Top Playmakers To Watch: Continental League

<p>Cooper Flood - Heritage - 2022</p> <p>The lefty out of Heritage High School makes the most of his vision on a nightly basis, by making difficult passes look like anyone could do them due to his cerebral awareness. Averaging 6.4 assists per game with a dependable 2.27 assist to turnover ratio is an accomplishment a select few have within the state. He is daring, yet consistently accurate with passes with either hand, making you think he is ambidextrous. What Flood and many of these elite playmakers have in common is their ability to adapt on the fly to whatever situation.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="759285" first="Chris" last="Schlesinger"] - Rock Canyon - 2022</p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/06/IMG-2650-rotated.jpg"><img class=" wp-image-1221793 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/06/IMG-2650-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="126" height="168" /></a>The big guard stands right around 6’5, his ability to leverage his size and footwork creates many double teams and subsequently open teammates. This past season at Rock Canyon, he averaged 10 points, 3.9 assists, 5 rebounds, and 1.5 stocks (blocks + steals). Once Schlesinger gets downhill, he seems to have a counter for whatever the defense throws at him. His favorite move is a drop-step, effectively turning the corner and opening up the lane for himself or for a teammate, depending on how aggressively the defense reacts. While his size is often too much to handle, he must stretch his scoring portfolio out beyond the three point line, where he only attempted 3 three pointers through the season. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1284473" first="Jaeton" last="Hackley"] - Douglas County - 2022<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/09/108-Jaeton-Hackley.jpg"><img class=" wp-image-1281577 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/09/108-Jaeton-Hackley-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="230" height="153" /></a></p> <p>Hackley is right up there with the state’s top guards and has ample experience playing with top level recruits [player_tooltip player_id="921100" first="Baye" last="Fall"] and [player_tooltip player_id="965778" first="Assane" last="Diop"], with the Colorado Hawks. Tied with Flood, Hackley averaged 6.4 assists but leads the Continental League in assist to turnovers at 2.46. The guy processes the game at a high level and the statistics check out with the eye test. He was the only non-senior (graduating 2021) to average 15+ points per game and third highest scorer in the league, averaging 19 PPG. On top of that, he averaged 4.3 boards and a staggering 3.5 steals that lead the league. Hackley is a legitimate scorer off the dribble, as he does well using his scoring gravity to open up opportunities for baseline cutters and rollers diving to the rim. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1284427" first="TaRea" last="Fulcher"] - Regis - 2023 (pictured above)</p> <p>While Fulcher is an excellent playmaker out of screens, I believe his assist number will skyrocket alongside the array of shooters at Regis. With the team likely playing a ’5-out’ offense, Fulcher will be in the perfect setup to maximize his strengths. Last year, Regis shot a staggering 42% from beyond the arc, which shows no sign of declining anytime soon as [player_tooltip player_id="1284438" first="Matt" last="Yost"], [player_tooltip player_id="921110" first="Archer" last="VanSickle"], and [player_tooltip player_id="965809" first="Kyle" last="Sandler"] return to the Aurora based squad. His nature to get downhill while weaving around defenders is crucial for him getting into floaters or finishing acrobatic shots around the rim. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1284528" first="Gavin" last="Hershberger"] - Rock Canyon - 2023<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/Gavin-Hershberger8.jpg"><img class=" wp-image-1245465 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/Gavin-Hershberger8-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="231" height="154" /></a></p> <p>Leading the league in assists per game (3.5) among incoming juniors, Hershberger looks to make yet another leap after an outstanding summer with PLUTO Prospects. A master of pace, he maintains consistency keeping his eyes up by way of surveying the floor at all times. As any lead ballhandler needs at the 5A level, is the ability to speed up or slow down the game whenever needed. Without a floor general to maintain composure among his teammates would almost certainly lead to a loss. This necessary composure makes sense given his experience as a varsity level guard since his freshman year.</p>