Class 2B player of the year candidates for next season
Class 2B has a ton of young talent that will be back next season. Most of these players are ones that I watched in Spokane this year. Two are from the same team and will only be juniors next year.…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingClass 2B has a ton of young talent that will be back next season. Most of these players are ones that I watched in Spokane this year. Two are from the same team and will only be juniors next year. They are all college level players who have a great chance to up their stock in the coming years. Each one has their strengths and with the year, or two left to play high school basketball, it should be fun to watch which ones make the biggest jump in the off-season.
I was impressed with him at the state tournament in Spokane. He will only be a junior next season, but his game seems as though he is much older. He is an all level scorer. He uses his strength to get into the lane and finish with a variety of floaters and pull-up jumpers. He has tremendous body control and picks his spots well. He is deadly from the outside as well. He squares up his shot and uses his leg strength to shoot it effortlessly from beyond the arc. He is already a good shooter, and could become elite with the shot mechanics he already has. He is a bulldog when getting downhill and crafty around the rim. He knows how to change speeds and is a certified bucket getter.
One of the leading scorers in the state, he averaged 28 points a game this season for Napavine. He is a great shooter, making over 100 threes on the season. Probably close to 120 and he made 43% of those. He has a step back that he often used to free himself from the defense that extends past the three point line. . He is long at 6’3 and can finish at the rim, including a couple dunks this season. He is a shooting guard but he has the ball handling skills to play either guard position. He has improved his speed and athletic ability each year, and has the ability to blow by the defense and finish. He can post up smaller guards and hits some tough mid-range shots. He scored over 40 points four times this season and set the single game and season scoring records for Napavine. He also went over 1,000 points in this his junior year. The number of threes he made has to be close to a record in any book for one season.
The other half of the dynamic duo in the Burbank backcourt. He is a great athlete who can score from anywhere on the floor. He is long and excels in the open floor. He is great in the half court as well, breaking down the defense off the dribble, he covers a lot of ground in few dribbles. He has deep range on his lefty three and shoots it well, with a full on opportunity to shoot it at an elite level with his two years of high school left. He might be the most attractive recruit for college coaches in Class 2B next year with his size and athletic ability as only a junior in 2024. One other thing that is great about these two is that they work so well together.
He was electric at times during the tournament, going off on his own scoring rampage more than once in a stretch of a couple games. He is quick and has good handles, but what makes him so tough is that he is one of the best shooters in 2B. He keeps the defense honest and if he is pressured too close, he has the ability to go by and finish with a mid range shot or layup. He doesn’t have the size of the first three here but makes up for it with his speed and quickness with the ball. He is also a pesky defensive player who thrives on getting steals and going coast to coast.
Highlights
Jayce Kelly
Jayce Kelly
This kid turned up his game in Spokane. He was impressive vs Brewster in a close semi-final loss. He took the game over for stretches on the offensive end. He was hitting shots from way beyond the arc and getting to the rim with some strong drives. He did it all in that game and kept his team in it, taking it upon himself to get buckets in bunches. He has good size and versatility, often times brining the ball up himself and creating his own shots. He will only be a junior next season and has a huge upside.
He led Northwest Christian to Spokane and nearly led them into the trophy round. He is one of the better athletes in 2B and if he becomes a knock down shooter, he will be tough to stop with two more years of high school ball left. He is great at creating shots for himself and is a good defender with a lot of quickness. He gets a lot of shots in the paint from creating, and is strong and athletic enough to finish against bigger players. He has serious upside with his physical tools. He and brother Asher West Asher West 6’2″ | SG Northwest Christian | 2024 State WA will be back for Northwest Christian next season and both had some good games this year in Spokane.
The only player here that missed the state tournament, although he had played in Spokane twice before, including as an 8th grader who started a few years ago. He is a scorer, and when I watch him, he reminds me of a Larry Bird type player. Not the most athletic, but he might be the best bucket getter in Class 2B. He is already signed up to play baseball at Oregon St., so he may be off the table for college coaches. He went over 1,000 points as a Sophomore, and that includes the covid season. He has averaged 25 to 27 a game the past two years and he will only be a junior next year.