VHSL Class 6 Preseason POY Candidates

With a full basketball season (hopefully) ready to get into swing in VA, we will take a look at some of the players we feel are candidates for Player of the Year in each classification. While there’s plenty of players we haven’t seen or are ready to have breakout years, we will take a look at some of the best players we know of that we think will have big seasons. We take a look at six players we think will be in the conversation for VHSL Class 6 Player of the Year. Donald Hand Jr. | 6’5” CG | Landstown 2022 <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/Hand-DJ-CBG.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1072304" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/Hand-DJ-CBG-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> Hand is the overwhelming favorite as the Class 6 Player of the Year as the Boston College commit was one of the top scorers in the state last year and could be the leading scorer in the VHSL this year. Hand is the type of player that can go for 30 on every given day with his ability to handle and create space, knock down shots from all over the floor and get to the free throw line often throughout the game. He was First Team All VHSCA last year and if Landstown makes a deep run in the playoffs it will be hard to see him not right in the conversation for POY. [player_tooltip player_id="1217453" first="Michael" last="Cooper"] | 6’3” WF | Woodbridge 2022 Cooper is a name who has steadily grown in the NOVA area and he’s poised for a big time senior season at Woodbridge. The 6’3” wing is high motor and productive two way player who can use his mix of athleticism and skill set to make plays on both ends of the floor. He’s a consistent scorer both in transition and in the half court set, he is a very good rebounder and defender and he’ll be very impactful for them this season. Leroy Hamilton | 6’2” CG | Oscar Smith 2022 Hamitlon is another name that should have a breakout senior season at Smith with the departure of [player_tooltip player_id="815590" first="Kenyon" last="Giles"] to Las Vegas who would have been on this list. The 6’2” combo is a strong bodied guard who can get downhill and finish through traffic, he can fill it up from multiple levels and stays in attack mode and he can make plays for others. He’s a sleeper on this list for sure. [player_tooltip player_id="815623" first="Kyle" last="Honore"] | 5’11” PG | Potomac 2022 Honore was First Team All VHSCA last season for a Potomac team that fell just short of a state championship, and he could see his numbers go up even more with the departure of some of their top scorers from last year. The best way to describe Honore is smooth as he can run the show and get his teammates involved, he can create for himself off the bounce and is a skilled scorer from multiple levels and he sets the tone on the defensive end too. He’ll be vital to the success of Potomac and if he can lead them to a playoff run he’ll for sure be in the mix in this conversation. [player_tooltip player_id="1115503" first="Greg" last="Jones"] | 6’6” WF | Hayfield 2023 <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/10/Jones-Greg-CBG.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1301676" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/10/Jones-Greg-CBG-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> While Hayfield has a couple of seniors who could be in this conversation, Jones is starting to assert himself as one of the top players in the 2023 class in VA and is looking at a major breakout season this year. The 6’6” wing is not only a good athlete and plays with a good motor, but he’s very smart and makes great plays with the ball in his hands and he can make plays for others and himself in the half court. He is capable of impacting the game on both ends of the floor and is a big reason that Hayfield should be a contender in Class 6 Region C this year. [player_tooltip player_id="1232158" first="Doyle" last="Brown"] | 6’2” CG | Centreville 2023 <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/Brown-Doyle-Head-Shot.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1190436" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/Brown-Doyle-Head-Shot-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> Centreville won the state championship last year and had two seniors in [player_tooltip player_id="798711" first="Chris" last="Kuzemka"] (POY) and [player_tooltip player_id="798687" first="Avery" last="Ford"] on the VHSCA First Team, but now with the seniors gone it’s Brown who looks like he’ll be one of the top scorers in the area. After a great summer with DBC, he has continued his strong play in Fall Leagues and looks like he could be the areas top scorer with his ability to shoot it from deep, get to the rim and finish and his relentless style of play. He’s also a high level on ball defender too.