Program Profiles: King of the North

As you leave the Salt Lake City Metro area and head northbound you hear rumors. Rumors of ravenous Wolves, Redhawks and Trojans. Intimidating shadows of Lancers, Riverhawks and Darts. Consider yourself put on high alert and visiting teams should proceed with caution. Northern Utah is stacked with some of the state's top high school basketball programs, lead by some of the states top coaches. These teams have elite players, rowdy fan bases and deep benches.   Here are 10 programs that tout strong pedigrees this season. All of whom have put together a strong claim for their right to take the throne.   #1 Green Canyon Wolves (20-1)   #2 Layton Lancers (15-3)   #3 Davis Darts (15-3)   #4 Morgan Trojans (19-1)   #5 Ridgeline Riverhawks (16-4)   #6 Bountiful Redhawks (14-4)   #7 South Summit (16-4)   #8 Weber Warriors (11-7)   #9 Woods Cross Wildcats (11-7)   #10 Viewmont Vikings (10-9)   Lets take a look at some of the players that make these teams from the north go.    The definition of a big guard. Whether off the bounce or spotting up Haigh can hit you with lethal range. His hesitations into his pull up jumper, runner or floater give him a deep bag. His touch around the basket and his deep three point range separate him from his peers up north. Hard to crown this baller and his Green Canyon Wolves as the front runner for King of the North.     A true floor general! Miller runs the show for a terrific Lancer squad. Always a threat in the open floor with the ball in his hand to go end to end. He rebounds well as a guard and knows how to push the ball and find open teammates. He understands tempo and always has his team playing under control. He can knock down the open shot or post smaller guards. He has a knack for scoring the ball in a variety of ways.     This sharp shooting lefty has the Davis Darts competing at a high level. A constant threat from deep. His ability to stretch the floor creates driving lanes for his teammates. Ball in hand he shows a terrific skill set setting defenders on their heals and getting into his pull up game. His height and length make him a versatile defender.     This multi-sport athlete has the Morgan Trojans off to a 16-1 start. Do not even start them, but they are 3A conversation. They have more than a half dozen wins against teams from upper classifications and their only loss is by 1 point to a 20-1 Green Canyon team. Saunders at 6'4" has a strong frame and he imposes his will on both ends of the floor. He is a handful around the basket and can take you out on the perimeter and knock down open shots. He is an unselfish player that functions well within Coach Hunt's system.     Low has been key to the strong play of the Riverhawks this season. He is a crafty distributing PG that has really picked up his scoring in the last 6 games. On the catch his quick jab and rock step get defenders shifting and he is terrific at blowing by defenders and getting in the lane to score or create. Ridgeline is a team capable of beating anyone on any given night. They have already proved this by handing Green Canyon their only loss on the season.     Heath is a dynamic guard that has the Bountiful High Braves surging in 5A. He is quick to get into the lane and is always a threat to score or drop a dime. His teammates feed off his energy and he is a pesky on ball defender. A true winner and leader Heath is unselfish and penetrates with purpose waiting for guys to cheat and help so he can reward a teammate. Keep your eye on this guy, some college program is going to end up with a gem.     With 1,390 points under his belt for the Trojans he is writing his name in the South Summit record books. Woolstenhulme is a scoring machine having recently dropped 46 points on Grantsville. He has not been held to under 20 minutes all season. He leads the state in scoring at 27 points per game and has done nearly exclusively from inside the arc. He is active on the glass and he scores everything in and around the basket. He is second in the state in rebounding at 11.6 per game. His pull up jumper is his calling card. When he gets on his spots good luck slowing him down.     You hear about [player_tooltip player_id='2530315' first='Luke' last='Bingham'], you see his stats and it gets your attention. Then you watch Bingham play live. First thing I will tell you is the kid has incredible footwork and touch. He is literally the Utah high school version of Nikola Jokic. He won't wow you with athleticism, but he systematically destroys his opponents with his craftiness, up and under moves and touch 10 feet and in.     There might not be a more competitive player in the state of Utah then [player_tooltip player_id='1185170' first='Hunter' last='Jackson']. This multi-dimensional guard is a literal Swiss army knife that has a motor that just will not stop. He is lethal when you allow him a catch on the elbow. A terrific slasher and has the ability to score on all three levels. Jackson is taking his talents to the College of Southern Idaho after high school. He has a college ready frame, his is athletic and he has the will to win.     Drez made a very smooth and seamless transition as a top level receiver for the Vikings on the gridiron to getting buckets on the the hardwood this winter. That is much easier said then done. Jensen's versatility as a complete player give opponents fits. His length and anticipation make him a rangy defender that can come up with a big steal at the opportune moment. On the offensive side Jensen's ability to slash complimented by his ability to score from deep make him a tough defensive assignment every night.

As you leave the Salt Lake City Metro area and head northbound you hear rumors. Rumors of ravenous Wolves, Redhawks and Trojans. Intimidating shadows of Lancers, Riverhawks and Darts. Consider yourself put on high alert and visiting teams should proceed with caution. Northern Utah is stacked with some of the state's top high school basketball programs, lead by some of the states top coaches. These teams have elite players, rowdy fan bases and deep benches.