2023 player rankings: 4 key stock-risers
There were a handful of prospects in the 2023 Tennessee player rankings to move up. Two prospects in particular made their way into the top 20. Here are 4 key stock-risers from the 2023 player rankings: Daniel makes a huge leap to the…
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Continue ReadingThere were a handful of prospects in the 2023 Tennessee player rankings to move up.
Two prospects in particular made their way into the top 20.
Here are 4 key stock-risers from the 2023 player rankings:
Daniel makes a huge leap to the top 20
Bartlett’s Javar Daniel jumped 17 spots to No. 20 and that was because he was a mismatch problem most nights during the 2022 season. At 6-foot-9, Daniel has good enough lift to get an easy dunk. He’s unstoppable when he’s able to pin his defender deep in the paint. From there, it’s either an easy layup or dunk. This season, Daniel didn’t need to take a lot of jump shots, especially since he had the height advantage over most teams in Class 4A.
Chatman makes a huge leap
Haywood’s Tylon Chatman moved up 14 spots to No. 15. It was deserving as he had to be the Tomcats’ leader to make a deep postseason run. Chatman did a lot of great things offensively, such as penetrating to the basket, finishing strong at the rim in either half-court or transition, making solid reads to wide open teammates, and knocking down shots from 17-feet out. Chatman is very quick and shifty, so he was a difficult task every week.
Hardaway moves inside the top 50
Memphis Overton’s Jailen Hardaway moved up 13 spots to No. 40. The 6-6 forward kicked into high gear in the Wolverines’ TSSAA Region 8 Class 4A first-round matchup against Bartlett. It seemed as if he wanted to dominate the glass, score over smaller defenders each time he touched the basketball and go after 50-50 balls. Hardaway played with a 100 percent effort and wasn’t inconsistent like he had been in the regular season. Hardaway in the postseason played with a chip on his shoulder. He played with hunger. His performance throughout the postseason is the sole reason he moved up a lot. Hardaway showed up and showed out.
Witt makes a solid debut
Independence forward Matthew Witt debuted at No. 70. The 6-6 forward was another big time performer in the postseason. Witt does a great job of rebounding, setting solid ball screens and finishing at the rim. One of his best performances of the season came in the semifinals round of the TSSAA Division 1 Class 4A State Tournament when he had 18 points and nine rebounds in a double-digit win against Memphis East.