Division II-A: Mr. Basketball candidates

<p>Even though the country is currently in a pandemic, it shouldn’t stop people from getting excited about the upcoming high school basketball season, right?</p> <p>Of course not.</p> <p>Both private school leagues will feature legit Division 1 level talent, and to be honest, private school basketball might be some of the best basketball to watch this upcoming season.</p> <p>In the Division II-A league, there are five candidates who I feel could win Mr. Basketball. Since [player_tooltip player_id="983684" first="Moussa" last="Cisse"] reclassified into the 2020 class, ultimately committing to the University of Memphis, it’s wide open.</p> <p>Here are the five Mr. Basketball candidates.</p> <p><strong>Alex</strong> <strong>Anderson</strong>, <strong>Tipton</strong>-<strong>Rosemark</strong> <strong>Academy</strong>: If it wasn’t for Cisse coming to Memphis, Tennessee to play one season at Lausanne, Anderson would have won Mr. Basketball last season. He’s coming off a junior season averaging 25 points, 14 rebounds and 6 assists per game. Anderson was arguably the Rebels’ best player, and he willed TRA to an 18-12 record. Without Anderson, the Rebels probably don’t hit double-digits in the win column.</p> <p><strong>Daniel</strong> <strong>Egbuniwe</strong>, <strong>FACS</strong>: Egbuniwe flew under the radar as a sophomore. The 6-6 wing played a huge part in the Crusaders’ run to the Division II-A Boys State Championship game. Egbuniwe rebounds the ball well and can knock down the 3. He needs to improve on his ball handling. Egbuniwe averaged 14.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.7 blocks and 1.6 steals per game for FACS.</p> <p><strong>Patrick</strong> <strong>Smith</strong> <strong>Jr</strong>., <strong>Goodpasture</strong>: The 5-11 point guard averaged 18 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds and 4 steals per game as a junior and had his team one win away from a final four appearance in the state tournament. Smith can play at the Division 1 level because of his court vision and patience for scoring lanes to open up. He knows how to pick his spots on the court.</p> <p><strong>Kameron</strong> <strong>Jones</strong>, <strong>ECS</strong>: The Marquette commit averaged 19.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game for the Eagles, leading them to the final four of the state tournament. Jones is a smart point guard. He won’t allow his defender to speed him up. Jones has solid ball handles and knows how to pick his spots on the court. He can score 30-plus points without breaking a sweat.</p> <p><strong>Braeden</strong> <strong>Moore</strong>, <strong>CPA</strong>: The 6-8 forward averaged 15 points and 7.1 rebounds per game for the Lions last season. Moore can shoot the ball very well, and he takes a lot of great shots. Moore can stretch the floor with his shooting and his ball handles are solid to be a forward. He’s versatile enough to play on the wing. Moore will be one of the most-talked players in the league.</p>