Preseason All Tidewater Dark Horse Candidates (Part 2)

<p>The high school season in Virginia would usually be started by now, however it’s still up in the air in many areas are some school districts have already announced that they will cancel winter sports this year. However, we will remain optimistic that we will have some sports this year, and we will look forward as if we will.</p> <p>We will take a look at our picks for preseason all area teams as if everyone will play, looking now at the 757 area which features some of the top talent in the state. This made it very difficult to pick the teams, but we did our best on what we’ve seen over the past few years and what we saw this summer and fall.</p> <p>Here’s a look at the seven guys that just missed our cut for First or Second Team, but could easily be there by the end of the year.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="962794" first="Elijah" last="White"] | 5’9” PG | Kempsville 2022</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/12/White-Elijah.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1094410" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/12/White-Elijah-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" /></a></p> <p>In an area that is dominated by guards, especially in the 2022 class, White is the sleeper of the group but he has quietly been one of the best guards in the Beach over the past two seasons. A highly skilled true point guard who has a tight handle, deep range off the bounce and the ability to get in the lane to make plays for himself or for others, he’s a guy who has gone toe-to-toe with some of the best in the area and saw a big jump in production from his freshman to sophomore season, which I expect to continue to improve this year if they get a chance to play.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="815598" first="Ihsan" last="Duncan"] | 6’2” PG | Hampton 2022</strong></p> <p>Duncan is much like White but on the other side of the water, as he sometimes gets forgotten among all the talented guards on the Peninsula but the last time I saw him he looked phenomenal and ready to have a breakout year at Hampton this year. He’s improved his body as he’s slimmed up making him quicker off the bounce and more athletic around the rim, and he has this unique style of play where he isn’t super flashy but he knows how to get to his spots and can make plays for himself and others off the bounce. He has a good IQ and competes on both ends, and the strides he has taken is very promising moving forward.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="798712" first="Chris" last="Brown"] | 6’3” CG | Peninsula Catholic 2022</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/11/Brown-Chris.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1091299" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/11/Brown-Chris-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>It was hard to say which PC guy would get the nod as they have about 3 or 4 that can be the guy on any given day, but Brown is the most experienced and possibly most promising of those guys with his size at his position and versatility on the perimeter on both ends. He’s a competitor who brings it on both ends, he can make shots from multiple levels whether it’s off the catch or off the bounce and he’s a good athlete that makes plays at the rim on both ends of the floor.</p> <p><strong>Georges Archer | 6’4” WF | Princess Anne 2022</strong></p> <p>Archer is set to have a breakout year as PA lost their top two players from last year and he’s developed nicely into a versatile and athletic wing that is still just scratching the surface with how good he can be moving forward. He’s grown to 6’4” and grown into his body nicely and he’s a strong finisher now, he’s a big time athlete that can play above the rim and he plays with a good motor that makes him productive in a number of ways.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="815605" first="Obinna" last="Okafor"] | 6’7” C | Bethel 2022</strong></p> <p>Okafor is a guy who may not put up the big offensive numbers that some of the guys on this list will, but he’s one of the best post defenders in the area and possibly the state and he continues to improve every time I watch him play. He’s a blue collar kind of guy who owns the paint on the glass and makes it tough for driving guards with his great timing in the post and ability to protect the rim. He’s become more mobile over the past few years, he can score it on put backs and post ups and he’s set for a breakout year this year.</p> <p><strong>Josiah Rickards | 6’3” WG | Catholic 2023</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/11/0-15.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1089780" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/11/0-15-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>Rickards is a new name that really impressed at the VBSC Feast Jam, enough to make him my choice for breakout player in the 757 area this year on a Catholic team that is going to surprise some people in the TCIS. He’s one of those kids that is just naturally talented at the game as it comes easy to him offensively whether it’s him putting it on the deck and making a tough move to the basket, him shooting it off the catch from deep or him reading the defense and making the right play in transition. He has good instincts on both ends and a great skill set for his age, and as he continues to grow and get stronger I believe he’ll have division one schools looking at him very soon.</p> <p><strong>MJ Smith | 6’1” WG | Wilson 2023</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/11/Rice-MJ.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1091301" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/11/Rice-MJ-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>Smith is a guy who could easily fall in either the First Team or the Second Team, as he was one of the top freshman scorers in the area last year and Wilson lost two of their top upperclassmen from last year’s state championship team. Smith is a highly skilled wing who can fill it up in bunches when he gets going, and it all starts with his ability to let it fly from deep at a high clip. He can score it from multiple levels, he’s a good secondary ball handler and knows how to play the game the right way.</p>