Top Big Men at the Break

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A great month (plus a little) of basketball is in the books. The 2023-2024 season is off to a great start, with some surprises, some risers and some dominant performances to reflect on at the break.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We always want to highlight traditional big men. Some of them put up big stats, while some make a big impact without the stats. Regardless, we hope to give them their due credit. You know some of the names of the best bigs: [player_tooltip player_id='1588339' first='Amalachi' last='Wilkins'], [player_tooltip player_id='1270299' first='Eli' last='Lawson'], [player_tooltip player_id='1953939' first='Kaden' last='Franklin'], [player_tooltip player_id='1461338' first='Joey' last='Matteoni'], [player_tooltip player_id='1378442' first='Tory' last='Homan'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Now, here's a look at some bigs who stood out at the break (in alphabetical order):</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1385618' first='Mikey' last='Brand'], 6-foot-4 forward, 2024, Bishop Carroll:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Golden Eagles are off to a bit of a rough start. They have lost some close games and played some really good teams. They can look to Brand to help get things going in the right direction in the new year. He's been a warrior for three years and continues to improve. He is starting to stretch defenses from deep and he goes all out in transition and attacking in the paint. Brand is averaging 18 points and 7 boards to start the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1480552' first='Mason' last='Kemp']. 6-foot-7 forward, 2024, Mill Valley:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He helped Mill Valley to a state championship in football, and he picked right up with a good start on the hard court. Kemp is super efficient, powering his way to buckets in the paint and dominating on the post. He is converting 70% of his shot attempts en route to 13 points per game. He's getting 8 boards and 2 blocks too.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1756339' first='Jeron' last='Lashley'], 6-foot-4 forward, 2024, Blue Valley North:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Mustangs had a bunch of holes to fill. But fortunately, they had one experienced guy they could rely on in Lashley. The powerful senior has a soft touch with the ball, knocking down 57% of his field goal attempts and 85% from the free throw stripe. He defends with power and athleticism and reels in 7 boards per game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1756348' first='Owen' last='Reece'], 6-foot-3 forward, 2024, Hodgman County:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Longhorns are off to a 5-2 start, due in large part to their stat-sheet stuffing senior Reece. He's flirted with 20 points/10 rebounds for a couple of seasons, and this season he's averaging 25 points per game. The multisport star has athleticism and coordination to go with good size.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1378446' first='Carson' last='Shimer'], 6-foot-3 center, 2024, Dighton:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Like Reece, Shimer has threatened to record 20 points/10 rebounds for a few years now. He's got the Hornets off to a 7-0 start, pouring in points and gobbling up rebounds. He also gets 3 blocks and 3 assists as a playmaking post player.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2209778' first='Ethan' last='Taylor'], 6-foot-11 center, 2026, Shawnee Mission Northwest:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The guy with arguably the most upside of any Kansas high schooler, Taylor continues to grow into his impressive frame and develop his all-around game. He dunks everything around the rim and is becoming a more natural shot blocker. His role for the deep and talented Cougars is growing. In the early season, Taylor is averaging 12 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->