Central/Western VA Breakout Candidates
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With the summer coming to an end and we start to look forward to the next high school season, we’ll be doing way too early preview content based on what we’ve seen over the summer. This series will take a…
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Continue ReadingWith the summer coming to an end and we start to look forward to the next high school season, we’ll be doing way too early preview content based on what we’ve seen over the summer. This series will take a look at some juniors and sophomores that could be breakout players in the different areas of the state.
Today, we take a look at six players in the Central and Western regions of VA that could take the biggest leaps in production and be considered among the top players in the area.
Kameron Tinsley Kameron Tinsley 6'5" | SF Cave Spring | 2024 State VA | 6’5” SF | Cave Spring 2024
Cave Spring won a state championship last year in Class 3 and will be the favorites to win it again this year, but they do lose senior Owen Dawyot who was an all state player and the guy who will step in and take on a lot of that production is rising junior Kameron Tinsley Kameron Tinsley 6'5" | SF Cave Spring | 2024 State VA who was very good off the bench for them last year. The 6’5” wing is an intriguing college prospect with his length and size at the wing position and he’s a natural athlete as well, he’s a lefty who can knock it down from deep off the catch and can get in the lane and finish around the rim and he’s a good defender who uses his length and moves his feet well in the press.
Alejandro Ford Alejandro Ford 6'5" | SF Woodberry Forest | 2024 State VA | 6’6” WF | Woodberry Forest 2024
Ford is a player who is relatively unknown by college coaches right now, but it would behoove them to get to know him sooner rather than later as he has a lot of tools that translate and is only going to get better and better. The 6’6” wing is a good shooter from deep and has confidence in his ability to score it from multiple levels, he can rebound and defends well at multiple positions and he’s starting to figure out how to be more productive on both ends of the floor.
Walker Conrad Walker Conrad 6'7" | PF Strasburg | 2024 State VA | 6’8” C | Strasburg 2024
While Conrad doesn’t come from the biggest area, it would be very tough to see him not end up as an all-state type of player as he will be hard to guard with his size and skillset that will make him very tough to guard in that area. At 6’8” Conrad is a physically intimidating player in the paint and can bang for rebounds and finish in the post, he can step out and stretch the floor where he makes shots and is a good passer and he will almost always be the tallest player in the gym in the games they play.
Austin Wiliford | 6’4” WF | STAB 2025
Williford has shown flashes throughout the last two seasons with STAB, but the way he played this summer with Team Takeover has me thinking he’ll be one of the top two way players in not only the Charlottesville area but in the entire state. While the Saints have three upperclassmen who may do a lot of the scoring, Williford has shown that he can score it efficiently both off the catch and off the bounce, he’s a big time athlete who can rebound and create second chances and he is a high level defender who can
Cy Hardy Cy Hardy 5'11" | PG Nortide | 2025 State VA | 5’11” PG | Northside 2025
Hardy was part of a very talented Northside team that made a deep run in states before falling to eventual state champs Cave Spring, but now that he’s past his freshman season I expect him to be one of the top guards in the Roanoke area moving forward. The 5’11” guard is highly skilled as he has a tight handle and changes speeds and directions well to get wherever he wants on the floor, he can score it effortlessly from multiple levels off the bounce and the game just comes easy to him making me think he’ll be one of the top players in a Roanoke area that has a lot of underrated talent in the 2024 and 2025 class.
Camryn Pacheco Camryn Pacheco 6'4" | CG Spotswood | 2025 State VA | 6’2” CG | Spotswood 2025
Pacheco’s older brother Carmelo just finished a fantastic career at Spotswood and will head to FUMA next year, and now it’s time for the youngest Pacheco to take the reigns for the Trailblazers over the next few years. He’s an excellent shooter who can move off the ball or play on the ball and knock down shots from deep, he handles pressure well and works well in pick-and-rolls and when he has the ball in his hands he can impact the game as both a scorer and a facilitator as well.