PrepHoops 2A UIL State Championship First Team

<div class="article-content"> Check out my scouting reports on the players voted to the State Championship First Team for the 2A division. Clarendon beat Lipan in the 2A Championship game with a final score of 65-51. Clarendon knocked off Mumford in the Semi-Finals 58-40 and Lipan beat La Rue La Poynor 69-60. LaMarcus Penigar 2022 5’11 Clarendon High School 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. Kase Johnston 2022 6’2 (La Rue) La Poynor High School Kase is an athletic guard who is capable of taking on an entire offense’s responsibility on his shoulders, he is confident with a live dribble and his relentless pursuit towards the rim created opportunity after opportunity for his team. He consistently turned the corner on his opponent and got into the teeth of the defense and forced the defense to either allow him to finish or slide over and leave a shooter open or a dump off pass to his big underneath the basket. I was very impressed with his ability to make the right decision and pass out to his teammates on the weak side. He was the real point guard of his team from his ability to direct traffic and put his teammates in the right spot with his pin point passes while going 100 miles per hour. On the defensive end, Johnston flies around the court and provides full court pressure and even rim protection. His ability to consistently move his feet and keep his opponent in front of him was very impressive, he is a real weapon when coming over as a second defender. His coach lets him float as the trapper in the front court and it truly works due to his energy and basketball IQ. His active hands have a knack of poking the ball free from his opponents with a live dribble and when his opponent goes up for a shot underneath the basket. His motor was on full display during the semi finals, he was active and willing to get on the floor after loose balls and long rebounds. He seemed to have tweaked his leg during the game and nearly willed his team back into the game through his injury. I was very impressed with his all around game on both ends of the floor, and he almost willed his team to a shot at the title this year. Jmaury Davis 2023 6’2 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. <a class="pn-player-link" href="https://prephoops.com/player/garrett-smith-3/">[player_tooltip player_id="1158360" first="Garrett" last="Smith"]<img class=" ls-is-cached lazyloaded" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/Garrett-Smith-2-150x150.jpg" data-src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/Garrett-Smith-2-150x150.jpg" /></a> 2023 5’11 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! [player_tooltip player_id="1158358" first="Tripp" last="Phillips"] 2023 6’4 Lipan High School Tripp is an athletic player who has a great feel for the game on both ends of the floor. I was very impressed with his heads up game that he has on the offensive end of the floor, he consistently found cutting teammates and always made perfect entry passes into the post. He showed an ability to put a soft touch on his passes to get it just over the defense. I was very impressed with his handle and his ability to control the ball within the half court and be a real weapon with his athleticism and length in the full court. From the outside, he has a consistent jump shot and is a real weapon whenever he has his feet set. Lipan had elite ball movement during their time on the court, and Phillips made a bunch of shots from the perimeter to punish the defense for being lazy on contesting a skip pass. On the defensive side of the floor, he used his basketball IQ and awareness to play in the passing lanes and even contest shots at the rim. His ability to play in the passing lanes allows him to leak out and play in the full court, where he consistently finished at the rim or made the right decision to find his teammate on the break. He has all the tools to play small ball center if necessary, but truly wreaks havoc on the perimeter and can use his length to protect the paint. When his opponent does not have the ball in the half court, he is great at taking away every possible angle and can single handily taking his matchup out of the picture. </div>