PrepHoops 5A UIL State Championship Third Team

<p><strong>Check out my scouting reports on the players voted to the PrepHoops 5A State Championship Third Team. Beaumont United beat Mansfield Timberview in the 5A Championship game with a final score of 62-57. Beaumount United knocked off (Dallas) Kimball in the Semi-Finals 66-64. Mansfield Timberview knocked off Boerne - Champion in the Semi-Finals 55-43. </strong></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1216533" first="Clarence" last="Payia"]</strong> 2024 6’3 Beaumont United High School</p> <p>Clarence is a strong guard who has all of the physical tools to do it all on either end of the floor. He has a great frame already as a sophomore and should continue to grow in height and in strength. He is an active player in the paint on both ends of the floor, he rebounds the ball at a high level, finishes through contact at the rim and is patient down low. He is not afraid of any help defenders coming his way to close out and affect him at the rim. His ability to get to the rim and absorb contact allowed him to convert a few and-1 opportunities on his way to the rim. He also hit timely free throw’s down the stretch to secure a late victory in the semi-finals against Kimball. </p> <p>On the defensive end of the floor, he has great instincts already as a help defender. He is good at recognizing which order in which he should be rotating to help over and protects the rim with ferocity. At times, he is overly aggressive and he picked up a few fouls that could have been avoided. I would like to see him work on being more patient, and staying vertical as he comes over on the weak side. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="889563" first="Trae" last="Clayton"]</strong> 2022 6’5 Dallas Kimball High School</p> <p>Trae is an active rebounder who does not ever give up on the offensive end of the floor. He keeps his head up in the post and the mid post to look for his teammates as they flash to the rim. Clayton has a smooth shooting stroke and is a threat to stretch the floor from the outside. He is capable of scoring with a live dribble with ease, and has an elite face up game. His ability to provide a consistent shooting option allowed his smaller guards to attack the rim at will, and it allowed him to roam around the top of the key to be a reliable shooting and passing option for his team.</p> <p>He seemed to be playing through an injury during his team’s run at a 5A title, yet did not let that disturb him as he wreaked havoc on the offensive end of the floor. He is a consistent finisher in the paint which allows him to attack the rim and get downhill. As soon as he recognizes the defense is playing back on him, he calmly rises up and takes the midrange jumper. His ability to play outside-in allowed his team to have a plethora of space as they operated to take their defender off the dribble. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="958609" first="Jared" last="Washington"]</strong> 2022 6’3 Mansfield Timberview High School</p> <p>Jared is an athletic and harassing on ball defender. He is great at locking up his opponent in the full court, and moving his feet to keep them in front of him. His aggressive defense makes his opponent’s have a second thought about attacking the rim after they work so hard to get to the three point line. He has active hands that have a knack for poking the ball free as his opponent’s rise up for a shot opportunity. He is an elite rim protector who can come over as a help defender and reject shots after his opponent’s get two feet into the paint. </p> <p>He has the ability to dominate on the glass and is great at snatching rebounds off the rim and keeping his head up to make the right outlet pass to allow his team to run on the break. His ability to make timely decisions and accurate outlet passes after a rebound or turnover allowed his lead guards to wreak havoc in transition and allows him to be a slashing trailer option. He is a fearless finisher at the rim and has the frame to finish through any contact that might come his way.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1149309" first="Jesse" last="Peart"]</strong> 2022 6’4 Boerne Champion High School</p> <p>Jesse was a standout point guard for his team for his ability to score at all three levels, create for his teammates and leading his team. His aggressiveness seemed to spark his teammates whenever he would attack the rim or get a tough bucket in the midrange. He is truly what makes this team go, and he has a bunch of talent to play off of him due to his unselfishness. He got to his spots in the midrange and beyond the arc with a live dribble and confidently rose up over defenders and scored at a high clip. He is aggressive and loves getting downhill and forcing the defense to collapse. His ability to fire cross court passes to his open teammates lead his team to a strong quarter finals appearance. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1153375" first="Braxton" last="Burdick"]</strong> 2022 6’4 Boerne Champion High School</p> <p>Braxton is a hard working combo guard who thrives at all three levels of the floor. He did not shoot well from the outside this during these games, but was able to affect the game in a plethora of other ways such as attacking the basket at a high level or finding his cutting teammates. His relentless nature as he got downhill allowed him to consistently finish at the rim and use his frame to seal off defenders from having a shot of blocking him. He is great at taking a bump and being able to finish through contact, his ability to consistently fight off his opponent at the rim was very impressive.  He has great vision for his size and has the ability to have the entire offense run through him if need be. </p>