Live Period Preview: Hoop Group (Part 4)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the first NCAA Live period coming up this weekend, players will have their first chance to play in front of division one college coaches, as well as coaches that aren't local to their area who will be traveling to major tournament sites.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With that being said, we're going to spend the week previewing some of the VA and DMV prospects at these events that we believe college coaches should take the time to evaluate, and could see their stock rise.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's a look at part four some of the prospects from the HGSL League, who will be playing in the Hoop Group Spring Live at Spooky Nook Sports in Lancaster, PA.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2242187' first='Braden' last='Norris'] | 6'8” C | New World HGSL 17U</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Norris transferred to VES from Westfield where he reclassified to the 2026 class, and he is a high upside big man with a lot to like moving forward. He's grown to a legit 6'8” with long arms and has gotten more athletic as he grew into his body, he is a high motor big who runs the floor and crashes the glass hard, he has good touch with both hands around the rim and he has shown the ability to play at the high post and improvement in his ability to knock it down from deep too.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2561115' first='Jack' last='Castner'] | 6'4” WG | Virginia Premier 17U</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2566650,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/tempImageQ5RcAg.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/tempImageQ5RcAg.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2566650" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Castner is one of the most underrated players in the entire state of VA, as the First Team All State selection emerged as one of the best public school players in the Charlottesville area. The 6'4” wing has long arms and a frame that should fill out, he's a dead eye shooter with effortless range who can work off the ball and set his feet on the move, he's active defensively to get deflections and he has a great IQ and makes good decisions with the ball in his hands.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1598944' first='Xavier' last='Bland'] | 6'3” CG | Virginia Premier 17U</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bland is coming off helping lead Stuart Hall to a VISAA D-IV State Championship, and he has been a staple for this [program_tooltip program_id='2078813' first='VA' last='Premier'] team over the past few years. The 6'3” combo is a highly skilled and high IQ guard who can handle pressure and make plays for others, he gets in the lane and is a crafty finisher around the rim, he can knock down open shots from deep and he plays with good instincts on both ends.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jayden Johnson | 6'3” WG | Virginia Premier 17U</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2566651,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/tempImageKMxjtV.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/tempImageKMxjtV.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2566651" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Johnson is a player I will fully admit is ranked entirely too low in our rankings, after his monster junior season where he was one of the top scorers in VISAA D-III and led Roanoke Catholic to a semifinal appearance, and he's already off to a great start with [program_tooltip program_id='2078813' first='VA' last='Premier'] this summer. The 6'3” two guard is a natural bucket getter who can play on or off the ball, he can knock it down from deep on the move, he can get to spots in the midrange and also get to the rim, and he's capable of getting hot and taking over a game with his scoring ability.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2459378' first='Jonathan' last='Jennings'] | 6'5” WF | Virginia Premier 17U</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jennings dealt with an injury late last summer and was able to come back midway through the season to help them win another VISAA D-III State Championship, and he has as much potential as anyone on this Premier team moving forward. At 6'5” he has long arms and is an explosive athlete now that he's healthy, he can guard multiple positions and really thrives guarding perimeter scorers, he's a good rebounder and he's able to handle in transition and get to the rim as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Colin Bowles | 6'3” CG | Virginia Premier 17U</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2561010,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/tempImageAwMqH3.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/tempImageAwMqH3.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2561010" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bowles is one of the most underrated players in the state as well, as he had a monster junior season for Massaponax and is a player coaches should get familiar with this summer. The 6'3” combo is highly skilled with a high IQ, he's excellent in ball screens and makes great reads, he's a dead eye sniper from deep off the catch and off the bounce, and he brings a lot of toughness to his team too.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->