Choctaw Practice Report
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Throughout the season, we’re going to be checking in with some of the top teams throughout the state with practice reports. We’ll take a look at the team, how they’ve performed, what they have coming up and then who some of their top performers have been recently. In today’s practice report, we’re taking a look at the Choctaw Yellowjackets, who have started the season with a 6-0 record and captured the Harrah tournament title last week.
The Yellowjackets debuted at #6 in the 6A rankings on Monday afternoon after their 5-0 start and would then go on the road Tuesday and beat Ponca City 76-43. But we’re waiting to see the Yellowjackets against some of the better competition that they’ll see later on this season in Class 6A. Their toughest game so far came in the title game of the Harrah tournament when they beat El Reno right before the buzzer with a 56-55 win.
We’ll get a much better idea of how competitive Choctaw will be in the Class 6A picture when they face off with #8 Lawton at Putnam City West’s “Sick Of Sickle Cell” event on Saturday afternoon. The Yellowjackets will then have two weeks off for winter break before opening up the second semester with a huge road game against Putnam City West. Then they’ll participate in the Bishop McGuinness Classic.
The majority of Choctaw’s talent is in the 2024 class and it’s headlined by guard Ja’Mon Valentine Ja’Mon Valentine 6'2" | CG Choctaw | 2024 State OK , who has emerged as one of the top guard prospects in the state’s 2024 class. The biggest question we have about Choctaw is whether they will contend for one of those state tourney spots this year. With so much young talent, they’ll be in the mix again next year. But for now, the Yellowjackets have to be considered a threat to be a regional host.
Below, we take a look at some of the top standouts for Choctaw after the first two weeks of the season.
The first player on our spotlight portion of the article is junior guard Camden Hyman Camden Hyman 5’10” | SG Choctaw | 2024 State OK . The junior guard earns his spot on this breakdown with his performance in the championship game victory over El Reno. Specifically, one shot. Hyman would hit a shot with two seconds left to give the Yellowjackets the win. They trailed 55-53 with 13 seconds left and Hyman would get the ball and bury a three-pointer with 2.2 seconds left and the Yellowjackets would stun the Indians. A few things on that shot. One, it was from a few feet beyond the three-point arc. Hyman has range. Two, they showed how confident they were as a team as they went for the win instead of playing for overtime.
In that same tournament victory, fellow junior Isaiah Taylor Isaiah Taylor 6’5″ | SF Choctaw | 2024 State OK would walk away with tournament MVP honors. And when it comes to the Yellowjackets so far this season, Taylor has been arguably the most improved player from last season to this year. Granted, it’s early, but coming into this year, we felt like we knew what Taylor was bringing to the table but he’s exceeding those early expectations. We knew that Taylor was going to come in this season and play strong defense and be one of the better athletes on the floor with his frame. But the thing that has jumped off the page early on this season is his ability to score and do it at a very efficient level on the offensive side of the floor.
The Choctaw junior that we knew about the most coming into this season was guard Ja’Mon Valentine Ja’Mon Valentine 6’2″ | CG Choctaw | 2024 State OK . After an outstanding sophomore season, Valentine became one of the top guys at his position in the state’s 2024 class and has only continued to raise his stock from a recruitment standpoint. This offseason, Valentine put a lot of work into his game in a variety of ways. First, he would play up a grade and compete at the highest level for his team. Second, he would spend a lot of time on the road for training and looking to improve his game. Valentine is a deadly shooter but as he gets stronger and continues to improve his overall athleticism, he’ll continue to climb the 2024 ranks.
Highlights
Choctaw junior Will Smith Will Smith 6’4″ | PF Choctaw | 2024 State OK is quickly becoming one of the top dual-sport athletes in the state. Smith enjoyed a breakout junior season on the gridiron and is adding to his game on the basketball court. Every time he steps on the court, Smith is usually one of the best athletes on the floor. He can absolutely jump out of the gym and while that phrase gets used a lot, it fits Smith as he probably has one of the highest vertical leaps in the state. While his future might be on the gridiron as he’s started earning D1 offers for football, his production on the basketball floor can’t be overlooked. As an undersized big man, Smith gives Choctaw athleticism and a very high motor on both ends of the floor.