Sophomores & Juniors to Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is an exciting group of players ready to make big leaps this season. They're either stepping into bigger roles, getting their first taste of varsity ball, or simply elevating their game to new heights. Take a look at some members of the 2025 and 2026 classes on the up.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2205067"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Jones is a nice player who could be a big piece to help North Central make some noise this season. They have a lot of size up front and a solid point guard in [player_tooltip player_id='1450604' first='Eli' last='Williams'], but Jones adds another backcourt threat with his quickness and playmaking to keep the ball moving around and attacking. He showed some real ability to drive and create, make space on the perimeter and find slashers to the hoop against Cheney. He can shoot a little from 3-point too and should be a player to keep an eye on going forward.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["1863194"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"There was not a lot going right for Quincy's offense early on against Zillah but Bierlink has the electric shooting from deep that can quickly dig a team out of a hole, and he did just that. He hit three or four 3-pointers in quick succession that breathed some life into their offense and opened up some lanes for others to operate. He also did a great job staying ready to move right off the catch, quickly shifting defenders and either attacking or pulling up for the quick jumper.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["1984463"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"This junior guard plays with tons of energy. He follows plays to the end. Whether that's crashing the offensive boards, going all out for loose balls, or hitting ballhandlers with immediate pressure on possession changes. He was effective across the board in their win against Tahoma, knocking in shots from mid-range and behind the arc, showing the handle to create and beat his man, and just being a player that creates a lot of action.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["1450987"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Esquivel has been a constant improver over the last year, and he's continued it in the early part of this season. He's a killer in the paint, utilizing pullups and a nice floater to hit over bigs, and he's improved as a shooter to hit threes at a better clip. He's averaging 20.3 points and 7.5 assists per game so far.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["1451028"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"McClure is just a natural playmaker. He's really fluid operating through traffic, getting to the hoop, scoring in the mid-range, and has great awareness of where his guys are while working between defenders. He was key to helping Prosser come out on top in a close league game against East Valley last week.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["1594659"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"Staymates has always had the size to be a difference maker and looks to have taken a nice step forward this season. He follows shots, uses that big body to get good position under the hoop, stays ready for dump offs inside and most importantly converts the high-percentage shots inside. He played a pretty tough game against East Valley and helped out by drawing fouls and sinking the freebies.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["2021624"],"_player_evaluations_6_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"I like this kid more and more every time I see him. He has the length and skill to be a pretty promising prospect and is already proving he can make a big impact for Mt Si. He's quick enough to use that first step to his advantage and has the stroke outside to force hard closeouts. Against Issaquah, he was able to utilize that length on the defensive end too, garnering a couple of key blocks near the basket.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_7_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_7_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='2300086' first='Trent' last='Russell']","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_7_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_7_player_details_height":"6'7u0022","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_7_player_details_position":"77245","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_7_player_details_school":"Prosser","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_7_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_7_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_7_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"Russell is a new name for me and the 6-foot-7 forward should be a key guy for Prosser this season. He made a couple of good reads to dive toward the hoop while other players drove the ball baseline, moves pretty well on defense, and showed the focus to finish through contact at the rim.","_player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_8_player":["2021630"],"_player_evaluations_8_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_8_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_8_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"I liked this kid a lot when I saw him over the summer but he looked even better against West Valley (Yakima) last week. He's 6-foot-4 now, looks quicker but still strong, and showed he can bang inside while he matched up against [player_tooltip player_id='1587955' first='Parker' last='Mills'] for a lot of the game. He was already a pretty technically sound player and the physical growth makes him a pretty interesting player to watch as the year goes on.","_player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":9,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6573514a974d6"} /-->