VISAA D-IV Final Four Standouts (Part 1)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The VISAA private school semifinals and finals were held at Virginia State this weekend, and it's always one of the most entertaining and competitive weekends of basketball in all of Virginia. The 4 divisions featured some of the best teams in the state, and there was tons of talent across the board.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We start with our standouts with the smallest division, D-IV and here's a look at part one of the many standouts in a highly competitive weekend.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Caleb McNeely | 6'5” F | Banner Christian '23</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1832666,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/McNeely-Caleb.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/McNeely-Caleb.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1832666" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McNeely will likely be named the D-IV Player of the Year after leading Banner Christian to a state championship, with two wins in absolute classics over New Covenant and Hampton Christian. The 6'5” forward was an absolute mismatch at this level showing his ability to knock down shots from deep, post up smaller guys and he showed his athleticism on both ends of the floor. He was huge for them in every way and made big plays when his team leaned on him to make them the most, and he was probably the best prospect in D-IV as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Micah Weathers | 5'9” G | Banner Christian '24</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Weathers was nothing short of big time for Banner in their championship win over Hampton Christian, having a stretch in the second half where he made huge plays for them on both ends of the floor. He was great on the defensive end turning defense into offense, he got out in transition and showed his ability to finish at the rim in the half court too and he stepped up big time when his team needed him the most, helping them win their first state championship.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Joshua Hanna | 6'5” F | Banner Christian '24</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hanna was big time for Banner as he provided both an inside presence and a mismatch with his ability to step out and play on the perimeter. He's a big body who can bang in the paint as a rebounder and a finisher, he can step out and knock down shots and he did a great job securing big rebounds and challenging shots at the rim. He did all the dirty work to help secure a state championship for them.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Luke Libbey | 6'0” G | New Covenant '24</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>New Covenant fell in a heartbreaker to Banner in the semifinals in their first state Final Four appearance, but they will be back as many of their top contributors return next season. Libbey is one of them, and he was a big reason they were confident early as he came out on fire and was making shots from the jump. He knocked down 5 three-pointers in the first half with three of them coming in the first four minutes of the game, and he did a good job as a secondary ball handler and playmaker too.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1601160' first='Douglas' last='Powell'] | 6'5” F | New Covenant '24</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Powell is a big part of Covenant's game as the 6'5” power forward gives them an inside presence and he brought a lot of physicality to the game for them. He banged in the paint rebounding well and clogging up the lane defensively, he showed good hands and feet catching in the post and making moves and he has soft touch around the rim finishing almost everything within 10 feet.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1588114' first='Tristan' last='Isenhour'] | 6'2” G | New Covenant '26</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1592021,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Screen-Shot-2022-09-18-at-12.50.52-PM.png"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Screen-Shot-2022-09-18-at-12.50.52-PM.png?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1592021" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Isenhour was the floor general for this team as just a freshman, and he didn't show any fear in their game against Banner Christian and got better and better as the game went on. At 6'2” he has good size for a guard and showed his ability to get downhill and finish at the rim, he made good decisions with the ball in his hands and made plays for others and he stepped up big in crunch time making big shots most freshmen wouldn't even take.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1588112' first='Cole' last='Murdock'] | 6'0” G | New Covenant '26</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1599497,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/649-Cole-Murdock-scaled.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/649-Cole-Murdock-scaled.jpg?w=683" alt="" class="wp-image-1599497" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another freshman who played with tons of confidence, Murdock also stepped up late and showed that he has a bright future moving forward. The 6'0” guard has a good frame and is able to get downhill and finish at the rim, he is a good shooter from deep and he made big shots down the stretch and he showed good instincts and made plays on both ends of the floor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->