Take 5: Available Bigs in Central/Western VA

Jack Herron

January 26, 2022 @ 10:30 AM

As we head into the year 2022, we will take a look at some of the best available 2022 players in the state. We will start at the guard position, as there’s plenty of those to go around. We’ll look at five players from each area and position that coaches at all levels looking for a player should keep an eye out for. Here’s five 2022 forwards in the Central and Western areas of Virginia that need more love. [player_tooltip player_id="798689" first="Houston" last="Emory"] | 6’10” | Blue Ridge <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/07/Emory-Houston2.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1025491" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/07/Emory-Houston2-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> A high upside big man who has dealt with some injuries in the past few years, Emory has a lot of tools that translate to the next level and could make him very good in a few years. At 6’10” he’s surprisingly mobile and bouncy and he can run the floor and finish above the rim, he has improved in his ability to knock down shots from behind the arc and in the midrange and he is a defensive stopper in the paint who takes pride defensively and can protect the rim. [player_tooltip player_id="964450" first="Jacob" last="Rice"] | 6’8” | Miller School <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/03/Rice-Jacob.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1159983" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/03/Rice-Jacob-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> A versatile forward who can get things done in a number of different ways, Rice is a walking mismatch as he’s comfortable playing on the perimeter and he can also post up smaller players and score around the rim. He’s a mobile big who can run the floor and handle in transition, he can stretch the floor with his shooting ability and he plays with a good motor on both ends of the floor. [player_tooltip player_id="1107830" first="Spencer" last="Hamilton"] | 6’10” | Parry McLeur <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/11/Hamilton-Spencer.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1082510" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/11/Hamilton-Spencer-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> Hamilton was last year’s Class 1 POY leading Parry McLeur to a state championship, and while he’s from a small market he has a lot of tools that make him attractive moving forward. He’s very long and protects the rim well, he can stretch the floor and put the ball on the deck to create space and he has good hands and feet in the paint to score in the post as well. [player_tooltip player_id="962797" first="Henry" last="Sullivan"] | 6’8” | Western Albemarle Sullivan comes from a school that always seems to have talented bigs, and he’s a high upside guy moving forward that can impact the game on both ends of the floor. He’s long and has good timing as a shot blocker, he has good touch out to the elbows and is a good passer out of the high post and he always seems to have his hands on the ball for rebounds and loose balls. Jayden Hicks | 6’6” | East Rockingham <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/01/Hicks-Jayden.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1364048" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/01/Hicks-Jayden-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> Hicks is still a little bit raw, but with a couple years of continued growth and development he could come away as a sleeper in this class with his raw athleticism and talent. He’s a big time athlete who runs like a wing and has good pop around the rim, he has good hands and is good on dives and slips to the bucket and he has a lot of potential on the defensive end moving forward.