2025 Hidden Gems in Western/Central VA

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the summer being over and the high school season a few months away, it's that time of year where players are taking visits and researching college programs. With that in mind, we've decided it's a good time to take a look at some under the radar players across the state.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's a look at some of the hidden gems in the Central and Wester areas of the state.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1767543' first='Gavin' last='Herrington'] | 6'0” PG | Floyd County '25</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Herrington has been a starter for Floyd since he was a freshman, and this year he'll be leading a talented group that could make a deep run in March. The two sport star is an explosive athlete with great quickness and speed with the ball in his hands, he has good hang time and body control to finish through traffic, he makes great decisions when he touches the paint and he is a great point of attack defender too.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Branson Leduc-Maddox | 6'3" WG | Carlisle '25</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1208894,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/Branson-Leduc-mattox2.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/Branson-Leduc-mattox2.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1208894" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Leduc-Maddox has been a big part of Carlisle's resurgence over the last two seasons, and now he'll be the senior leader and go-to guy for his team as well. The 6'3” wing plays with a great motor on both ends and knows how to turn defense into offense, he can handle it in the open court and finishes well when he gets downhill, he can make open shots and he's an excellent rebounder for his position as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2242499' first='Jalen' last='Dyer'] | 6'4” CG | Miller School '25</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2198949,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/Dyer-Jalen-rotated.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/Dyer-Jalen-rotated.jpg?w=768" alt="" class="wp-image-2198949" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dyer has shown a lot of improvement over the last few years at Miller, and if you're a coach that's into legit big guards he's worth a lot of consideration as he fits that mold perfectly. At 6'4” he has a strong frame and knows how to bump and use his body on both ends of the floor, he can create space off the bounce, he shoots it well from deep and in the midrange and he's a good playmaker too.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1598930' first='Blake' last='Lovern'] | 6'2” WG | Lord Botetourt '25</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1604698,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/36-Blake-Lovern-scaled.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/36-Blake-Lovern-scaled.jpg?w=683" alt="" class="wp-image-1604698" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Botetourt has produced quite a few college players over the past five or so years, and Lovern falls right in line with what we've come to expect from this program. At 6'2” he's a deadly shooter from deep who can knock it down off the catch or off the bounce, he's a scrappy and hard nosed guy who competes defensively and fights for loose balls and he is a high IQ playmaker as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2242424' first='Tyler' last='Sprague'] | 6'0” PG | Spotswood '25</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sprague is part of one of the top backcourts in all of VHSL Class 3 on a Spotswood squad that is poised for a big run this year, and he'll be a big reason why. Sprague has all the things you want in a lead guard as he brings energy and is vocal on both ends, he sets the tone as an on ball defender, he changes speeds well and makes good decisions with the ball in his hands and he can knock down shots at a good clip too.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1521039' first='Ethan' last='Collins'] | 6'4” CG | Wise-Central '25</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1604718,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/60-Ethan-Collins-scaled.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/60-Ethan-Collins-scaled.jpg?w=683" alt="" class="wp-image-1604718" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Collins has consistently been one of the top players in SWVA for the last few years, and his blend of positional size and skill set is hard to find in a lot of players. The 6'4” combo literally does a little bit of everything as he guards almost any position on the floor for his team, he pushes the tempo and makes plays for others, he scores the ball efficiently from all three levels and he is a very good rebounder for his position too.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->