2021-22 Texas UIL State Championships: 2A All Tournament Team

Check out my scouting reports on the players voted to the State All Tournament Teams for the 2A division. These players were selected to this honor by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches in attendance at the State Championships. Claredon beat Lipan in the 2A Championship game with a final score of 65-51. LaMarcus Penigar 5’11 2022 Claredon High School (2A MVP) LaMarcus is a sharp shooting combo guard who had a good semi finals performance against La Poynor, and a dominant performance against the undefeated Lipan High School in which he scored 41 points to give his team the victory. He is a microwave scorer with the ability to get hot at any moment! He can shoot from beyond the arc off the catch with ease, and love scoring in bunches with his ability to create space off the dribble. His ability to consistently create space with his quick handle allows him to be a dominant offensive weapon. He is not just a sharp shooter tho, he can put the ball on the floor and put pressure on the defense in the lane. He is aggressive and can get to the free throw line whenever he want to with his ability to fight through contact. I was impressed with Penigar’s willingness to affect the game on the defensive side of the ball as well. He was great at moving his feet laterally and keeping his opponent in front of him. He has active hands that love poking the ball free and allowing him to run in transition. There were plenty of easy looks in transition he and his team got due to his hard work on the defensive side of the ball. Jmaury Davis 6’2 2023 Claredon High School Jmaury is an explosive finisher in the lane with an ability to out leap defenders and consistently finish at the rim. His ability to score at the rim opens up his game for his teammates, and they consistently look for him on backdoor cuts and for lob opportunities. He is a consistent lob finisher and had some very impressive connections with his point guard. He is a consistent offensive weapon in the paint, but also displayed an ability to shoot off the catch and manipulate his opponents with a live dribble. Davis is a strong finisher through contact, drawing a few and one's but also can maneuver his way around his opponents in the paint. He caught the defense off guard with some slick euro steps as he got around the last opponent, especially on the fast break. He has the ability to play small ball center through his ability to punish his opponents in the paint on both ends of the floor. He is a good rim protector and a very willing rebounder. He is great at grabbing defensive rebounds and pushing the break and finishing on the other end, he is a dangerous coast to coast weapon. [player_tooltip player_id="1158360" first="Garrett" last="Smith"] 5’11 2023 Lipan High School Garrett is an impressive scorer at all three levels, but is especially deadly from the midrange beyond. He is calm and confident with his back to the basket and can patiently score with post fades and quick turn arounds. He even displayed a tough double clutch turn around with a defender draped all over him. He put on a clinic all weekend scoring the basketball, and got it done at all three levels of the floor. He is great at shooting off the catch, and always stays ready to shoot from beyond the arc. He is constantly moving without the basketball and relocating to his favorite spots on the floor. His constant motion wears out defenders and allows him to be that much more of an offensive weapon. He displayed an ability to create separation with his handle and then calmly rise up in the midrange when the defense sags off to protect the paint. His high level scoring ability allowed him to be a real weapon getting downhill and attacking the basket. Smith is a high level scorer and a prospect you will want to keep your eye on for next year, Lipan is still very young and were led by their stud juniors this year! Expect them to have a real shot to make it back here next year! Tate Branson 5’11 2023 Lipan High School Tate is the energy and the spark that allows Lipan to keep churning forward, his ability to affect the game by doing all of the little things on both ends of the floor was incredibly impressive. He is a calm and confident point guard who thrives in setting up his teammates and creating looks for them. His ability to calmly dictate the tempo and where the ball needs to go was very impressive. He displayed some real wizardry level passes with his ability to pass in mid-air or create looks with his flashy passing ability. He is the definition of an old school point guard who has real court vision. He can change his mind after he is leaping in the air and accurately make the best read possible as he is falling back down to the court. I was incredibly impressed with his calmness with the basketball, and his ability to play at his own speed, no matter the defensive pressure. His vision is not just when he has the basketball, he had two instances where he volleyball tapped a rebound to an uncontested big underneath the rim for an easy layup. Branson has all the tools to become a successful point guard at the next level. Cayden D’Costa 6’1 2022 Clarendon High School Cayden has great control and touch on his floater, and he is an efficient scorer at all three levels. He is a knock down shooter when given time to set his feet and square up as he catches the ball. He is not just a set shooter however, he has a strong ability to put the ball on the floor and attack the basket. When facing bigger competition he can calmly get his floater off over his defender. He does not just use his touch when attacking the basket, he displayed an ability to fight through contact and finish through fouls. He is a smart player, and knows not to let the ball stick to his hand. He is great at making the extra pass and routinely found open teammates open on the backside.