RHP State Preview: 2021 Standouts

<p class="p1"><span class="s1">The 2021 edition of the Rolling Hills Prep State Preview Classic was a scaled down version of the event that is a must-see for Southern California basketball fans. Colony high school hosted the four game, one-day event which featured many of SoCal’s top programs and top players. Below is a breakdown of the senior class standouts from the showcase.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"><strong>Michael Birket</strong>, Crean Lutheran - The Saints were missing one of their top players, [player_tooltip player_id="954242" first="Koat" last="Keat"], but Birket did his best to fill that void in a loss to a loaded Harvard-Westlake squad. The 6-foot-5 wing is a smooth three-point shooter with fundamental and repeatable mechanics. Birket hit for 13 points, including three triples on the day.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="680218" first="Keith" last="Higgins"], Jr.</strong>, Chaminade - The Lehigh-signee has put together many impressive scoring stat-lines so far this season and this event was no different, despite the loss to Colony. Higgins, Jr., a 6-foot-3 shooting guard, filled up the scoring column in a variety of ways, dropping 27 points with a couple of triples, plenty of mid-range pull-up jumpers and went 6-for-6 from the free throw line.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="680247" first="Adam" last="Hinton"]</strong>, Harvard-Westlake - Hinton has embraced his increased offensive role this season. The 6-foot-4 wing has advanced from an intangibles and role player as a sophomore and junior to a legitimate go-to option as a senior. Hinton led the Wolverines to a big win over Crean Lutheran, scoring 16 points to go along with six rebounds and three steals.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="680216" first="Brenton" last="Knapper"]</strong>, Colony - The Titans’ senior leader had an efficient game on both ends of the floor to help his team earn a hard-fought three-point win over Chaminade. The hyper-athletic point guard scored 16 points while also doing a nice job of running the show for his team.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"><strong>Kenneth Simpson, Jr.</strong>, Chaminade - Simpson poured in an event-high 30 points for the Eagles as they fell to Colony in the most competitive game of the day. The 6-foot-2 Colorado-bound guard did most of his damage in transition, as his combination of explosiveness and strength was difficult for Colony to handle. Simpson went 10-for-11 from the free throw line and also pulled down nine rebounds.</span></p>