2020-21 preview: 5 players who are in position to have a breakout season

<p>The month of August is one day away, which means kids will start turning their attention to the 2020-21 high school basketball season.</p> <p>A handful of teams are going to look different this upcoming season due to players graduating last season and key transfers arriving, hoping to make a positive impact.</p> <p>I will get to the key transfers at a later date, once all of them are finalized.</p> <p>But, for now, I want to focus on players who are looking to have a breakout season. These are players that had solid moments last season but went unnoticed by a lot of eyes watching.</p> <p>For the players I’m about to mention, the opportunity for success will be there.</p> <p><strong>Dylan</strong> <strong>Woods</strong>, <strong>MAHS</strong>: The Lions lost key players [player_tooltip player_id="845985" first="RJ" last="Berkley"] to graduation and David Dixon to transfer. The program will need a new leader on the offensive end. Woods, a 6-foot-5 athletic wing, has the chance to make some noise. He’s a left-handed wing that can jump out of the gym. Woods is very active on the defensive end, always seems to find himself around the basketball. So far in Woods’ high school basketball career, he’s never been one of the top two scoring options. For the first time, Woods will be stepping out of his comfort zone.</p> <p><strong>Marcellus</strong> <strong>Boyd</strong>, <strong>Cordova</strong>: The 6-2 shooting guard has been in the gym all summer long according to his head coach Terrance Scales. That’s good news for the Wolfpack, because Boyd is going to be one of the top scoring options in 2020. He’s a deadly 3-point shooter with high confidence that every shot is going to go in. Scales is very excited about what Boyd, an incoming junior, can bring to his offense. Cordova is expected to have a productive backcourt, with Boyd heavily involved.</p> <p><strong>Justin</strong> <strong>Morgan</strong>, <strong>Memphis</strong> <strong>Nighthawks</strong>: Morgan flew under the radar last season, mainly because he plays for a home school. If he attended a public school with rich basketball tradition, more people would know about him. Morgan is a 6-6 wing with unlimited scoring abilities. He can put the ball on the floor and get to the basket. Morgan loves to crash the boards. Lastly, he can shoot an efficient rate from 3-point range. Morgan averaged 20 points per game last season as a sophomore and should do the same again in 2020.</p> <p><strong>Adam</strong> <strong>Barbieri</strong>, <strong>St</strong>. <strong>Benedict</strong>: Since 2022 combo guard Christopher Brunt won’t be returning to the Eagles next season, the team will look to senior guards [player_tooltip player_id="983686" first="Bobby" last="Westbrooks"] and Barbieri to lead the charge offensively. Barbieri can easily average in double figures next season, between 15-20 points per game. He isn’t the most athletic guard in Division II-AA, but Barbieri is one of the smartest guards the league has to offer. He’s patient – solid ball handler - and cautious of his shot attempts. Barbieri wants every shot to be a great shot. He has a good shot release and never tends to put the ball in harm’s way.</p> <p><strong>Dominic</strong> <strong>Brown</strong>, <strong>ECS</strong>: The Eagles will have experienced senior-led backcourt in 2020. Brown and Marquette commit [player_tooltip player_id="775537" first="Kameron" last="Jones"] should be one of the top backcourts in Division II-A next season. Brown can provide flexibility for ECS. Of course, Jones is going to be the team’s No. 1 scoring option. He’s going to have the ball most of the time. Brown can be valuable as someone who can knock down shots when Jones sees double teams. Brown is a solid option as the team’s backup point guard when Jones is on the bench. The incoming senior plays within the flow of the game, can be a facilitator when called upon to do so. Brown is going to affect the game in multiple ways, which will prove to be a plus for the Eagles come postseason time.</p>