he’s going to stop as he had a huge summer and fall as well. He’s the leader of one of the most talented teams in the state and a state champion last year, and he has a mix of skill and toughness as a scorer that makes him very tough to stop throughout the course of the game. He plays low and with great balance as he can absorb contact off the bounce and get to his spots, he has deep range off the bounce and he’s a crafty scorer in the midrange with floaters and pull-ups and can finish at the rim through traffic. He’s the best player on the best team in the area, and is getting recruited by schools at the highest of levels all over the country.</p> <p><strong>DJ Hand | 6’4” G | Landstown 2022</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/Hand-DJ-CBG.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1072304" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/Hand-DJ-CBG-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>Hand has a chance at being the top scorer in the 757 this year as he is also one of the top guards in the country and will have the green light for a young Landstown team. He has all the tools to be an elite scorer at the high school and the collegiate level, with good size and a knack for scoring the ball from all over the court. He’s a guy who can play on or off the ball, makes tough and contested shots and can get it going quickly and make shots when the game is on the line for his group.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="798680" first="Allen" last="Strothers"] | 6’2” PG | Menchville 2021</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/Strothers-Allen-CBG.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1061577" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/Strothers-Allen-CBG-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>The recent East Tennessee State commit has a Menchville team that can compete for a state championship if we have one this year, and he’s one of the top true point guards in the state and that has to count for something. The athletic and long PG is a guy who knows where his teammates are at all times and delivers them the ball in places where they can be successful, and he’s a guy who can get in the lane and break down the defense at will. He thrives in transition with his athletic finishing ability and flashy playmaking ability, he rebounds on both ends and defends and he’s improved his outside shooting to make him more of a threat to score as well.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="798688" first="Jaylani" last="Darden"] | 6’3” CG | Norview 2021</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/07/Darden-Jaylani.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1024415" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/07/Darden-Jaylani-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>A first team All Tidewater selection last year on the way to helping Norview win the state championship, Darden is one of the most complete guards in the area and has recently committed to Longwood where he’ll be a perfect fit for their system. Darden is a do-it-all kind of combo guard who can stuff the stat sheets as a scorer, rebounder and distributor, and this year he’ll be leaned upon more to score the basketball than he has in the past few years. He’s a long and crafty scorer around the rim, he’s improved big time as a jump shooter over the past few years and he’s going to contribute and help his team win in a number of ways.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="815585" first="Efrem" last="Johnson"] | 6’4” CG | Western Branch 2022</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/Johnson-Efrem-CBG.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1063292" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/Johnson-Efrem-CBG-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>Johnson and his Branch team are set to make a run at the state championship this year, and he’s really rounded his game out well to be the leader of this group moving forward. Nicknamed “Butter” for how smooth his game is, Johnson is a guy who can create space and score the ball from multiple levels, he’s improved in his playmaking ability and he’s great in their pressure system with his instincts and ability to read and jump passing lanes on the defensive end. He had a good season last year, but this year I expect him to be one of the most successful guards in the area, if not in the state.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="815590" first="Kenyon" last="Giles"] | 5’8” PG | Oscar Smith 2022</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/07/Giles-Kenyon-2.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1025493" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/07/Giles-Kenyon-2-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>Giles had a breakout year last year for Smith, and this year he’ll be at the wheel for the Tigers and have the green light and could be one of the top scorers in the area with what he’s shown this summer and fall. He isn’t the biggest guard but Giles is a guy who is an underrated athlete and is a very skilled shot creator and shot maker from pretty much anywhere on the floor. He has very deep range off the catch or off the bounce, he changes pace and direction well to create space to get his shot off and he’s a guy who can heat up quickly and fill it up in bunches at a moments notice.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="798698" first="Quentin" last="Livingston"] | 6’4” WF | King’s Fork 2021</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/Livingston-Quentin-CBG.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1070323" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/Livingston-Quentin-CBG-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>A type of player that any coach will love having on his team and hate playing against, Livingston is the x-factor for a very talented King’s Fork team that features at least five players that could play at the division one level moving forward. Livingston is a Swiss-army knife kind of wing that plays with great energy and does a little bit of everything to help his team win. He can score from multiple levels and is efficient when he gets it going, he rebounds on both ends and can play and guard multiple positions and he has good ball skills and playmaking ability in the open floor as well.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="798695" first="Bryson" last="Spell"] | 6’8” PF | Cape Henry 2021</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/Spell-Bryson-CBG.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1072280" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/Spell-Bryson-CBG-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>Every team needs a big man, and Spell is by far the best big in the 757 and possibly the best available big man in the state of Virginia with multiple high major programs hoping he chooses them. Spell has improved immensely over the past few years, and he’s always been skilled but it’s the way he’s improved his body and his confidence over the past few years. He’s a stretch big that can shoot it from deep, he can attack closeouts and get in the lane and he has soft touch in the paint and can dominate games when he gets it going.</p>