Southern Idaho Big School Players to Watch

<p>Continuing our journey across the lovely state of Idaho, southern Idaho is home to the capital city of Boise and the majority of bigger schools. This hub of sports action has continually produced great basketball programs and players that go on to have excellent careers at the next level, and perhaps even beyond. As we are nearing the start of the 2021-22 prep basketball season, a few players have been making big strides this summer and will be lots of fun to watch in the winter. Continue reading for a look at some of the best players from big schools in southern Idaho.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="921076" first="Jack" last="Payne"], Boise:</strong> Payne is one of the best players in the state and will look to do great things during the upcoming season. Payne is a matchup nightmare for all teams as he has excellent guard skills and can also take smaller and weaker defenders down to the block for easy buckets. Jack plays the game at a high level all around and is a gifted passer as well. Watch for Payne to have a stellar senior season of basketball.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1170288" first="Jakin" last="Calhoun"], Vallivue:</strong> Calhoun has had a solid prep career so far and he is looking to break into the spotlight during the 2021-22 season of play. Jakin is quietly putting together a great summer offseason that will show in the winter. He has been working to expand his shooting ability in order to stretch the floor and make bigs have to guard him on the perimeter. At 6’8", Calhoun is a great size for being a stretch-4 at the next level and the upcoming season will show that he can truly step into that role on offense and defense. Watch for Calhoun to be make a big splash this season.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="923076" first="Davis" last="Thacker"], Meridian:</strong> Thacker is coming off of a state championship season with Meridian, and he will look to help the Warriors repeat even after the departure of a lot of key players. Davis has great size for his position and will look to lockdown offensive players on the defensive end before running the show and helping with the scoring on offense. Thacker spent his offseason working on his handles and improving the consistency of his shooting ability. Watch for Davis to have a great senior season.</p>