Pre-Season Player of the Year Candidates

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Each year Gatorade State PotY and Bill Evans Award winners are picked by their respective committees and awarded to the best player or players in West Virginia. Here's the candidates in September for the post season awards to be given in 2025. Sharron Young was awarded both accolades after last season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='2114397' first='D'arrae' last='Goodwin'] - Goodwin would be or maybe should be the frontrunner currently being that he's already committed to Division I San Diego. However, I could see where playing at Linsly could hinder that as the voters either won't be as familiar or might see that as a negative on his achievements. Nobody from Linsly has ever won either award so this would be a first but this is probably the best chance any player from the Wheeling based private school would have. Goodwin sifted through a long list of D1 offers before targeting San Diego as his next step and with that pressure off the senior swingman he should have a monster season. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='1573155' first='Braydon' last='Hawthorne'] - The voters for the Bill Evans award haven't seriously considered anyone from Huntington Prep but the Gatorade voters look much more favorable as they will with Hawthorne who not only plays in WV but is actually a native as well. Hailing from Beckley WV, Braydon has sprouted to a rangy 6'9" while developing his game at a rapid pace and garnering double digit D1 offers. Hawthorne's comp would certainly seem to be Kevin Durant and I encourage anyone reading to tune in anytime Huntington Prep is on ESPN this season. He's a special talent and many think has a chance to play in the NBA. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='2208821' first='Caleb' last='Thomas'] - Not since Donte Grantham (Martinsburg &amp; Clemson) has a player from the eastern panhandle received so much early attention as Thomas. He's a rarity in the skill set category as he is poised and smooth with the ball anywhere on the court while having to spend alot of time playing in the paint and in the post due to his 6'7" frame. Thomas will certainly have his share of writers and voters in his corner as he should. Most other years Thomas would be a shoe-in but in what I would call the biggest and most robust recruiting class in WV history he might be the darkhorse. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='2211906' first='Eli' last='Sancomb'] - the 2026 point guard won many over after his slick and smooth performance at the state tournament in March. At 6'4" his ball handling is unmatched and couples that with court vision and incredible court instincts to create for others first and himself second. BlueChips Nation has confirmed he is certainly being considered by Division I programs but could always choose to play for his father (Danny Sancomb) at Cal University of Pa, who's considered one of the top DII coaches in the US. Barring injury Sancomb will be next year's favorite for PotY regardless of this years results. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='1851878' first='Noah' last='Lewis'] - Lewis popped up on everyone's radar as a 6'6" freshman and soon thereafter received a D1 offer from Radford. Lewis does in fact have a shot at one or both of these awards as he has some big advantages being at one of the most notable WV basketball programs, has a dynamic game that should produce huge numbers this coming season and does in fact have several in the voting community that do believe he's the most complete player on the list. <br><br><strong><em>OTHERS THAT WILL BE CONSIDERED:</em></strong> <br>WV-[player_tooltip player_id='2243492' first='Dazon' last='Reid'], [player_tooltip player_id='2114433' first='Zyon' last='Hawthorne'], [player_tooltip player_id='1851877' first='Harry' last='Silvis'], [player_tooltip player_id='2208848' first='Clay' last='Robertson'], [player_tooltip player_id='1309597' first='Xavier' last='Kirk'], [player_tooltip player_id='2319940' first='Ruben' last='Salazar'], [player_tooltip player_id='1573144' first='Maki' last='Cary'], [player_tooltip player_id='1851905' first='Roman' last='Kellum']<br>HUNTINGTON PREP- [player_tooltip player_id='1432004' first='Darryn' last='Peterson'], [player_tooltip player_id='1383019' first='Micah' last='Tucker']<br><br></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Expo: West Virginia<br>Triadelphia, WV<br>October 5th<br>DISCOUNT CODE: STRODEHOOPS2024<br><a href="https://events.prephoops.com/e/1251/register/the-expo-west-virginia">https://events.prephoops.com/e/1251/register/the-expo-west-virginia</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->