2023 All State Honorable Mentions (Part 1)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We recently released our All State by class teams in VA, and of course it was very difficult to do and leaving some of the players out was very difficult. Here's a look at part one of my honorable mentions for the senior all state teams.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1483010' first='Quint' last='Booker'] | 6'0” CG | Bishop Ireton</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1615574,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/10/Booker-Quint-scaled.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/10/Booker-Quint-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1615574"/></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Booker is set to have a breakout senior season with the departure of last year's leading scorer Jamie Kaiser, and this summer and fall he's been on an absolute tear. The strong lefty is wired to score the ball and does so in a number of different ways, he has takeover ability and he's going to put up big numbers this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1403957' first='Lawrence' last='Cole'] | 6'1” PG | Northside</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cole was an All State selection last year and the senior lead guard at Northside has a chance to lead the Vikings to the promise land in Class 3. He's an athletic guard who can get in the paint and make plays for himself and others, he is an athletic finisher above the rim and he can knock down shots from all over.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1507865' first='Chris' last='Fields'] | 6'7” PF | Petersburg</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1594431,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/09/Fields-Chris-CBG-scaled.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/09/Fields-Chris-CBG-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1594431"/></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fields was a really tough one to leave off the list as he was last year's Class 3 Player of the Year, and I believe he's going to be one of the top scorers in the Richmond area, but the question is whether Petersburg can replicate the same kind of success. At 6'7” he's a walking mismatch who can shoot it from the perimeter, put it on the deck and get to spots and he can bang and rebound in the post too.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='999644' first='Stark' last='Jones'] | 6'3” CG | Cave Spring</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1364071,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/01/Jones-Stark-Cave-Spring.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/01/Jones-Stark-Cave-Spring-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1364071"/></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jones was another tough one to leave off, as he was an All State selection for the reigning Class 3 champions, and he is leading a team that could win it all again. The 6'3” combo is an aggressive downhill attacking guard who can get to the rim and finish above it consistently, he's one of the top defenders in the Roanoke area and he brings leadership and toughness to his team too.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sam Brannen | 6'0” PG | King's Fork</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1583804,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/09/Brannen-Sam-CBG-scaled.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/09/Brannen-Sam-CBG-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1583804"/></a><figcaption>Sam Brannen</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brannen was possibly the hardest to leave off the list, as he's likely going to be the top scorer on a King's Fork team that is a favorite to win the Class 4 State Championship. He's one of the most skilled guards in the state as he can handle it and create for himself and others, he's excellent in pick-and-rolls and he really shoots it well from deep.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='999635' first='Josh' last='Sime'] | 6'8” PF | Western Albemarle</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1136764,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/Sime-Josh.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/Sime-Josh-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1136764"/></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sime has been one of the best bigs in the Charlottesville area over the past few years, and he's leading a talented Western Albemarle team too. He's a dominant two way force who can play above the rim and has excellent touch offensively, he's a very good rebounder and rim protector and he can step out and make shots too.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->