Chance Harmon Classic 2023 Standouts (Part 2)
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The 15th annual Chance Harmon Classic took place this past Saturday in Floyd County, VA with a day full of talented teams both from SWVA and across the state and other states as well. One of my favorite events of…
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Continue ReadingThe 15th annual Chance Harmon Classic took place this past Saturday in Floyd County, VA with a day full of talented teams both from SWVA and across the state and other states as well. One of my favorite events of the year, the CHC is in remembrance of Chance Harmon, who at 8 years old passed away from a rare cancer and this event honors him while also raising money for child cancer research.
The event brings the whole town out as well as most of western VA, and is a really special day of basketball run by some very good people. There were tons of talented players and great basketball throughout the day, and it was another successful year to help “Give Others a Chance.”
Here’s a look at part two of the 2023 standouts from the event.
Kaiden Swortzel Kaiden Swortzel 6'5" | PF Floyd County | 2023 State VA | 6’4” PF | Floyd County
Swortzel is one of the most productive and consistent big men in SWVA, and he’s going to go down in the Chance Harmon Hall of Fame with some of his big performances against good teams, none that were better than his most recent one in their overtime loss to East Rockingham. When it comes to someone who has sheer tenacity and never quits that’s embodied by Swortzel who came out of the gates hot but continued to dominate in the post fighting for rebounds, finishing through traffic and showing excellent touch and footwork in the paint. He finished with an impressive 31 points and 16 rebounds in the close loss, going for 21 points and 13 rebounds after halftime.
Tyler Meade | 6’0” WG | Lord Botetourt
Meade is a new name to know about in the SWVA area, as the junior guard showed he’s an elite shooter who came up big for LB in their close win over Radford. The 6’0” lefty showed he moves well off the ball and can get open, he has a smooth stroke and is consistent from deep and he was excellent as a secondary ball handler too. He finished with 14 points going 4-for-7 from deep and going 4-for-4 from the field in the second half.
Jackson Crawford Jackson Crawford 5'11" | PG Lord Botetourt | 2023 State VA | 5’8” PG | Lord Botetourt
Crawford didn’t put up big scoring numbers, but the crafty lead guard showed a lot of poise and made plays in both halves to help lift LB over Radford in a very close game. When I say he’s crafty I mean it, as he’s shifty off the bounce and changes speeds well, and has great finishing moves around and over bigger defenders, and he’s a good playmaker who can touch the paint and make plays for others. He finished with 9 points and 5 assists in the win.
Stark Jones Stark Jones 6'3" | CG Cave Spring | 2023 State VA | 6’3” WG | Cave Spring
It was my first time since seeing Jones I saw him at Chance as a freshman with Roanoke Catholic, and at that point I said he had the tools to become one of the best prospects in Roanoke and he’s heading in that direction. The 6’3” wing is a two way impact player who’s a lock down defender, he’s grown and become extremely explosive and gets downhill and looks to finish at and above the rim consistently and he showed he can play on and off the basketball. He finished with 11 points in their win over Jefferson Forest but he showed a lot of tools that translate to the next level.
Dylan Saunders Dylan Saunders 6'8" | C Cave Spring | 2023 State VA | 6’6” PF | Cave Spring
Another one of Roanoke’s top prospects in the 2023 class, Saunders showed great versatility at his size and impacts the game in a number of different ways. The 6’6” forward is long and mobile as he runs the floor hard and moves well in the paint, he can score in the post and is a good rim protector and he can step out and knock down shots from the perimeter as well. He finished with 8 points and 3 blocks in their win.