PrepHoops 4A UIL State Championship First Team

Check out my scouting reports on the players voted to the PrepHoops 4A State Championship First Team. Oak Cliff Faith Family Academy beat Wichita Falls Hirschi in the 4A Championship game with a final score of 76-50. Oak Cliff also knocked out Silsbee in the Semi Finals with a score of 70-62. Hirschi knocked off Boerne in the Semi-Finals in an overtime thriller 63-57. TJ Caldwell 6’4 2022 Oak Cliff Faith Family Academy TJ has the perfect blend of athleticism for a combo guard that thrives at getting to the rim and stopping on a dime to shoot over the top of his defenders. He has great body control when he is attacking the rim, he can euro-step his way out of trouble or change his shot angle as he is hanging in the air. I was blown away by the amount of space he creates with his dribble moves, but also the space he is able to leap as he is getting downhill. Caldwell is not just a slashing bucket getter however, he has great court vision and an ability to deliver timely passes. Whether he was picking apart the defense with a cross court pass, or putting a kick-out pass or a dump off to his big after drawing the attention of a second defender created a plethora of easy looks for his team. He plays both ends of the floor and is a very high level rebounder for his size and position. He is great at using his ability to leap to sky for rebounds and clear the glass. His ability to defend the perimeter is very elite, and even came up with a steal off the inbounds and nailed a three pointer to end the half in the semi-finals. <a class="pn-player-link" href="https://prephoops.com/player/drelon-miller-3/">[player_tooltip player_id="1218008" first="Dre’lon" last="Miller"]</a> 6’2 2024 Silsbee High School Dre’lon was incredibly special during his matchup in the semi finals between Silsbee and Oak Cliff Faith Family Academy, and should have a massive amount of recruiting coming his way after displaying his ability to score off the dribble, his relentless nature on the court and willingness to do all of the little things. Miller is an incredibly high level rebounder for his size, and was willing to do all of the dirty work to help his team win. He attacks the rim on every single play and never seems to get tired. He is a high level slasher for an undersized guard and was not afraid to take on the three 6’7+ athletes that Oak Cliff Faith Family Academy threw at him. I was incredibly impressed with his ability to score even after getting hammered and his ability to change his shot angle to finish in the paint. He is a poised player who never gets sped up or rattled by intense defense. He calmly scores off the dribble and takes what the defense gives him. When the defense sags off to protect the paint and take away his driving angles, he calmly rises up and takes the midrange jumper they give him space for. He can score out of the triple threat and off the catch when given a glimmer of space. On defense, he is great at using the sideline as an extra defender and angling his opponent to his weak hand where his active hands are waiting to poke the ball free. However what I was most impressed with in his game was his ability to rebound the ball on both ends of the floor. Whether he was following up his teammates misses on the offensive glass, or snatching rebounds from his opponents and looking to push the break he was willing and did so at a very high level. He had great court vision in the full court, with his ability to set up his teammates on the break, but was special creating open looks for his teammates in the half court. JT Toppin 6’7 2023 Oak Cliff Faith Family Academy JT has explosive leaping ability that allows him to shut down the gym with some impressive dunks and tip dunks! His long arms allow him to wreak havoc on the defensive end of the floor, he is an elite rim protector with his ability to reject shots in the paint. I loved his energy and willingness to contest every shot on the defensive end. He has quick feet and an ability to defend the perimeter and even block three point jumpers after having both his feet in the paint. His ability to defend the perimeter does not stop with his ability to block shots, he has active hands and a good nose for the ball on when to attack passes in the passing lane. His ability to close space is elite and will make him an incredibly valuable weapon at the next level. He recovers well and can slide over to protect the rim after his teammate gets beat off the dribble, he had an incredibly impressive block on the weak side. On the offensive end, he has great post control and can manipulate smaller defenders into backing down into his spot in the paint to get off a baby hook. He has a very quick spin move that allows him to create space in the mid post and on the block. I was very impressed with his ability to get to the rim, even with some crowded spacing playing with another dominant center and another athletic forward who all live in the paint. Toppin has all the tools to become a consistent weapon on the offensive side of the floor and can become a valuable weapon at the next level. He can easily become a small ball center with his ability to protect the rim, or become a high level slasher at the wing position with his ability to move his feet. This is a kid you want to keep your eye on, especially over his senior year next year! Devin Styles 2022 6'5 Boerne High School Devin is a do it all wing for Boerne who seemingly single handily put his team on his back to bring them to becoming a state semi-finalist. He has a reliable jumper when he is given time to set his feet, and has a quick release to get it over his defender's head. However, he does not receive many instances where he gets to stand in the corner and shoot, he was being run off the line and forced to create looks for his teammates and himself for all 32 minutes. He displayed a reliable scoring ability at all three levels of the floor, he can get to his shot with a live dribble in the midrange and even displayed some creative side step three's. He got to the rim routinely by creating a sliver of space and then using his frame to seal off his defender from having a shot at coming over to contest him. I was most impressed with his passing ability on top of him being the primary scoring option and initiator of offense. He is a high level passer on the fast break and found streaking teammates with timely passes for layups. In the half court, he routinely made cross court passes that allowed his shooters to have time to take a jumper. He was able to operate on the elbows and manipulate defenses with his passing ability and his team's constant passes to find the best shot possible. Most times that ended up being him attacking his defender off the bounce and getting to the rim or the free throw line. It was not as a result of him being overly selfish at all, he was a willing passer whenever he drew a second defender. Styles was one of the most impressive "one man bands" of the entire tournament. He displayed his high level basketball IQ on both ends of the floor. <a class="pn-player-link" href="https://prephoops.com/player/isaiah-jones-4/">[player_tooltip player_id="1150772" first="Isaiah" last="Jones"]</a> 6’3 2022 Oak Cliff Faith Family Academy Isaiah is a creative scorer at the combo guard position with his ability to finish at the rim or off the bounce. He is very skilled at creating space off the dribble and loves attacking the rim as he gets downhill in the full court. He is an aggressive playmaker who draws a lot of the defensive attention by his relentlessness at getting to the rim. He has his head up to make the right read and attack the defense as they begin to bring a second defender. His length allows him to punish defenders in the paint for jumping with him, but also allows him to beat them by racing up the court with his long legs and strides with the basketball. His frame will make him a coveted asset at the next level, as he has that perfect blend of athleticism and power that you want at your combo guard spot. Jones has all the tools to become a dynamic scorer at the next level, and I am intrigued to see where he goes next year.