Houzmazoo SL: Underclass Standouts

New readers: Use code Proia30    16p 4r 5b vs KIPP; 22p 11r 2s 4b 1 charge drawn vs Avalon   -McVey was a whirling dervish of activity for TR in their run to the championship game. He shot it really well from beyond the arc (6 made 3s in 3 games), served as an effective slasher in the halfcourt, and was a defensive menace both on and off the ball for his team. Love the way that he uses his pseed and athleticism to race into the frame to block shots around the basket. McVey uses his length well on the defensive end to contest shots or collect deflections and on the offensive end to grab offensive rebounds/ finish above the rim. McVey will definitely be a big-time stock-riser in our next update of the 2027 rankings.     9p 4a 3r 1b 2s vs KIPP; 16p 10a 8r 1b 5s vs Avalon; 9p 6a 2s 1b vs E.L. Haynes   -Came away impressed by the smooth all-around offensive game from the rising junior in a runner-up finish for T. Rose. Hudgens gets to his spots easily in the halfcourt and comes off of ball screens with great pace, using a nice finishing bag around the basket to score around taller defenders. He hit at least a pair of 3s in each game, played great perimeter defense, and finished the event with a combined 12 stocks to underline his impact on the defensive end of the floor. Love the way that he saw the floor throughout each contest, delivering on-time and on-target hook passes, pocket passes, reverse pivot assists, and kick-ahead passes in transition. Should be amongst the biggest stock-risers in the area in our next rankings update.     15p 5a 1r 3s vs Theodore Roosevelt; 8p 7a 5r 2s vs Carroll; 23p 6r 3a 3s vs Cardozo   -Higganbotham should have a big year with KIPP as a sophomore guard that can really make plays off the bounce for himself and others. The Ireton transfer was productive as a play-making guard that uses his quickness to blow past his matchup and force helpers to scramble. Love how effortlessly he can go from facilitating to scoring as a floor general with an advanced handle and consistent jumper. He scored on floaters, got hot from beyond the arc in two of the games, hit pull-up midrange jumpers, earned trips to the free throw line, and finished just past the outstretched arms of the defense on a few occasions. Came away impressed with how quickly he can shift gears and change directions but also how well he sees the floor on the move.     16p 8r 1a 3b vs KIPP   -It's all starting to come together for the rising sophomore as Kelly showed off an improved handle and athleticism in this one. Kelly created well off the bounce for himself and others, didn't settle for jumpers and got all the way to the rim, and used his athleticism to push the pace in transition and block shots at the other end of the floor. His defensive IQ has improved as his rotations are much sharper and he showed that he can comfortably guard 2-4 at the HS level with the upside to also do well on 1s and 5s on switches. If his motor can get revved up another level on a consistent basis and he proves that he can hit perimeter jumpers to balance out his slashing ability-- he has a chance to move into the top 25 locally in his class.     22p 5r 2a 2s vs Theodore Roosevelt   -Fox's offensive ability really cared things at that end of the floor for most of what was a close game between Avalon and T. Rose. Fox showed the full repertoire as one of the elite scorers in the area with a spin move pull-up in transition, a double cross into a tough pull-up 3, hit an in n out crossover into the inside hide blow-by layup, and had a beautiful one-handed dime to a shooter on the opposite side of the floor for an open 3. Loved that he is doing a great job of getting two feet in the paint to draw fouls (11 FTA on the night) to balance the perimeter play-making and shot-making. If he can turn a few of the long 3s and pull-ups into drives to the rim or assists to teammates to take advantage of his scoring gravity on efficient shooting numbers-- I think he has a chance to be a top-10 player in the class.     7p 9r 2s 2b vs KIPP   -Ford gave the Lions a dynamic athlete that plays really hard at both ends to force the action. A really explosive leaper, Ford impacted the game above the rim both on the glass and as a shot-blocker throughout the contest. Love that Ford is beginning to harness his athleticism to develop into a defender that can lock down guards but also handle wing scorers because of his physical style of play. Ford is a consistent jumpshot away from being a really difficult cover in the halfcourt as a dynamic slasher that can get to the rim in two dribbles or less on pretty much any defender that you put in front of him.     7p 6r 3a 2b 3s vs Theodore Roosevelt   -One of my favorite finds of the event, love the pace that Beatriz plays with the ball in his hands and the aggression that he brings to the table at the defensive end of the floor. Beatriz serves as a pesky POA defender that will swipe away any basketball that you put on the floor in front of him. He also showed off some surprising vertical burst as he blocked two shots from behind in transition when I had definitely counted him out of the play. Would love to see him on the ball more as I liked the reads that he made attacking side ball screens in the halfcourt. He should've finished with a few more assists as his bigs fumbled a few bunnies around the basket and the guards missed a few open Js-- but the process and reads were encouraging to see from an unselfish creator.

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