2021-22 6A Region 3 Bi-District Preview (Part 1/3)

Check out my analysis on the top players in the first round matchups of the 6A Region 3 playoffs! These games are sure to be exciting to watch, and let me know on Twitter who you think wins and why! Fort Bend Elkins High School vs Cinco Ranch High School <a class="pn-player-link" href="https://prephoops.com/player/chris-johnson/">[player_tooltip player_id="787342" first="Chris" last="Johnson"]<img class=" ls-is-cached lazyloaded" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/06/IMG_6934-150x150.jpg" data-src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/06/IMG_6934-150x150.jpg" /></a> 2023 6’4 Fort Bend Elkins High School Chris is one of the most impressive scorers I have seen in a few years. His patience and ability to single handily take over any game makes him an elite weapon. He is a dynamic scorer with great size at the guard position, he can bully defenders off of him in the paint with ease and finish using his athleticism and ability to hang in the air. He has incredible ball control and his ability to get downhill and get his shot off the dribble was incredibly impressive. His constant aggression and willingness to attack the basket ended up putting a ton of pressure on the defense of every team he faced. He lived in the paint and subsequently the free throw line as well. I was blown away by his ability to dominate in the midrange with his back to the basket, he was incredibly tough to defend once the defense was on its heels trying to protect the paint and he rose up for a quick two dribble pull up. In the most recent game I saw him play (highlights below) he was missing his senior big man and took over the game for all four quarters, he showed an ability to dominate the ball and creating every single look for his team. He has recently been working out with a few prominent Houston Rockets coaches and trainers, so it is not surprising to see him have a little bit of that James Harden mold in him. Already boasting plenty of Division 1 offers including Kansas and recently Memphis, Johnson is going to end up being a very special player, and a college coach is going to get one hell of a basketball player. <iframe title="(#1 vs #2 in Texas 6A Region 20) Fort Bend Elkins vs Ridge Point High School Full Game Highlights" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uxgbH8vkUuY?feature=oembed" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe> <a class="pn-player-link" href="https://prephoops.com/player/jackson-fields/">[player_tooltip player_id="1057610" first="Jackson" last="Fields"]</a> 2022 6’7 Fort Bend Elkins Jackson is a nimble big man who can punish you in a variety of ways. I was blown away by his agility and ability to step around defenders, finish softly at the rim, and stretch the floor. He is a smart screener who knows when to roll versus popping out for an open midrange look. He is great at playing off of his lead guard, and thrives at being in the right spot at the right time. He is a fearless defender of the rim and truly believes every shot that goes up is his to take off the glass. He truly has an Anthony Davis type game to him, with an ability to punish a smaller defender on the block or take a bigger forward off the dribble. He has great touch on his shot, paired with a high release point makes it a difficult weapon to stop. <iframe title="Fort Bend Elkins vs Fort Bend Clements Full Game Highlights" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0CYFtnrL9yM?feature=oembed" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe>   Seven Lakes High School vs Travis High School <a class="pn-player-link" href="https://prephoops.com/player/anthony-bates-jr/">[player_tooltip player_id="1217934" first="Anthony" last="Bates Jr"]<img class=" lazyloaded" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/image0-29-crop-769x505-1625160260-150x150.jpeg" data-src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/image0-29-crop-769x505-1625160260-150x150.jpeg" /></a> 2024 6’2 Katy Seven Lakes Anthony is a very fluid athlete who has great body control. He is a high-level finisher in the paint due to his ability to get around defenders with quick moves such as euro steps and double clutches. He has a great handle and ability to put the ball on the floor and get to his spots. He displayed a plethora of high level moves such as floaters and creative step backs. He is a very skilled shooter off the bounce. Bates is also a very aware player who knows how to attack the weak spots in the defense. I was blown away by his maturity with the basketball and willingness to take what the defense gives him. He comfortably shot from all three levels of the floor and lived in the midrange. He is developing at a very rapid rate over the last year and a half, and I am excited to see how much he continues to grow. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJxIAnYOdhU Tahaad Davis 2022 6’4 Seven Lakes High School Tahaad is a special combo wing who can create his own shot from any level of the floor. He has supreme athleticism that allows him to hang in the air and contort his body around defenders. It was very impressive to watch him wreak havoc at all three levels on the offensive end of the floor. He has a reliable shooting touch from beyond the arc, and specializes at spotting up on the wings. He even displayed some deep NBA range on a few three pointers. I loved watching him get downhill against smaller guards and being able to use his hang time to get around bigger defenders in the paint. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1m1WktAtUY Josh Apkovwa 2023 6’7 Seven Lakes High School Josh is a force in the paint, his ability to rim run and protect the rim allows him to be a real weapon for Seven Lakes High School. His massive frame punishes smaller defenders on the block and he is great at using his length and weight to his advantage with his back to the basket. Apkovwa plays off of his two lead guards very well, and is a great pick and roll punch with the two of them. He rolls hard to the basket for easy opportunities and is good at fronting the post and sealing off his defender. [player_tooltip player_id="889567" first="Cameron" last="Crockett"] 2022 6’7 Fort Bend Travis High School Cameron is an athletic freak who is agile and can move with ease up and down the floor. The recent commit to Mount St. Mary’s University moves his feet very well as he flashed the ability to defend high level guards on the perimeter. He dominates in the paint on the defensive end of the floor and can come up with massive blocks at the rim or even chase down blocks when his opponent blows by their defender. He has a great nose for the ball and can throw down tip in opportunities with ease. [player_tooltip player_id="1203723" first="Nelson" last="Chukwukelu"] 2023 6’7 Fort Bend Travis High School Nelson is a towering paint force who will have his hands full against Josh Apkovwa for Seven Lakes. He is a strong rim protector and is good at sneaking around the rim for open opportunities when his guard drives into the paint. He is nimble and can move around in the lane to seal off his defender underneath the rim. I would like to see him work on his ability to finish in the paint after coming off of a live dribble versus out of the post. It is going to be a real battle of the bigs between these two. Bellaire High School vs Cypress Ridge High School <a class="pn-player-link" href="https://prephoops.com/player/jacolb-cole/">[player_tooltip player_id="787327" first="Jacolb" last="Cole"]<img class=" ls-is-cached lazyloaded" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2019/07/EF2328E4-BC78-4655-B4BC-90121124288C-150x150.jpeg" data-src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2019/07/EF2328E4-BC78-4655-B4BC-90121124288C-150x150.jpeg" /></a> 2023 6’8 Bellaire High School Jacolb was very impressive in the few games I have seen him play. He was getting to his shot at all three levels, dominating on the block and attacking the basket with a live dribble. His agility and ability to maneuver around defenders in the paint was very impressive. He is a confident spot up shooter from the corners and wings, which forces defenders to run at him hard and allowing him to blow by them with a one to two dribble move. He has the ability to take over any game he wants to and can do so on both ends of the floor. He defended bigs at a high level and seemed to swallow up smaller guards. [player_tooltip player_id="1225694" first="Shelton" last="Henderson"] 2025 6’6 Bellaire High School Shelton is a massive guard who thrives in transition. The amount of pressure he can put on a defense by getting downhill was very impressive. He is great at making the right reads whenever he is in the paint, and kicks out to open shooters with precision and accuracy. He has a soft touch around the rim and does not need to bring down the rim to score in the paint. He is great at getting to his spots in the midrange off the dribble, stopping on a dime and rising up over his defenders. His height and good shooting mechanics allow him to shoot over the top of his defenders with ease. His length and ability to finish at the rim is very impressive for a freshmen. Henderson is one of the best freshmen prospects in the state and it is not difficult to find out why. Trey Swayzer 2022 6’3 Cypress Ridge High School Trey is an athletic combo guard who thrives on the defensive end. He has a real nose for the basketball and always seems to be picking off passes in the passing lane to create instant offense for his team. He is great on the glass on the offensive end and comes up with lots of tip in opportunities. His relentless ability to get into the paint allows his team to get more open looks due to the pressure he puts on the middle of the defense. He is a reliable shooter when given time to square up and set his feet. He can reliably space the floor from the corners and wings in transition. Jake Holland 2024 Cypress Ridge High School Jake is a sniper from around the arc and his shot making ability is very impressive for a sophomore. He is fearless from any spot on the floor and knows he makes shots at a high clip. He can pull up on the break when the time is right and the defense is packing the paint, or run without the basketball off screens to set up in the corners. He has a quick release and is great at getting shots up right after he catches the ball. He is great at manipulating the defense with his passing and threat to shoot the basketball. Cypress Ridge really moves the ball around and works to get the best shot possible and Holland is a great piece in that offense. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tP2IW1gYWQY Lamar High School vs Cypress Fair High School Brandon Thomas 2025 Lamar High School Brandon is a sharp shooting guard who is a great floor spacer for Lamar High School. He is great at attacking the basket with a live dribble wether that is getting to his spot in the midrange or downhill and getting into the paint. His ability to convert in transition allows him to be a real weapon on the floor, he is great at jumpstarting fast breaks with his steals and ability to go coast to coast. Oscar Mance 2023 Lamar High School Oscar is the leading scorer for Lamar at about twelve points per game, he has the ability to do it from all three levels. He attacks the basket at a high level and puts pressure on the defense by getting to the free throw line. He is a great scorer off the catch, and is a reliable floor spacer for his team. He is a relentless on ball defender with a real knack for poking the ball free from high level ball handlers. He and Thomas are great at harassing the opposing guards and finishing on the fast break.