Preseason All-Hidden Gem Teams, Part 1

<p>There is so much basketball talent in WA. Big cities, small towns, no matter where you look you will find talent in here. So as the high school basketball season begins, I wanted to highlight some of the under-the-radar players that you should be on the lookout for. Here are the 2021 All-Hidden Gem teams.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Dirk Plakinger, 2022 | 6-4 SG | WF West HS</strong></p> <p><img class="size-medium wp-image-1182381 aligncenter" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/IMG_7736-crop-1728x1135-1619833412-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /><br /> Dirk is a quiet assassin. You don’t realize that he’s been cooking until you look at the boxscore after the game and see he filled it up. He is a good shooter from 3 both off the catch and off the dribble. He’s a good finisher in transition and will look to put you in the rim every chance he gets.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>D’Angelo Moore, 2022 | 5-10 CG | Bremerton HS</strong></p> [caption id="attachment_1146579" align="aligncenter" width="200"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/03/DAngelo-Moore.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1146579" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/03/DAngelo-Moore-200x300.jpeg" alt="" width="200" height="300" /></a> Photo: Aloha Salem @lohshotem[/caption] <p><br /> D’Angelo is a walking bucket. 3-level scorer that plays with a chip on his shoulder. He’s been putting in a ton of work preparing for this season so expect to see big games from him. He has the handles to create a shot for himself from anywhere on the floor. Underrated passer. He’s also a big shot maker, not just a taker. Major stock riser in the 2022 class.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Jake Leitz, 2021 | 6-5 SF | Wahkiakum HS</strong></p> [caption id="attachment_1182377" align="aligncenter" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/IMG_7614-crop-1728x1135-1619833289.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1182377" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/IMG_7614-crop-1728x1135-1619833289-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: Aloha Salem Instagram @lohshotem[/caption] <p><br /> The Mules will be relying heavily on their senior leader this season. Jake has the skillset to take on the challenge. He is a much-improved shooter from 3, he can hit the pull-up jumper and he is athletic enough to finish over defenders on drives to the rim. He competes on the defensive end too. Hard to believe he’s still unsigned, but I don’t see that being the case for long.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1156155" first="Colton" last="Looney"], 2022 | 6-6 SF | Skyview HS*</strong></p> [caption id="attachment_1182372" align="aligncenter" width="200"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/IMG_7665.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1182372" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/IMG_7665-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" /></a> Photo: Aloha Salem, Instagram @lohshotem[/caption] <p><br /> Looney has the size and skill set to be special. He’ll be playing alongside some pretty dynamic guards so he should have plenty of opportunities to show off his smooth jumper. He can score it inside over smaller defenders too.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Jackson Esary, 2022 | 6-3 SF | Kalama HS</strong></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><br /> Esary is a slashing guard that does a good job of using his size to create advantages for him on the court. With a 200-pound frame, defenders bounce off of Esary often when attacking the rim. He will be looking to have a big year for his Kalama squad. They will need him to produce every game for them to be successful.</p>