Austin Area Preview: District 18-5A

The 2020-21 high school basketball season is upon us as pre-season matchups begin this weekend all across Texas. It was an unorthodox summer for the majority of high school hoopers, but the quickly approaching season will bring a bit of normalcy to the high school basketball landscape. We continue our Austin Area Season Preview with District 18-5A, which features a group of versatile senior guards, two upcoming ballers in the junior class, and an elite sophomore post prospect, as well as a list of underrated gems on our watch list.   District 18-5A Teams Bastrop Bears Cedar Creek Eagles Elgin Wildcats Manor Mustangs Pflugerville Panthers Pflugerville Connally Cougars Pflugerville Hendrickson Hawks Pflugerville Weiss Wolves   In this article, we preview standout players from District 18-5A who fans, coaches, and college programs should keep an eye on for the 2020-21 high school basketball season.   [player_tooltip player_id="1027617" first="Jaden" last="Williams"] | PG | Hendrickson (2021) Texas Ranking: 51 A highly recruited dual-sport athlete and future college football receiver, Williams is also an incredible point guard on the hardwood and will be the leader on the court for Hendrickson during his senior season. Williams is an elite athlete with great quick-twitch movements and bursts. He has great explosiveness when going to the rim and can hurt defenses with his finishes at the basket or in his mid-range jumper. During his junior year at Hendrickson Williams posted a stat line of 16.7 points, 5.7 assists, and 4.7 rebounds per game.   Augustine Arroyo | PG | Manor (2021) Texas Ranking: unranked/watchlist Arroyo returns for his senior season for Manor as a playmaker who can put up points in a hurry with his three-point shooting and as a pesky defender. With smooth ball handling, Arroyo can create shots for himself and also does a good job of distributing the rock to open teammates. He excels in catch-and-shoot situations and can catch fire in any game. He earned All-District honors last season and looks to continue his great play this year for the Mustangs.   Ke'Shawn Williams | SG | Hendrickson (2021) Texas Ranking: unranked/watchlist Williams is expected to jump into a large role during his senior year at Hendrickson after excelling as a key contributor off the bench in his junior season. Williams is the true definition of an underrated gem, as he has the talent and athleticism to compete with other top tier players in the Austin-Metroplex. He has great shooting range from the wing position and does a great job as a slasher. Williams enjoyed a big showing this summer on the grassroots circuit, and we are excited to see his development and play during his senior season for the Hawks.   [player_tooltip player_id="958614" first="Tyson" last="Whybrew"] | SF | Weiss (2022) Texas Ranking: 111 A prototypical small forward prospect with great size and frame, Whybrew is a physical player who brings toughness on the court. An incredibly versatile player who can play the 3-5 positions for Weiss, and in addition he has the ability to guard the 2-5 positions. Whybrew gets the job done in the paint and has shown he can finish above the rim with some powerful dunks. Not only is he tough in the paint, but he can also stretch the floor and hit his shots from beyond-the-arc.   [player_tooltip player_id="1027632" first="Jarmaine" last="Mason"] | PG | Weiss (2022) Texas Ranking: 132 A flamethrower from beyond-the-arc and one of the top shooters in the area, Mason returns to Weiss for his junior season where he looks to improve on his impressive sophomore stats. Mason is a combo guard who plays primarily shooting guard but has the handles and court vision to transition to the point. He does a terrific job moving without the ball and setting his feet in catch-and-shoot situations with a quick release. He excelled at hitting shots from the wing and corner, and in addition, he is a plus defender where he had 38 total steals during his sophomore season. Mason won Newcomer MVP last year and will look to continue his success on the court this season.   [player_tooltip player_id="787335" first="Ma’Shy" last="Hill"] | C | Hendrickson (2023) Texas Ranking: 13 Hill is arguably one of the top prospects in Texas, and he has already landed a few Division-1 offers this summer from the likes of Rice, SMU, and Houston. The elite post player has agile feet and is already an elite defender and rebounder. His presence in the paint causes defenses to think twice about getting up shots on him as he does a terrific job protecting the rim. Hill plays with great effort and does a good job running the floor. His offensive game is just scratching the surface and we could see a major jump in his development in that area of his game during his sophomore season with the Hawks.   Watch List PG McAnthony Everest - Connally (2021) PG Breyonn Wooley - Manor (2022) PG Jayden Barrs - Manor (2023) PG [player_tooltip player_id="787358" first="Tory" last="Simmons"] - Weiss (2023) SG Tyrone Haywood - Manor (2021) SG Isaac Rodela - Bastrop (2021) SG Jordan Foster - Pflugerville (2021) SG Michael Montgomery - Hendrickson (2021) SG Corey Penson - Weiss (2022) SG Blake Fisher - Manor (2022) SG TJ Jones - Pflugerville (2022) SG Sam Barnwell - Connally (2022) SG Kaleb Bunker - Cedar Creek (2022) SF Bobby Thai - Connally (2021) SF Sam Miller - Bastrop (2021) SF Kaleb Lewis - Weiss (2022) PF Kayden Crosby - Hendrickson (2021) PF Bo Gary - Elgin (2021) C Cameron Jackson - Weiss (2024)