AAA: Region I Preview

<!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">TEAMS</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>North Marion, Brooke , John Marshall, East Fairmont, Fairmont Senior, Grafton</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Preseason Player of the Year</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2340983' first='Connor' last='Balwanz']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Balwanz gets a ton of attention here, but its not like its not well deserved. He's a tremendous scorer, maybe the best scorer in the region. He's a terrific distributor of the ball and I've seen that every time I've been able to see him in person or on stream. His point guard IQ is off the charts and that's obvious when you see him play because he's a pass first but make the right play point guard. At 13ppg and 3 assist/pg, Balwanz balances the floor and gives defenses alot to account for on every trip down the floor. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Top College Prospects</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2340983' first='Connor' last='Balwanz'],[player_tooltip player_id='2377003' first='Darrell' last='Claybrook'], [player_tooltip player_id='2413156' first='Elijah' last='Ramsey'], [player_tooltip player_id='2867482' first='Wesly' last='Scott'], [player_tooltip player_id='2434923' first='Jacob' last='Kucish'], [player_tooltip player_id='2871150' first='Jaylen' last='Deuesenberry'], [player_tooltip player_id='2337570' first='Kayden' last='Knapp'], [player_tooltip player_id='2805840' first='Andrew' last='Murdock'] </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">State Tournament Qualifier Prediction</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>North Marion</strong>: With the Huskies returning so many skilled players with experience this seems to be the easy choice. The duo of Balwanz and Ramsey are quite a bit of fire power in the scoring column and you add in 6'4" Wes Scott for an inside presence that they haven't had for awhile along with great defensive and role player pieces with players like Kusich and [player_tooltip player_id='2869454' first='Mason' last='Parrish'], you get a deep and talented roster that has already established itself as a tournament caliber program.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Fairmont Senior</strong>: The Polar Bears are certainly the ol standy of this group and who state tournament goers in the last several years have been accustomed to seeing. While they're lots of new faces, the method remains, play pressure defense and downhill on offense. And the roster is interesting with some new faces who could play huge roles, most importantly Deuesenberry who's a 6'4" showtime dunker off the wing spot and who could develop into an elite defender. All the while, varsity and tournament veteran Claybrook will anchor the Polar Bears on both ends and be the first scoring option we'd assume. Meanwhile they have up and coming point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2617683' first='Jaden' last='Fleming'] and 6'7" post [player_tooltip player_id='2918684' first='Maleek' last='Terry'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Darkhorse</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>East Fairmont:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Athletically I believe that EF is the closest team to the top two which would allow them to compete. They'll get both North Marion and Fairmont Sr. during the regular season and see where the real pecking order is, however for now we have to speculate. With a couple transfers, a couple experienced returning guards and super sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2805843' first='Jaxson' last='Conaway'] the Bees could be poised for an upset and making the advance to Charleston. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Regional Roundup</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fairmont Senior received two tremendous transfers in [player_tooltip player_id='2871150' first='Jaylen' last='Deuesenberry'] from Morgantown HS and [player_tooltip player_id='2918684' first='Maleek' last='Terry'] from Williamstown HS. Both will have an immediate impact on the Polar Bear rotation. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While we've clearly named who we think the top three in the region are, do not count out John Marshall and Brooke. Both teams return the majority of their scoring and starters at a couple different positions. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>North Marion, Fairmont Senior and East Fairmont have all been in the state tournament within the last two years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Ranking the Region</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list {"ordered":true} --> <ol class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>North Marion</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ol> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2. Fairmont Senior</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>3. East Fairmont</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>4. John Marshall</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>5. Brooke</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>6. Grafton</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->