High School Spotlight: Lawrence Central Bears

<!-- 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;Lawrence Central Bears.</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 12-10 last season.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Lost to Lawrence North in Sectionals. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Head Coach Phil Washington returns for his 3rd year as head coach. He is&nbsp;76-52<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 4A.&nbsp;Got one of the best transfer hauls this offseason. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Top Players: [player_tooltip player_id='2140392' first='JJ' last='Craig']/[player_tooltip player_id='1561118' first='Doron' last='Harris']<a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jahari-miller/"></a></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Man, where do you even start with this Lawrence Central team because in all reality, you could pick up to 8 players and make an argument as to why they are the top player for the Bears. After much thought on this, I decided to go with senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1561118' first='Doron' last='Harris'] and junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2140392' first='JJ' last='Craig']. For Harris, you have to give him respect with being the returning leading scorer from last year and the jump he made as a player overall this past year. [player_tooltip player_id='2140392' first='JJ' last='Craig'] was a part of the 16u EYBL Champion [program_tooltip program_id='2076927' first='Indy' last='Heat'] team is a top 10-11 prospect in the in-state class of 2027. Together, these two make for one of the best backcourts in the state. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Potential Breakout Player: [player_tooltip player_id='2140390' first='Jeremiah' last='Bellamy']/[player_tooltip player_id='1561112' first='Gavin' last='Petty']<a href="https://prephoops.com/player/chace-ford/"></a></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With so much talent on this year's Lawrence Central, many players could be primed for a breakout season. For this, I picked the two North Central transfers in senior wing [player_tooltip player_id='1561112' first='Gavin' last='Petty'] and junior wing Jeremiah Ballamy. When these two made the move over to Lawrence Central, it instantly made the Bears one of the top teams in Class 4A. Together these two bring in over 18.0 points per game overall just some elite playmaking on the wing. These two help bring the Bears to a new level and each guy could be in for a big season. </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='1981704' first='Albert' last='Gooden III']</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Caleb Wells</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Vincent Wells</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list -->