District 7-4A Notebook

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>June was enlightening. The District 7-4A quintet played often within the sight of PrepHoopsTN, whether it be as a team or as individuals. Notes for this notebook are largely from watching either or both BCAT Team Camps and the PrepHoopsTN Combine.<br><span style="text-decoration: underline"><strong><br>Participating Teams</strong></span><br>Siegel<br>Blackman<br>Riverdale<br>Rockvale<br>Oakland</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rockvale players attended the PrepHoopsTN Combine en masse. Six Rockvale High School athletes attended, so this afforded me an extended look at their roster. Three of the campers were sophomores and three were seniors. The number inside the parentheses indicates their "camp ranking" determined after the end of the day.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>'24 [player_tooltip player_id='2045018' first='Antonio' last='Ward'] (#1)<br>'26 [player_tooltip player_id='2101720' first='Darian' last='Cotton'] (#31)<br>'24 Darryl Cotton (#4) <br>'26 [player_tooltip player_id='1975489' first='Kaleb' last='Lewis'] (#9)<br>'24 [player_tooltip player_id='1535515' first='Maxwell' last='Blake'] (#21)<br>'26 [player_tooltip player_id='1960529' first='Alijah' last='France'] (#27)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2045018' first='Antonio' last='Ward']</strong> earned Camp MVP thanks to a stellar display of effort and dynamism. His game is ready to go for Rockvale, and he probably will start this season. Darryl Cotton is another senior. He looks like a starter, maybe full-time starter? During the event, Cotton was the fourth best in attendance. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Facing Fayette Ware mid-June, Rockvale started <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1960529' first='Alijah' last='France']</strong>, <strong>Darryl Cotton</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1535515' first='Maxwell' last='Blake']</strong>, <strong>Imari Dewberry</strong>, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2045018' first='Antonio' last='Ward']</strong>. The lineup is essentially five guards together. While Ward is a stronger player, he can't really be confused for a forward. The team will need to play fast and hit outside shots in order to exploit opposing bigs. It is not clear whether this will be a good perimeter shooting team. Facing Fayette Ware, the team struggled to get into the lane frequently. While FW is a frenetic defensive team, Rockvale's district is hardly a breeze. Blackman defends as well as any team in the state. Riverdale is short, but quick. Rockvale's guards understand spacing rather well, specifically [player_tooltip player_id='2045018' first='Antonio' last='Ward'] and Darryl Cotton. But, when the team earns open or semi-open looks they MUST hit shots.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rockvale is deep at guard, but they did unequivocally lose high-end athleticism (Jakobe Tharp, Markell Sibert) and rebounding. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Darryl Cotton is the lone returning captain. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Riverdale is small by 4A standards and they lost their best player to transfer ([player_tooltip player_id='1140762' first='Maddux' last='Bodenhamer'] to Antioch). They intend to play fast and frisky, if their late June BCAT appearance is any indication. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1670541' first='Rashad' last='Mitchell']</strong> and <strong>EJ Turner</strong> are really the engine to the Warriors in 2023. Both seniors dominate the ball. They are quick first-step guys though not overly tall. The team will lean on them on offense and defense. Ideally, the Warriors will slow penetration with those two at the arc. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><br><br><br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->