North Louisiana Hoops Top Performers & New Names to Know

New Year’s Day and the beginning of the week saw plenty of hoops action. Invitational and tournament play over the weekend has flipped into district play for some of the larger districts beginning on Tuesday. Of course, there were some top performers and new faces in the games I saw. So, let us look at some of the names that caught my eye from New Year’s Day to mid-week play in north Louisiana. [player_tooltip player_id="1105532" first="Braylen" last="Clark"] The junior guard from Evangel was every bit of a point guard in the Eagles game against Green Oaks and played the position how it is supposed to be played scoring and passing. He was able to get into the paint on several occasions and find players for the drop-off or the kick out. If the Giant defenders did not stop the ball, he penetrated as far as he could and scored. At one point, he scored nine straight on floaters and a three. Clark is one of the better point guards in 4A and showed it this night. [player_tooltip player_id="1271043" first="Davion" last="Coleman"] Coleman scored 14 points in the Gator 53-30 rout of Southwood on the first night of district play in 1-5A. It was not just that he scored, it was how he did it. He took advantage of his ability to face up and drive to the basket garnering two early fouls on super sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="1105536" first="Jeremiah" last="Evans"]. Then, Coleman posted smaller players on either block for short layups. He finished his scoring with a couple of mid-range jumpers. Coleman has a bag and he was in it against the Pokes at the Ranch. Ederick Coleman (6’0") Coleman had a very good second half in the Pineville loss to Neville on New Year’s Day. The junior guard scored 14 second half points from every level on the offensive end. He is not explosive in transition but he knows how to finish amidst contact. He has a very fluid stroke from three and made two of those on the evening. Coleman also showed that he was an able rebounder as a guard during the contest. Despite the loss, Coleman displayed that he is one of the reasons Pineville is having success this season. [player_tooltip player_id="1213779" first="Mekel" last="Hart"] Hart might have had his best showing as a varsity player during the Captain Shreve win over Southwood. His skill set is one that allows him to fill many roles and he did on Monday. Hart was used to break the Southwood pressure by putting the ball on the deck. He was huge on the offensive glass creating extra possessions for the Gators and finishing a couple of and-1 opportunities himself. Hart even showed confidence to shoot the ball from deep. He is player that can fill any need for his team. [player_tooltip player_id="1218194" first="Jaylin" last="Johnson"] The ASH sophomore was apart of the Trojan highlight reel as they beat Tioga in their home gym on New Year’s. Johnson was very good at playing passing lanes executing a breakaway dunk on one possession and throwing an alley-oop to [player_tooltip player_id="1206920" first="Theron" last="Johnson"] on another. He is explosive off the floor and showed that he can be a solid rebounder on both ends of the hardwood. His defensive effort translated to his offense and was a big reason ASH took control against the Indians and cruised to victory. [player_tooltip player_id="1275271" first="Noah" last="Jonker"] Noah was a matchup nightmare for Tioga. His versatility from inside and outside was too much to cover for an undersized Indian team. Jonker nailed two pick-and-pop triples from the top of three point arc. He led the fast break and made a couple of coast-to-coast layups while making the correct pass on another opportunity. His ability to rebound and post was prevalent in his 19 point first half. Jonker is clearly one of the best offensive weapons from all three levels that we have in the Boot. [player_tooltip player_id="1275290" first="Patrick" last="Mccraney"] McCraney, or PD as he is called by his coaches, had a stellar floor game in the Tiger win over Pineville. While he scored from all three levels as usual, it was his passing to others that helped the Neville balloon to as much as 19. McCraney was very good at drawing the defense and hitting cutters to the rim. When he stole the ball, he kicked it up to a teammate and gave them the chance to score. Even though he finished with 24, his passing and defense was superb during the Tiger win. Jaylon Porter (6’3") Porter was one of the new faces I saw during my day in Alexandria as Pineville played Neville. It was clear from the beginning of the game that he is very athletic and can do several things on the floor well. Porter opened up the scoring with a three pointer and added another athletic finish at the bucket. He also had a chase down block, a couple of steals, and was one of the players diving for loose balls on the floor. With Porter in the fold, Pineville may be a surprise team in class 5A. As district play opens for all of the aforementioned players, each player will have a chance to show their various skills. Look for other new faces and top performances as

New Year’s Day and the beginning of the week saw plenty of hoops action. Invitational and tournament play over the weekend has flipped into district play for some of the larger districts beginning on Tuesday. Of course, there were some top performers and new faces in the games I saw. So, let us look at some of the names that caught my eye from New Year’s Day to mid-week play in north Louisiana.

Braylen Clark Braylen Clark 5'8" | PG Evangel | 2024 State LA

The junior guard from Evangel was every bit of a point guard in the Eagles game against Green Oaks and played the position how it is supposed to be played scoring and passing. He was able to get into the paint on several occasions and find players for the drop-off or the kick out. If the Giant defenders did not stop the ball, he penetrated as far as he could and scored. At one point, he scored nine straight on floaters and a three. Clark is one of the better point guards in 4A and showed it this night.

Davieon Coleman Davieon Coleman 6'5" | SF Captain Shreve | 2022 State LA

Coleman scored 14 points in the Gator 53-30 rout of Southwood on the first night of district play in 1-5A. It was not just that he scored, it was how he did it. He took advantage of his ability to face up and drive to the basket garnering two early fouls on super sophomore Jeremiah Evans Jeremiah Evans 6'10" | C Southwood | 2024 State #249 Nation LA . Then, Coleman posted smaller players on either block for short layups. He finished his scoring with a couple of mid-range jumpers. Coleman has a bag and he was in it against the Pokes at the Ranch.

Ederick Coleman (6’0")

Coleman had a very good second half in the Pineville loss to Neville on New Year’s Day. The junior guard scored 14 second half points from every level on the offensive end. He is not explosive in transition but he knows how to finish amidst contact. He has a very fluid stroke from three and made two of those on the evening. Coleman also showed that he was an able rebounder as a guard during the contest. Despite the loss, Coleman displayed that he is one of the reasons Pineville is having success this season.

Mekel Hart Mekel Hart 6'5" | SF Captain Shreve | 2023 State LA

Hart might have had his best showing as a varsity player during the Captain Shreve win over Southwood. His skill set is one that allows him to fill many roles and he did on Monday. Hart was used to break the Southwood pressure by putting the ball on the deck. He was huge on the offensive glass creating extra possessions for the Gators and finishing a couple of and-1 opportunities himself. Hart even showed confidence to shoot the ball from deep. He is player that can fill any need for his team.

Jaylin Johnson Jaylin Johnson 6'3" | SG Alexandria | 2024 State LA

The ASH sophomore was apart of the Trojan highlight reel as they beat Tioga in their home gym on New Year’s. Johnson was very good at playing passing lanes executing a breakaway dunk on one possession and throwing an alley-oop to Theron Johnson Theron Johnson 6'4" | SF Alexandria | 2022 State LA on another. He is explosive off the floor and showed that he can be a solid rebounder on both ends of the hardwood. His defensive effort translated to his offense and was a big reason ASH took control against the Indians and cruised to victory.

Noah Jonker

Noah was a matchup nightmare for Tioga. His versatility from inside and outside was too much to cover for an undersized Indian team. Jonker nailed two pick-and-pop triples from the top of three point arc. He led the fast break and made a couple of coast-to-coast layups while making the correct pass on another opportunity. His ability to rebound and post was prevalent in his 19 point first half. Jonker is clearly one of the best offensive weapons from all three levels that we have in the Boot.

Patrick Mccraney

McCraney, or PD as he is called by his coaches, had a stellar floor game in the Tiger win over Pineville. While he scored from all three levels as usual, it was his passing to others that helped the Neville balloon to as much as 19. McCraney was very good at drawing the defense and hitting cutters to the rim. When he stole the ball, he kicked it up to a teammate and gave them the chance to score. Even though he finished with 24, his passing and defense was superb during the Tiger win.

Jaylon Porter (6’3")

Porter was one of the new faces I saw during my day in Alexandria as Pineville played Neville. It was clear from the beginning of the game that he is very athletic and can do several things on the floor well. Porter opened up the scoring with a three pointer and added another athletic finish at the bucket. He also had a chase down block, a couple of steals, and was one of the players diving for loose balls on the floor. With Porter in the fold, Pineville may be a surprise team in class 5A.

As district play opens for all of the aforementioned players, each player will have a chance to show their various skills. Look for other new faces and top performances as