High School Spotlight: Gary West Side Cougars

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The High School Spotlight Series is back and we are excited to feature multiple teams throughout the state once again! The season is still a few weeks away, but it is never too early to look ahead at the high school season. We will be taking a look at some quick hitters, the top player(s), a potential breakout player, other roster members, and more for the upcoming season. For today's spotlight, we take a look at the&nbsp;Gary West Side Cougars.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Quick Hitters</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Went 17-7 last season.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Lost to East Chicago Central in Sectionals. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Head Coach Chris Buggs returns for his as head coach. He is&nbsp;<strong>&nbsp;</strong>as a head coach.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>A sleeper team in Class 3A. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Top Player:&nbsp;[player_tooltip player_id='1560995' first='Reggie' last='Hinton']<a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jahari-miller/"></a></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A team that will come in as a Top 10 team in Class 3A are the Gary West Cougars and with that, they will be led by one of the best guards in the state in senior [player_tooltip player_id='1560995' first='Reggie' last='Hinton'], who returns as the lead guy for them. He comes into his last season of high school basketball with a couple of offers from Northern Illinois and Johnson C. Smith University with a chance to earn more this upcoming season. When it comes to pure athleticism in the backcourt, there may not be another guard better than Hinton in that category. He is a pure playmaker of a guard and will lead the Cougars to do big things this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Potential Breakout Player:&nbsp;[player_tooltip player_id='1560969' first='Tyler' last='Crews']<a href="https://prephoops.com/player/chace-ford/"></a></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>You can't teach size and that it exact what senior center [player_tooltip player_id='1560969' first='Tyler' last='Crews'] certainly brings into this season being a legit 6'10. The potential for Crews has always been there but this could be the year we see him finally breakthrough and reach that next level. A guy that has good mobility and finishes around the rim, schools at all levels should be keeping tabs on Crews. If Crews plays like the dominate big man he can be, the Cougars could go on a deep run this year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Other Key Roster Members</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='3033269' first='Prentiss' last='Gates']</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Deshawn Clay Jr.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list -->