Big Shots Horizon Tip-Off Standouts: 2023/2024 (Part 2)

<p>The AAU season is in full swing in VA a little earlier than usual this year, as there were multiple tournaments throughout the state. I decided to head to Harrisonburg to the Big Shots VA Horizon Tip-Off, where I broadcasted and live streamed court one on the CBG Live Network.</p> <p>It was a great event to see some under the radar talent, and we’ll take a look at the many standouts, continuing with part two of the 2023 and 2024 prospects that stood out throughout the day.</p> <p>You can watch all of the games from court one of the event on the CBG Live Network <a href="http://cbglivenetwork.com/">here</a>.</p> <p><strong>Jackson Crawford | 5’8” PG | VA Havoc/Lord Botetourt ’23</strong></p> <p>Crawford was almost always the smallest guy on the floor, but he stepped up big time in their biggest matchups and showed he has a mix of toughness and skill set to get things done. The Roanoke based guard showed that he’s shifty off the bounce and surprisingly quick, he has good feel and sees the floor well and he can stick it from deep both off the catch and off the bounce. He’s a guy who brings it every time and doesn’t back down from anyone and you have to love that about a small guard like him.</p> <p><strong>Ben Rossiter | 6’6” PF | NOVA UNFD/Bishop O’Connell ’23</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/Rossiter-Ben.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1162763" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/Rossiter-Ben-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>NOVA UNFD was one of the surprises of the event, and I found quite a few underrated prospects on the team starting with Rossiter who was consistent in a number of ways when I watched him. He’s a crafty and fundamental big man that has good hands and feet in the post, he can score over either shoulder and he plays with a great motor as well. He can also step out and shoot the three ball, which makes him even more intriguing and tough as a mismatch too.</p> <p><strong>Sidney Burris | 6’2” WG | NOVA UNFD/VA Academy ’23</strong></p> <p>Burris is a guy to keep an eye on at VA Academy, as he’s an athletic and shot making guard that is just scratching the surface with how good he can be moving forward. The 6’2” off guard is long and defenders hard both on and off the ball, he can work off the ball or put it on the deck to get open and he can shoot it from deep and gets hot quickly.</p> <p><strong>Sam Whitehead | 6’2” F | LBA Attack/Stone Bridge ’23</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/Whitehead-Sam.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1162776" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/Whitehead-Sam-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>Whitehead was on a Stone Bridge team that won the state championship this year, but next year he’ll see a big increase in his role with a number of seniors graduating and he looked ready as he was the most consistent guy for LBA in this event. He’s a positionless guy who is fundamental and plays with a high IQ, and he plays extremely hard and is productive across the board because he puts himself in situations to do so. He can score it in a number of ways, he rebounds well and he makes the right play with the ball in his hands.</p> <p><strong>Gavin Cormany | 6’1” WG | VA Havoc/Radford ’24</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/Cormany-Gavin.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1162769" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/Cormany-Gavin-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>Anyone who has followed basketball in the New River Valley/Roanoke area knows the Cormany name, as Radford Head Coach Rick Cormany is one of the most successful coaches in the state and his oldest son [player_tooltip player_id="798739" first="Cam" last="Cormany"] was one of the top players in the area the last few years and will head to Navy next year. Now, there’s another Cormany as Cam’s younger brother Gavin is set to be a top player in that area as well and the freshman was huge in the championship game as he hit 8 three-pointers to lead his team to the championship. Much like his brother he’s a knock down shooter with deep range and great confidence, he brings toughness on both ends of the floor and he thinks the game extremely well, and he’ll be a force to reckon with moving forward in his career.</p> <p><strong>Elijah Kelley | 6’4” WF | Big Shots Tri-Cities 16U/Radford ’24</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/Kelley-Elijah.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1162780" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/Kelley-Elijah-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>Cormany isn’t the only young prospect at Radford that has a bright future, as Kelley is a physically gifted wing for his size that is just scratching the surface with how good he can be moving forward. Kelley is long and a good athlete already and is likely still growing, he can handle it well for his size and make shots from deep and has tremendous potential on the defensive end as well. He played up for most of the event in the 16U division, and I was impressed with him when I thought he was a 2023 prospect, but seeing that he’s a 2024 prospect means he has even more time to develop and will be very intriguing moving forward.</p>