No. 8 North Oconee-No. 10 Monroe Area: Standouts

<p><strong>2022 6-3 F [player_tooltip player_id="1223216" first="Brodie" last="Scott"] – North Oconee</strong></p> <p>Nicknamed “The Beast”, [player_tooltip player_id="1223216" first="Brodie" last="Scott"] willed North Oconee to an ugly physical win over Monroe Area 37-34, a game which featured the Titans scoring only seven field goals. Of those seven, Scott converted five of them. The double-double machine attacked the rim and lived at the foul line. Scott has a strong frame with wide shoulders. He explodes to the basket with impressive athleticism. The slasher plays much bigger than his size with how well get gets off the floor. He’s worth a look at some small school levels. He finished with 19 points and 9 rebounds against Monroe Area’s much larger front line.</p> <p><strong>2023 6-3 SG [player_tooltip player_id="1223224" first="Jake" last="Chandler"] – North Oconee</strong></p> <p>If [player_tooltip player_id="1223224" first="Jake" last="Chandler"] can harness his competitiveness, he can be a special player. After dropping in a school-record nine threes earlier in the week, Chandler was challenged with a length of the floor face-guard. The lefty was held field goal-less and dealt with four fouls, but went 10-12 from the line including 6-7 in the fourth quarter to help spark a 7-0 run to close. Eliminating his frustrations and keeping his cool will determine his future at the next level. His three-point shooting and constant movement away from the ball is wildly impressive.</p> <p><strong>2024 6-0 PG [player_tooltip player_id="1062212" first="Vonte" last="Newell"] – Monroe Area</strong></p> <p>Newell showed glimpses of his promise as a high-level pass-first point guard. He tallied 9 points and 4 assists, whipping in a few tough assists through tight quarters. Creating his own offense will help with his development. On a team that can sometimes struggle to score, Newell will be integral in getting good looks for teammates while also remaining a threat. He looked good when he hunted his offense in spurts, knocking down a three and getting two baskets downhill.</p> <p><strong>2022 6-2 W Dre Ross – Monroe Area</strong></p> <p>Mr. Energy was a bat out of hell to open the game, jumping passing lanes and sparking transition opportunities. Ross plays with immense effort defensively which ignites his offense. He is quick and has long arms. Ross can play in-your-face defense on-ball and is able to guard almost any position on the floor with his athleticism. More of a slasher and garbage guy on offense, Ross finished with 9 points, 6 rebounds and 5 steals.</p> <p><strong>2022 5-11 G Selatian Straughter – Monroe Area</strong></p> <p>The quarterback of the football team provided some unforeseen crucial offense early in the fourth quarter hitting a jumper off the dribble and a long step-back. Straughter along with running back Alan Jones were tasked with defending [player_tooltip player_id="1223224" first="Jake" last="Chandler"]. Their physicality frustrated him as Chandler had to work for every touch. Straughter won’t likely be asked to score much this year, but his tenacity on defense will be fun to watch.</p>