Grayson New Year’s Classic: Evening Standouts

<!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1336191"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Dau0022Avion Thomas was impressive on Saturday in heartbreaking 56-54 loss to Greenforest. Thomas came out firing, knocking down 2 of his 4 total three-pointers in the 1st quarter and scoring 8 of McDonough's 18 1st quarter points. He's got a quick trigger on his outside shot and shot it really well off the bounce too. The poise he plays with at the point guard position is something you love to see and his teammates feed off of it. At this point, [player_tooltip player_id='1336191' first='Da'Avion' last='Thomas'] remains one of the best available 2023 guards in the state.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["820275"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='820275' first='Gai' last='Chol'] was tough around the basket on Saturday and played a key role in Greenforest's win over McDonough. Chol had a clear size advantage in this one as he usually does and did a great job of protecting the rim against baseline drives and floaters. On the offensive end, he had a handful of two-hand flushes and defenders struggled to contest him at the rim. Chol's pure size and length give him a lot of potential but he'll need to hone his coordination and ball skills to be a dominant center at Mississippi State. Nonetheless, he'll be a focal point of Greenforest's state championship run this year.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["1201615"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"The featured game of the night between Kell and Grayson did not disappoint and there was a lot of star power on display, especially coming from [player_tooltip player_id='1201615' first='Peyton' last='Marshall']. He finished with a game-high 23 points, most of which came on two-hand slams. Despite Grayson's solid pair of 6'8 forwards, there was no match for Marshall's brute size and strength. Kell fed him in the post all night and leaned on him during big moments in the 4th. One aspect of Marshall's game that's often overlooked is his free throw shooting. At his size, he's bound to draw a ton of fouls around the paint and Marshall can make them pay from the line. After collecting 15+ offers, Marshall recently shut down his recruitment and committed to Auburn.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["1235067"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"With as much talent as Grayson has on their roster, there are several guys capable of carrying the scoring load. It was [player_tooltip player_id='1235067' first='Anthony' last='Alston']'s turn on Saturday and he stepped up in a big way. He hit a couple of big shots in the 3rd quarter to help Grayson extend their lead and then came back in overtime and scored 4 more clutch points. Alston works well off the ball because he can be a spot-up shooter and compliments [player_tooltip player_id='1131772' first='CJ' last='Hyland'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1131773' first='Gicarri' last='Harris'] nicely. He's also shown the ability to put it on the floor and get to his mid-range jumper off the dribble. It's scary to think that Alston, Hyland, u0026amp; Harris will all be coming back for another year together.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["1223237"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='1223237' first='Cannon' last='Richards'] has been one of the biggest stock risers through the first half of the season and continued his solid play on Saturday against Grayson. Richards finished with 14 points and was huge in the 2nd half. He had a couple of huge putbacks down the stretch that kept the game tight. He's shown a lot of improvement since just this summer and is proving to be more than just a raw athlete. Richards has a quick jump that allows him to rebound well and finish around the rim. If his hands keep improving, his numbers will increase because of how many double teams Marshall attracts and the way that [player_tooltip player_id='1201630' first='CJ' last='Brown'] can collapse a defense and find his bigs.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-63bb1210311b6"} /-->