PrepHoops 4A UIL State Championship Second Team

Check out my scouting reports on the players voted to the PrepHoops 4A State Championship Second 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. Doryan Onwucheka 2024 6’10 Oak Cliff Faith Family Academy Doryan is a high level rebounder who is great at using his frame and strength to seal off his opponents. His 6’10 frame is paired perfectly with his broad shoulders, he has all of the physical tools to become a true dominant big at the next level. He moves well for his size, and has the ability to rim run and protect the rim, all of which are incredibly valuable at the next level. He has a great touch on his jumper, and all of the size to shoot over anyone at the high school level. He can become a high level player out of the pick and roll or pop, a true dual threat weapon on the offensive side of the floor. He is a high level rim protector, who can slide over and protect the paint as a help defender. He is great at staying vertical when someone is attempting to put his shoulder in his chest. He was willing to put his body on the line, whether he was drawing charges or getting on the floor after loose balls. His ability to sky for rebounds and use his long arms to keep the ball high allowed his team to seemingly collect every rebound. He was dominant on the glass on both ends of the floor, but where it really came out was his ability to keep the ball high and make the right outlet pass to jump start his team on the fast break. In the half court, he was good at keeping the ball high and out of his defender’s reach, whether he had his back to the basket, after grabbing a rebound or operating out of the high post. Jamarion Carroll 2023 6’2 Wichita Falls Hirschi High School Jamarion is a dual sport athlete who plays wide receiver for the Texas 4A Region 1 Champions in football and basketball. His athleticism does not go unnoticed on the basketball court either, he has tremendous end to end speed with and without the basketball. His ability to push the tempo in the full court allows Hirschi to run and gun and allows Carroll to finish consistently at the cup. I loved watching him flip the court, especially after a defensive rebound in which he beats the other team down the court for an easy layup. He is skilled when attacking the rim, and can manuever around his defenders with crafty euro steps and tough finishes. His ability to create space in the lane is a coveted asset, and it is no surprise he has been an efficient scorer for them all year long. [player_tooltip player_id="1297677" first="Brandon" last="Walker"] 2022 6’6 Oak Cliff Faith Family Academy Brandon is an elite and aggressive wing who can do it all on both ends of the floor. He is great at using his energy and frame to bully defenders down low, and the bounce to throw down dunks over the top of his defenders head. He has great body control in the air and can adjust his shot angle or switch hands to finish at the rim. He is great at getting downhill and getting to the rim, and subsequently to the free throw line. His ability to live in the paint puts real pressure on the defense and forces them to continuously throw bigger and bigger bodies at him to slow him down. He thrives in transition and has all of the tools to get to the rim every single time down the court. He can fit into any system possible as well, he can be a real small forward or go take on bigger defenders in the paint as a small ball center or power forward at the next level. [player_tooltip player_id="1218010" first="Jared" last="Harris"] 2024 6’4 Silsbee High School Jared is a lanky combo guard with all of the tools to become a dominant force on both ends of the floor. He has a real connection with his sophomore counter part [player_tooltip player_id="1218008" first="Dre’lon" last="Miller"]. He has a consistent jumper and can space the floor from the perimeter. His ability to get his shot off the dribble was a valuable weapon. He showed a real ability to put the ball on the floor and attack He is a high level rebounder for his size and position on both ends of the floor, he makes the right outlet passes to jump start his team on the fast break and taps out rebounds to his shooters on the offensive end. Ernest Young 2022 6'0 Wichita Falls Hirschi High School Ernest is the point guard who led Hirschi to a State Championship game with his ability to manipulate the defense with his eyes, create opportunities for his team and control the tempo of the game. He is a creative passer who finds unique angles on his full court passes or dump offs to his bigs underneath the rim. He even threw a couple nasty lobs to Jamarion Carroll (2023) that had the whole Alamodome in awe. He is great at getting downhill and forcing the defense to react by either bringing a help defender, or allow him to ferociously attack the rim. His ability to get into the paint allows his teammates to play off of him and spot up and wait for Young to manipulate the defense. He is not just a slashing point guard however, he showed a confident ability in his pull up jumper off the dribble. He was able to hunt for his shot at all three levels of the floor whether that was from the high post on a power dribble pull up or by using his touch on his floater in the lane. On defense he was able to confidently apply full court pressure by himself and really harass some high level ball handlers. I was very impressed with his ability to do it all on all on both ends of the floor.