2021 VYPE Holiday Invitational: Top Underclassmen

<p>Check out my breakdowns on the top underclassmen in attendance at the 2021 VYPE Holiday Invitational down in Houston this Christmas break! </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1220767" first="Zion" last="Pipkin"] 2024 Westfield High School (Tournament MVP)<br /> Zion is the definition of a dog, his motor and ability to affect the game on both ends of the floor allowed Westfield to plow through some high level competition on their way to winning the tournament. He attacks the basket hard and gets easy looks in transition at the rim due to his energy. He is great at fighting through contact on his way to the rim. I was blown away by his on court leadership, ability to direct traffic on the defensive and offensive end and how much of a winner he is. He did not need the ball in his hands to affect the game, his off ball movement created space for his teammates as he drew attention away from the defense. His game reminds me a lot of a young Collin Sexton, with his unending pace, willingness to defend high level ball handlers and live in the paint as a smaller guard.</p> <p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5vy3paT-9Q</p> <p>Ja’varius Thompson 2024 6’0 Nimitz High School<br /> Ja’varius is a fearless guard who has a knack with finishing with the best of them in the paint. He is great at attacking downhill and putting his body on the line to put the other team into foul trouble and to get off shots at the rim. I was very impressed with the amount of gravity and attention he draws when he has the basketball, and how good he was at finding the open teammate when he felt an extra defender. He is a great set shooter when he gets a chance to set his feet and play off the ball. Nimitz is a team to keep your eye on, they have two especially good sophomore guards in Thompson and [player_tooltip player_id="1139315" first="Eric" last="Woods"] that could make the leap next year....</p> <p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNv8KJIkAkE</p> <p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qqtr6nQq96g</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1228214" first="Todd" last="Woods"] 2024 Fort Bend Elkins High School</p> <p>Todd is a sharp shooting guard who has the potential to light it up from distance. His ability to shoot the ball and be a reliable floor spacing option allows his big man and athletic wing to attack the basket at will, knowing his defender cannot come off him to help. I was very impressed by his ability to get to his floater and shot in the paint as well, very consistent for an undersized and young guard. He has active hands on the defensive end that have a knack for causing steals and turnovers. I would like to see him work on his ability to get to his shot in the midrange, especially after he blows by a defender closing out hard to contest him on the three point line.</p> <p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-91dno97muA</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1217922" first="Luke" last="Coughran"] 2024 Katy Tompkins High School</p> <p>Luke is an impressive young wing who you can tell is not done growing, he possesses great arm length which allows him to finish at the rim with ease. His consistency in the paint was very impressive, even against strong defenders. He has great off ball awareness and is great at flashing to the high post or cutting to the basket to give his team a passing option and put pressure on the middle of the defense. He even displayed an ability to knock down shots around the arc when given time to catch and shoot. I would like to see him get more aggressive with the basketball, and hunt for his shot more. </p> <p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qqtr6nQq96g</p>