Holiday Huddle: Players of the Week 12/26-12/30

Cody Quattrocci

January 2, 2023 @ 03:40 PM

The holiday's gifted us some monster stat lines! Check out who showed out last week.   Tyler Rivard, 6'7 F - Hazen High School Class of 2023   Tyler gifted us what might be the Game of the Year this past Wednesday, dropping an insane line of 50 points, 21 boards and five dimes. A couple days later, he went for 27 points, 20 boards and five steals. Rivard's ability to fill the stat sheet is due to a combination of talent and work ethic. He has nice touch around the rim, is a consistent free-throw shooter, and can knock down short range jumpers. Nonetheless, he has an exceptional motor. Tyler never takes plays off, gets in position early for boards, and is physically dominant. Tyler is tearing it up right now.   Riley Severy, 6'7 F - Spaulding High School Class of 2023   If you need to know the definition of "all-around player", just watch Riley play. Severy went to work against Mt. Abe, putting up a highly efficient 25 points and 12 boards with four assists on top. He followed that up with an effective 13 points and 10 boards against defending D2 champs Montpelier. Over the course of these two games, Riley knocked down threes, flushed transition jams, alleviated full court pressure with his handle, dominated the interior on both ends with boards plus blocks, and read passing lanes on the perimeter for steals. He does it all with poise and control.   [player_tooltip player_id='1585138' first='Sharif' last='Sharif'], 6'2 G - Rice Memorial High School Class of 2023   In a hotly contested matchup between Rice and BFA St. Albans, Sharif showed off his offensive repertoire once again. Sharif shook defenders with isolation moves and ball screen reads to get to the cup. He finished at the rack with crafty lays, using the rim wisely to protect the ball. In addition, he drew lots of contact and converted his free-throws at a high clip, with around one-third of his 29 points coming from the charity stripe. Moreover, Sharif defended the perimeter with his length and anticipation, holding BFA guards to perimeter shots and tough takes to the rim. Sharif is rolling offensively.   [player_tooltip player_id='2313121' first='Tucker' last='Tharpe'], 6'6 W/F - Champlain Valley Union High School Class of 2024   The versatile big man led CVU to a couple of solid wins over the holiday break. Tharpe produced 19 points in each game, most of which came from inside the paint and at the free-throw line. Tucker ate defense's up with sound positioning and an interior arsenal of crafty finishes on both sides of the rim. Additionally, he reeled in boards on both ends. Tucker creates lots of second chance opportunities offensively, and he cleans the glass well defensively due to his early work getting position plus his length and elevation. All in all, Tharpe's two-way production propelled CVU past two solid D1 opponents.   [player_tooltip player_id='1227861' first='Harry' last='Geng'], 6'0 G - St. Johnsbury Academy Class of 2024   A guy to keep an eye on is [player_tooltip player_id='1227861' first='Harry' last='Geng']. Only recently have I gotten to see Harry do his thing and I came away with some great first impressions. He's an athletic combo-guard with a tight handle and solid vision. Geng put up an efficient 23 points and numerous assists in a close loss to CVU. Harry tested defenders with his slashing ability, getting to the rim with nice change of pace. Moreover, he's got nice court awareness offensively, making nifty passes into the second layer, and he's a heads-up defender. I'm looking forward to seeing more of Harry.

The holiday's gifted us some monster stat lines! Check out who showed out last week.