Roundtable: Preseason All-Senior Teams

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Earlier this week, we released our selections for preseason All-Senior Teams for the 2022-23 season. As usual this wasn't an easy list to cut down, so we wanted to shed light on some players who just missed the cut. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>1. Who was the guard who just missed making the list?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Giacubeno: </em>It was tough to leave [player_tooltip player_id='957059' first='Austin' last='Abrams'] off this list, but when you consider the plethora of high-level guards in the area for this class and figure he was on the bubble, it still speaks to how highly we think of him. Over the summer he was a key component of a Team Thrill squad that captured the 17U UAA title. He's one of the purest shooters in MD/DC and will be another staple for a Mount St. Joseph team that will attempt to defend their sweep of the MIAA and BCL from the 2021-22 season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Ayalew</em>: There are several who come to mind. For me, it's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1413497' first='Isaiah' last='Mbeng'] </strong>from Churchill. He's had a busy offseason putting in work and looks sharp this preseason. I'm expecting big things from him in 2022-23.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1439724,"sizeSlug":"medium","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-medium"><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/04/IMG_9723.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/04/IMG_9723-300x225.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1439724"/></a><figcaption>Photo: Colby Giacubeno <a href="https://twitter.com/ColbyGHoops/status/1517927835213742081?s=20&t=Aeh1YIi8tauY0bfxxcml0Q" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a></figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2. Who was a wing/forward that ended up being on the outside looking in?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Giacubeno:</em> Eleanor Roosevelt's [player_tooltip player_id='1573209' first='Tobi' last='Raji'] was a name that was brought to the table and heavily considered. The 6-foot-8 big man is coming off a steady summer where he hung his hat on emerging as a double-double machine. The Raiders are always heavy contenders in the 4A class and will be expected to make another run this season. Raji will be expected to act as the anchor and if he can do so with consistency, we'll be eating crow for not including him on this list.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Ayalew:</em> I'm gonna go with another Churchill guy here. <strong>Zeke Avit </strong>should probably feel like he was snubbed from this list. The Maryland football commit will certainly continue to be a factor on the hardwood for the Bulldogs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1390034,"sizeSlug":"medium","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-medium"><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/02/Jeannot-Basima.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/02/Jeannot-Basima-300x225.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1390034"/></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>3. Which player was the toughest one to place?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Giacubeno: </em>The most difficult player to place for me was [player_tooltip player_id='957030' first='Jeannot' last='Basima']. On one hand, he's going to produce night in and night out. The Yale commit fills up the stat sheet and plays with a seemingly endless motor. Into this equation, we must factor overall team success and while I believe John Carroll won't be an opponent that should be overlooked by any means, they're young and will have to take their lumps that come with being a member of the MIAA and BCL. On the other side of that token, I wouldn't be surprised if they catch a few teams who are favored coming into the game and earn marquee wins. Basima's energy is contagious and will set the standard for the young players around him. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Ayalew:</em> Probably <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='957030' first='Jeannot' last='Basima']</strong>. It's unclear quite how strong his supporting cast will be, but we do expect him to produce consistently. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->