Taking the Junior Jump (Part 1)

It's well known in the scouting world and high school basketball world that the junior year is the year a lot of players take their biggest jump as far as development and production, and every year it proves to be true. This is the time that most players have finished growing, have enough reps and experience to understand the game and their confidence goes through the roof.   Here's a look at part one of some of the many players in VA that took that junior jump this year.   [player_tooltip player_id='1259620' first='Darren' last='Harris'] | 6'6” SG | Paul VI   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Harris-Darren-CBG-scaled.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Harris-Darren-CBG-scaled.jpg?w=768" alt="" class="wp-image-1583861" /></a></figure>   Harris may have been considered a top 50 prospect and was already committed to Duke coming into his junior season, but the leap that he took this year only confirms that he still may be underrated nationally. The 6'6” guard is known for his knock down shooting ability and he expanded that to not just catch-and-shoot opportunities from deep but also improved in his ability to hit contested shots in the midrange, he improved his body and got more explosive as a finisher because of it and he looked much more aggressive when playing against the best of the best.   [player_tooltip player_id='1259617' first='Eli' last='DeLaurier'] | 6'8” PF | Miller School   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/Delaurier-Eli-Miller.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/Delaurier-Eli-Miller.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1788911" /></a></figure>   The junior forward was key for Miller School in their run to the state championship game, and Delaurier should be in the conversation for VISAA D2 Player of the Year with the numbers he put up. He's consistently gotten better over the past few years but this year they ran the offense through him and he showed his ability to both be the go-to scoring guy and be the main distributor too, he showed his ability to be an inside-out scorer in a number of ways and he was a walking double-double all year who impacted the game across the board.   Kennard Wyche | 5'9” PG | Varina   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/01/Wyche-Kenard-crop-2898x1903-1611940521.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/01/Wyche-Kenard-crop-2898x1903-1611940521.jpeg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1123926" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Lancaptures</figcaption></figure>   Wyche was a First Team All State selection as a sophomore helping lead Varina to a state championship two years ago, and with the departure of four key seniors he was leaned upon heavily this season and he came through as the go-to guy putting up huge numbers en route to defending their state championship. The 5'9” guard is as crafty as they come as he changes speeds and directions well to get in the lane, he's smart and knows how to draw contact, he has a number of unorthodox finishes and whenever it was a big game he came through putting up huge scoring numbers for his team.   [player_tooltip player_id='1259544' first='Damon' last='Thompson'] | 6'1” PG | John Marshall   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Thompson-Damon-CBG-scaled-crop-1920x1261-1663347102.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Thompson-Damon-CBG-scaled-crop-1920x1261-1663347102.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1589467" /></a></figure>   Thompson is part of a John Marshall team that got the #1 seed in “The Throne” National Championship tournament, and he was perhaps the most improved player on JM from a production level. The Justices played a tough national schedule and Thompson showed up in those games scoring the ball well from all over, creating plays for himself and others when his team needed him to and he had some big time performances including being named MOP at the Chick-Fil A Christmas Tournament.   Elijah Kelly | 6'7” F | Radford   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Kelly-Elijah.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Kelly-Elijah.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1741990" /></a></figure>   Kelly is a player that we had seen the potential of for a while, and this season he really came into his own leading Radford to a state championship appearance before falling to John Marshall. Kelly is a unique prospect and one of the best I've seen in the Roanoke/New River Valley area over the past few years as he's an athletic and versatile player who can handle the ball and make plays for others, he can score it from all three levels and he can play and guard almost position at this level.   [player_tooltip player_id='1259543' first='Tavarres' last='Riley'] | 6'1” CG | Freedom-Woodbridge   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/Tavarres-Riley.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/Tavarres-Riley.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1172183" /></a></figure>   Riley has always been a very talented guard we've kept an eye on over the past few years, and this year he was the breakout player in the NOVA area as he was one of the top scorers in Virginia and put up big numbers on a nightly basis. He has a mixture of quickness and strength off the bounce to get to spots and get to the rim where he can finish, he scores the ball from all over the floor and he scored more than 30 points double-digit times this year.   [player_tooltip player_id='1489055' first='Kris' last='Tiller'] | 6'1” PG | Glen Allen   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/Tiller-Kris-CBG.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/Tiller-Kris-CBG.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1308375" /></a></figure>   Tiller was a big reason for Glen Allen's somewhat surprising run to the state tournament this year, as the 6'1” lefty put up big numbers as both a scorer and a distributor throughout the year. He's a crafty shot maker who can create space off the bounce or move off the ball where he has effortless range off the catch, he has a great middle game and is able to make plays when he touched the paint and he looked very comfortable as the go-to guy this season.

It's well known in the scouting world and high school basketball world that the junior year is the year a lot of players take their biggest jump as far as development and production, and every year it proves to be true. This is the time that most players have finished growing, have enough reps and experience to understand the game and their confidence goes through the roof.