Scouting Report: North Louisiana Guards & Wings (Part III)

Louisiana is rich with guards and wings. North Louisiana is no different and has an abundance of them. The first two editions have highlighted that fact. In part three we will breakdown another set of guards and wings to watch on the prep basketball scene. Booker T. Washington (Shreveport) Lions: [player_tooltip player_id="931058" first="Cameron" last="Brown"] (6’0" / 2021) - For the Lions to be successful, Brown has to score. When Brown is ultra aggressive and scoring the rock in BTW wins, he is shooting well from behind the arc and creating havoc by getting into the lane and finishing. Brown was successful during the games against Green Oaks because he was on balance offensively and his impeccable footwork allowed him to attack the defense. What Brown has to do is find consistency when playing better opponents. He does that going forward and BTW will find themselves in the think of the 1-4A race. Nick Dyer (6’1" / 2022) - Dyer is an aggressive guard on offense and defense. When he is on defense, Dyer will create ball pressure and is not afraid to get into the offensive players space. In both wins and losses by the Lions, Dyer is very good at creating deflections and steals which allow transition opportunities for himself and his teammates. If he is not stopped when he has the ball, he is going to the rim to score or to get fouled. When he develops more consistency on this jumper, Dyer will be a threat at all levels on the floor. Calvin Collins (6’5" / 2022) - Collins has to play in the post due to his height but he has all of the makings of a wing at the next level. He gets to show some of those traits from time to time. In his 20 point performance against Southwood, he was a menace on the offensive boards but he also attacked slower defenders off the dribble and got to the free throw line. Speaking of his rebounding, he loves contact. However, Collins has a quick second jump that allows for tip-ins. His outside game is still under construction but Collins is athletic and aggressive. He will be a handful going forward. Benton Tigers: [player_tooltip player_id="931053" first="Ryan" last="Ward"] (6’3" / 2021) - Ward is one of the better shooters in the 2021 class. Hands down. He has a quick trigger and a follow through that repeats time and time again. While the release and the purity of his shot is a gift, the curse is he attracts some of the top defenders in this area. In the jamboree and the regular season contests against Bossier, Ward got off to a quick start only to have Joe Manning guard him for extended periods of time. That is also a compliment to the work Ward has put in to become the shooter he is. He is going to cause trouble for plenty of teams as the season goes. [player_tooltip player_id="931051" first="Brodie" last="Romero"] (6’0" / 2021) - Romero has become the primary table setter for the Benton offense. He gets them in and out of every set they run and knows where everyone should be. Along with being the primary playmaker, he has become a very good shooter from behind the arc. This allows him to be very lethal there and in the mid-range. In the regular season matchup with Bossier, Brodie made 4 threes and scored 17 second half points. He was also good at getting to the charity stripe making all five of his attempts. Romero has made gains every year and is now a player to watch when Benton plays. [player_tooltip player_id="931052" first="Dylan" last="Slaid"] (5’9" / 2021) - There was one stretch in Benton’s game against Bossier where Dylan could not be guarded. He scored all but two of the Tiger points in the second quarter to keep Benton connected with the Bearkats in the first half. With his short stature and a quick first step, Slaid places pressure on defenses. Outside of [player_tooltip player_id="932846" first="Joseph" last="Manning"], every other defender had real trouble with him. He has put on some muscle and that has helped him on both ends of the floor. Benton is off to its best start in years and Slaid is one of the keys to that. Calvary Baptist Cavaliers: [player_tooltip player_id="931042" first="Benjamin" last="Ponder"] (6’3" / 2021) - Ponder is one player who gets lost in the shuffle at times. However, he has made improvements year after year in his game that is allowing him to be a threat all over the floor. He has begun to be an asset in Calvary’s 5 out offense by crashing the offensive boards and spotting up behind the arc off of the guards dribble drives. His improved shooting allows his ability to put the ball on the deck to be that much more lethal. He may have only scored seven points against Loyola; however, his ability to create extra possessions gave Calvary the ability to win by almost 20. [player_tooltip player_id="781860" first="Labree" last="Williams"] (6’6" / 2022) - Williams displayed how he can affect a basketball game without high scoring numbers against the Loyola Flyers this week. After to tough and tiring loss to Rayville on Saturday, Labree did not quite have his usual outside shooting touch. What he did was attack the paint and the backboard for what resulted in a 12 (pts) and 20 (reb) night. Williams still possesses a feathery touch from three and an assortment of finishes around the rim. His game has matured though and he realizes that he does not have to have his best stuff to be effective. That may make the Cavs more lethal. [player_tooltip player_id="765923" first="Daniel" last="Ortiz"] (6’1" / 2021) - The North Alabama signee had 28 points against Loyola after Saturday’s outing versus Rayville. Part of his scoring was due to his defense. He played aggressive man-to-man defense and caused a few turnovers fro the Loyola guards. Ortiz scored at all levels on the floor. His passing has improved as well and he hit several teammates with passes in their shooting pockets. His ability to score provides easier opportunities for others and is the reason Calvary will be a threat in their division for a state title. Action in north Louisiana will continue this week with the Belton/Williams tourney in Monroe and the Hixson Autoplex tournament in central Louisiana.

Louisiana is rich with guards and wings. North Louisiana is no different and has an abundance of them. The first two editions have highlighted that fact. In part three we will breakdown another set of guards and wings to watch on the prep basketball scene.

Booker T. Washington (Shreveport) Lions:

Cameron Brown Cameron Brown 5'11" | CG BTW-Shreveport | 2021 State LA (6’0" / 2021) - For the Lions to be successful, Brown has to score. When Brown is ultra aggressive and scoring the rock in BTW wins, he is shooting well from behind the arc and creating havoc by getting into the lane and finishing. Brown was successful during the games against Green Oaks because he was on balance offensively and his impeccable footwork allowed him to attack the defense. What Brown has to do is find consistency when playing better opponents. He does that going forward and BTW will find themselves in the think of the 1-4A race.

Nick Dyer (6’1" / 2022) - Dyer is an aggressive guard on offense and defense. When he is on defense, Dyer will create ball pressure and is not afraid to get into the offensive players space. In both wins and losses by the Lions, Dyer is very good at creating deflections and steals which allow transition opportunities for himself and his teammates. If he is not stopped when he has the ball, he is going to the rim to score or to get fouled. When he develops more consistency on this jumper, Dyer will be a threat at all levels on the floor.

Calvin Collins (6’5" / 2022) - Collins has to play in the post due to his height but he has all of the makings of a wing at the next level. He gets to show some of those traits from time to time. In his 20 point performance against Southwood, he was a menace on the offensive boards but he also attacked slower defenders off the dribble and got to the free throw line. Speaking of his rebounding, he loves contact. However, Collins has a quick second jump that allows for tip-ins. His outside game is still under construction but Collins is athletic and aggressive. He will be a handful going forward.

Benton Tigers:

Ryan Ward Ryan Ward 6'3" | SF Benton | 2021 State LA (6’3" / 2021) - Ward is one of the better shooters in the 2021 class. Hands down. He has a quick trigger and a follow through that repeats time and time again. While the release and the purity of his shot is a gift, the curse is he attracts some of the top defenders in this area. In the jamboree and the regular season contests against Bossier, Ward got off to a quick start only to have Joe Manning guard him for extended periods of time. That is also a compliment to the work Ward has put in to become the shooter he is. He is going to cause trouble for plenty of teams as the season goes.

Brodie Romero Brodie Romero 6'0" | PG Benton | 2021 State LA (6’0" / 2021) - Romero has become the primary table setter for the Benton offense. He gets them in and out of every set they run and knows where everyone should be. Along with being the primary playmaker, he has become a very good shooter from behind the arc. This allows him to be very lethal there and in the mid-range. In the regular season matchup with Bossier, Brodie made 4 threes and scored 17 second half points. He was also good at getting to the charity stripe making all five of his attempts. Romero has made gains every year and is now a player to watch when Benton plays.

Dylan Slaid Dylan Slaid 5'8" | CG Benton | 2021 State LA (5’9" / 2021) - There was one stretch in Benton’s game against Bossier where Dylan could not be guarded. He scored all but two of the Tiger points in the second quarter to keep Benton connected with the Bearkats in the first half. With his short stature and a quick first step, Slaid places pressure on defenses. Outside of Joseph Manning Joseph Manning 6'3" | CG Bossier | 2022 State LA , every other defender had real trouble with him. He has put on some muscle and that has helped him on both ends of the floor. Benton is off to its best start in years and Slaid is one of the keys to that.

Calvary Baptist Cavaliers:

Benjamin Ponder Benjamin Ponder 6'3" | SF Calvary Baptist | 2021 State LA (6’3" / 2021) - Ponder is one player who gets lost in the shuffle at times. However, he has made improvements year after year in his game that is allowing him to be a threat all over the floor. He has begun to be an asset in Calvary’s 5 out offense by crashing the offensive boards and spotting up behind the arc off of the guards dribble drives. His improved shooting allows his ability to put the ball on the deck to be that much more lethal. He may have only scored seven points against Loyola; however, his ability to create extra possessions gave Calvary the ability to win by almost 20.

Labree Williams Labree Williams 6'6" | SF Calvary Baptist | 2023 #186 Nation FL (6’6" / 2022) - Williams displayed how he can affect a basketball game without high scoring numbers against the Loyola Flyers this week. After to tough and tiring loss to Rayville on Saturday, Labree did not quite have his usual outside shooting touch. What he did was attack the paint and the backboard for what resulted in a 12 (pts) and 20 (reb) night. Williams still possesses a feathery touch from three and an assortment of finishes around the rim. His game has matured though and he realizes that he does not have to have his best stuff to be effective. That may make the Cavs more lethal.

Daniel Ortiz Daniel Ortiz 6'1" | CG Calvary Baptist | 2021 State LA (6’1" / 2021) - The North Alabama signee had 28 points against Loyola after Saturday’s outing versus Rayville. Part of his scoring was due to his defense. He played aggressive man-to-man defense and caused a few turnovers fro the Loyola guards. Ortiz scored at all levels on the floor. His passing has improved as well and he hit several teammates with passes in their shooting pockets. His ability to score provides easier opportunities for others and is the reason Calvary will be a threat in their division for a state title.