Holiday Break Eye Openers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Christmas break is an opportunity for folks to catch tremendous basketball around the Natural State. Here are several players who have had eye opening performances during tournaments around the state.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2389952' first='Karl' last='Johnson']-Combo Guard-Conway-6'1” 2027</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Conway guard is a prospect who has had a strong start to the 2025 high school basketball season. Johnson does a great job of distributing the basketball and getting his teammates involved in the contest. In the Russellville Cyclone Classic, Johnson had no problem filling up the stat sheet. Against Little Rock Mills, Johnson had 26 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks. Johnson is a player to watch out for as conference play starts to heat up.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2837777' first='Abe' last='Cooper']-Shooting Guard/Point Guard-Melbourne-6'0” 2028</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2837777' first='Abe' last='Cooper'] is a prospect to watch on the hardwood as well as the gridiron for Melbourne. He controls the game in similar ways on both playing surfaces. Cooper is a calm player who knows when to force the tempo. In the Ronnie Brogdon Invitational, Cooper struck for 29 points against Cedar Ridge. Cooper does an excellent job of distributing the basketball; however, he is not afraid to take the game over from an offensive perspective. Keep an eye on Cooper for the next few years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2373595' first='Jacob' last='Gaines']-Combo Guard-East Poinsett County-6'0” 2026</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2373595' first='Jacob' last='Gaines'] is a prospect who has flown under the radar but is exploding as we enter 2026. Gaines handles the ball well and has a knack for finding the opening shooter on the floor. Gaines is an unselfish player with the ball in his hands. He had an impressive performance against Blytheville this week. Gaines racked up 24 points on the night from all over the floor. Gaines is a prospect to watch during the second half of the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2475029' first='Rylen' last='Brown']-Power Forward/Center-Cedar Ridge-6'6” 2027</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2475029' first='Rylen' last='Brown'] has the ability to play all over the floor for Cedar Ridge. He is a versatile player who is capable of guarding multiple positions on the floor. Meanwhile, on the offensive end of the floor, he has displayed the ability to take over the game in the paint or beyond the arc. Brown exploded against Melbourne this week for 44 points. He is a player to watch out for and I expect a big season from Brown.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->