1A DII Long Pin All-Conf. Standouts

<p>Heading down to the mountains of southern Idaho, the 1A DII Long Pin Conference has a lot of quality teams despite being a conference made up of some of the smallest schools in the state of Idaho. Last season, Garden Valley was able to win the district championship before ultimately winning the state championship as well. There is no shortage of quality basketball being played in this conference and each year the district champion seems to do well at the state tournament. Continue reading for a look at some of the best players from the 1A DII Long Pin All-Conference team.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="919674" first="Covy" last="Kelly"], Garden</strong> <strong>Valley:</strong> Kelly was one of two conference players of the year and topped off his senior season with a 45 point performance in the state championship. Covy was a problem all year long for opposing defenses with his ability to shoot from anywhere in the gym or power his way to the basket for easy points at the rim. Kelly did a great job of propelling his team to victory and he will continue to do so at the next level next season.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="919673" first="Josh" last="Gillespie"], Garden Valley:</strong> Gillespie was the other recipient of a conference player of the year honor and he was just as dominant as [player_tooltip player_id="919674" first="Covy" last="Kelly"]. The left hander has great size and has the skill set of a guard. He can shoot from way beyond the three point line and also finishes really well in the paint. If Gillespie gets a chance to get out ahead of the pack in transition, sit back and relax as you get to take in the dunk contest. Josh is also a tremendous rebounder on both ends of the floor and truly makes his team and teammates better.</p> <p><strong>Thatcher McLinn, Council:</strong> Thatcher is a knock down shooter who will look to help Council again during his senior campaign next season. McLinn can shoot as well as anyone in the state and is always ready to catch and shoot. At 6’3", Thatcher has a high release and can easily shoot over the top of smaller defenders. McLinn is a great shooting guard for Council and he can also play out of the high post/elbow area when needed against zones in order to knock down a mid-range jumper or dish to open cutters.</p>