Standout Wings - Houston Methodist Cy-Hoops Invitational Day 3

The 12th annual Houston Methodist Cy-Hoops Invitational showcased 22 boys' varsity basketball teams in a 40-game tournament bracket over 3 days from Thursday, December 9 to Saturday, December 11. Games took place at the Berry Center of Northwest Houston along with 3 other Cy-Fair ISD high schools, including Cypress Falls, Cypress Park, and Cy-Fair high school. I had the pleasure of attending Day 3 of the tournament to catch the final 6 games played at the Berry Center, watching several impressive players and teams put on fantastic performances. Here are my top standout wings in all 6 of the games I attended. Also check out: <a href="https://prephoops.com/2021/12/standout-guards-houston-methodist-cy-hoops-invitational-day-3/">Standout Guards</a> | <a href="https://prephoops.com/2021/12/standout-wings-houston-methodist-cy-hoops-invitational-day-3/">Standout Wings</a> | <a href="https://prephoops.com/2021/12/standout-bigs-houston-methodist-cy-hoops-invitational-day-3/">Standout Bigs</a> #23 - [player_tooltip player_id="1052155" first="Jesaiah" last="McWright"] - 6'4" - SG/SF - Senior - Cy Falls vs. Mansfield Summit & vs. McKinney McWright had a phenomenal Day 3 in the Cy-Hoops Invitational. In Cy Falls first game against Mansfield Summit, he seemed to take a backseat to his teammates, Jacob Duran and Joseph Tugler, on the offensive end, making his presence felt in other ways on the court. There were flashes in that first game where you could tell McWright was clearly the best player, hitting a beautiful floater in the 2nd quarter and finishing off several tough, contested drives to the basket, but it was on the defensive end where he made sure to leave his imprint on the game. He was active for all 4 quarters, keeping his hands up, contesting and blocking shots, communicating with his teammates, and making the right rotations at the right time. In the championship against McKinney, it was a different story for McWright. He dominated all aspects of the game. Attacking the basket even better and more frequently than he did in their first game of the day, hitting several 3-pointers in the 2nd and 3rd quarters, and doing everything he could on the defensive end to give his team every chance possible to win the final game of the tournament. He was diving on the floor fighting for loose balls, staying active and locking up whoever he was assigned to, and sacrificing his body, taking multiple charges in the 2nd and 4th quarters. He showed up in a big way for his team in the most important game of the tournament, but McKinney was simply too strong, and Cy Falls fell just short of their championship hopes. #30 - Jacob Duran - 6'4" - SG/SF - Senior - Cy Falls vs. Mansfield Summit & vs. McKinney Duran put on a show in Cy Falls' first game of the day against Mansfield Summit. Not only did he play extremely well<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/Jacob-Duran.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1195954 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/Jacob-Duran-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a> and took on the lead scoring role throughout, but he made the game-winning play in the final minute of the game. With Cy Falls down by 2, all the attention was on Joseph Tugler in the post, but then the star big man saw an open Duran in the far-right corner, delivered the pass, and Duran did what he was doing the entire game, draining the 3-pointer, giving Cy Falls the win that would send them on to the championship. The game-winner may have been the most exciting play of the day for Duran, but he was the offensive focal point in all 4 quarters. He hit several 3's throughout the game, many coming off his constant off-ball movement and his determination to get open on the perimeter. He played well in the post and attacked the basket effectively when the long-range shot wasn't there, and he was also impressive moving the ball around, making several nice passes. He was active on the defensive end, as well, but it was his versatile offensive game that really stood out in Cy Falls win over Mansfield Summit. Duran's dominant game early in Day 3 was the lone bright spot for him, though, as he didn't make much of an impact in the final game against McKinney. As mentioned above, it was Duran's teammate, [player_tooltip player_id="1052155" first="Jesaiah" last="McWright"], that really took over that game, and Duran acted as more of a decoy throughout. He was still active on the defensive end, trying to make his presence felt any way he can, but was limited on the offensive end for the most part. #2 - Jeffery Scott - 5'8" - SG - Junior - Mansfield Summit vs. Cy Falls & vs. Dickinson Scott was a menace and a pest on the defensive end in both of Mansfield Summit's games on Day 3. He was relentless<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/Jeffery-Scott-2.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1196220 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/Jeffery-Scott-2-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a> on the perimeter, locking up any guard or wing Cy Falls and Dickinson threw his way. He stayed active and prepared on every play, tipping multiple passes and knocking several balls loose. He also came away with numerous steals and took several charges in both games, doing everything he could to limit the lead guards on the opposing teams and make their lives as difficult as possible. On the offensive side of the ball, it was more of a tale of two halves for Scott, or really a tale of two games. He only hit a couple 3's in their first game against Summit, but then in the 3rd place game against Dickinson, Scott lit up the score board and was simply on fire. He drained at least five 3-pointers in that final game, attacked the basket, and even came away with a tough offensive rebound and a putback amongst the trees in the paint. #10 - True Hardison - 6'0" - SG - Senior - Mansfield Summit vs. Cy Falls & vs. Dickinson Hardison was a jack of all trades for Mansfield Summit in both of their games on Day 3. He wasn't necessarily their<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/155-True_Hardison_2.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1071291 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/155-True_Hardison_2-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a> leading scorer or overly dominant in any one area, but he did everything that was necessary to make a positive impact on the game, making winning plays that every coach loves to see. In their first game against Cy Falls, it was Hardison's off-ball movement that really stood out. He was an energizer bunny out there, flying around the court, making timely cuts, and keeping the defense's attention split between him and wherever the ball was at all times. It wasn't just the movement either, he set several off-ball screens, as well, focusing his efforts on getting his teammates open and making simple yet effective basketball plays to get his team a basket on the offensive end of the floor. He provided his own scoring from all areas of the court too, hitting long range shots and finishing at the rim. His defense was just as effective, playing inspirational perimeter defense on some of the top players, especially on Cy Falls' top wing, [player_tooltip player_id="1052155" first="Jesaiah" last="McWright"], where Hardison should get a lot of the credit for holding him to such a modest game. In their second game against Dickinson, Hardison maintained his extremely effective and reliable defensive output, locking up anyone he was matched against, but he provided even more of an offensive boost from a scoring standpoint, hitting several 3-pointers and creating for others with the ball in his hands, delivering a few nice passes that ended in easy buckets. #4 - [player_tooltip player_id="892132" first="Ja'Kobe" last="Walter"] - 6'6" - SF/SG - Junior - McKinney vs. Dickinson & vs. Cy Falls Walter was the best player in the entire tournament and his performances in both games on Day 3 were a perfect finish to showcase<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/09/IMG_0881-e1640457106302.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1286939 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/09/IMG_0881-e1640457106302-211x300.jpg" alt="" width="211" height="300" /></a> just how valuable he can be. In the semifinals against Dickinson, McKinney was simply too dominant throughout their lineup and Walter never had to truly assert himself. He still came away with several impact plays and was clearly a matchup problem for anyone Dickinson threw at him. He played the point-guard role on several possessions, controlling the pace and setting his teammates up with beautiful vision and passing. He scored from all over the court, hitting long range shots, tough layups in the paint, and posting up smaller players. He was a dominant defensive force, as well, getting steals, taking multiple charges in the 1st and 3rd quarters, and simply being an active and aware defensive player throughout. In the finals against a tougher opponent in Cy Falls, Walter just took over. He dazzled the crowd and put on a show for everyone to gawk at. His midrange was flawless, putting on a clinic, just draining pullup shots from deep time and time again, disregarding any kind of defense Cy Falls threw at him. He was in complete control of the offense, setting up his star big men for easy shots and dishing out timely passes to his open shooters. He was aggressive and active on the boards, getting several putbacks. He was hustling on defense, diving for loose balls and keeping his hands active at all times. The game came easy to him, and he could not be stopped. McKinney had the strongest roster in the tournament, and they also had the best player in [player_tooltip player_id="892132" first="Ja'Kobe" last="Walter"]. #21 - Samuel Jessamy - 6'1" - SG/SF - Senior - Cy Fair vs. Cy Creek Jessamy didn't put up many eye-popping stats in the consolation bracket championship game against Cy Creek, he didn't have any flashy plays that made the crowd cheer, but he was a vital piece in Cy Fair's victory, and he did all the little things that you just love to see in a player. Jessamy was a fighter, the aggressor, the bulldog. He set the tone in this game for Cy Fair and the argument could be made that he clearly wanted to win more than anyone on the court. If there was a loose ball, he was there boxing out, diving on the floor, and bumping bodies. He is only 6'1" but he was leaping amongst the trees, doing anything he could to secure an extra possession for his team on the offensive boards. He was just as aggressive on the defensive end, as well, guarding bigger guys in the post, staying active on the perimeter, and making smart play after smart play, disturbing the offensive sets of Cy Creek. He fought so hard, he even got knocked in the head in the 3rd quarter sending him out of the game to be checked on by medical staff. His toughness and grit proved to be elite yet again though, as he came back in the 4th quarter to continue his aggressive style of play and help secure the win for Cy Fair. #11 - [player_tooltip player_id="1205208" first="Ringo" last="Deng"] - 6'6" - SF/PF - Senior - South Grand Prairie vs. Cy Ranch Deng was an interior force for South Grand Prairie in their 5th place win over Cy Ranch. He provided constant movement and energy for his team with his motion off the ball, finding all the open seams on every possession and making cuts at just the right times, showing his high IQ for the game and his attention to detail to make the most of his opportunities. Paired with an elite passing maestro in Anthony Solomon, Deng's movement and cuts paid off almost every time, with Solomon finding him for easy buckets whenever Deng touched the ball. He also showed an impressive skillset in the post, backing down opponents and utilizing some nice post control and post moves to get the two points near the rim. He stayed very active on the boards, as well, coming away with several putbacks and he was just as active on the defensive end, disturbing passes and ball handlers with his long reach and aggressive mindset.