Standout Sophomore’s from Early January

<p>These are some of the best sophomore performances that I got to see in person over the last two- three weeks! Some of the best performers from some cross town rivalries from the first two weeks of January! </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>player_tooltip player_id="1220767" first="Zion" last="Pipkin"] 2024 Westfield High School<br /> Zion is the definition of a dog, his motor and ability to affect the game on both ends of the floor allowed Westfield to plow through some high level competition on their way to winning the tournament. He attacks the basket hard and gets easy looks in transition at the rim due to his energy. He is great at fighting through contact on his way to the rim. I was blown away by his on court leadership, ability to direct traffic on the defensive and offensive end and how much of a winner he is. He did not need the ball in his hands to affect the game, his off ball movement created space for his teammates as he drew attention away from the defense. His game reminds me a lot of a young Collin Sexton, with his unending pace, willingness to defend high level ball handlers and live in the paint as a smaller guard.</p> <p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5vy3paT-9Q</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1160638" first="Trap" last="Johnson"] 2024 Belton High School</p> <p>Trap is an athletic wing who can get it done at all three levels of the floor. In the paint, he is patient and willing to utilize his post moves to get defenders out of his way. He has great size for his age, and knows hot to utilize it when beating defenders off the dribble. His ability to create space for himself that way really stood out. He showed off a reliable set shot from beyond the arc when given time to set his feet, however I would like to see him create more shots for himself in the midrange and beyond off the dribble. It was fun watching him and his older brother ([player_tooltip player_id="958605" first="TJ" last="Johnson"], 2022) play alongside each other and make some highlights together! </p> <p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azejQgqsXUQ</p> <p>Ja’varius Thompson 2024 6’0 Nimitz High School<br /> Ja’varius is a fearless guard who has a knack with finishing with the best of them in the paint. He is great at attacking downhill and putting his body on the line to put the other team into foul trouble and to get off shots at the rim. I was very impressed with the amount of gravity and attention he draws when he has the basketball, and how good he was at finding the open teammate when he felt an extra defender. He is a great set shooter when he gets a chance to set his feet and play off the ball. Nimitz is a team to keep your eye on, they have two especially good sophomore guards in Thompson and [player_tooltip player_id="1139315" first="Eric" last="Woods"] that could make the leap next year....</p> <p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNv8KJIkAkE</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1274790" first="Kaden" last="Jackson"] 2024 Guard 5’11 LD Bell High School</p> <p>Kaden is a fearless finisher on the fast break and knows how to attack defenses in transition. Whether it was making the right reads on a 2-3 fast break or attacking the weak space as the defender hesitated to cover a shooter Jackson thrived on the break. He is a great passer and knows how to set his teammates up for easy looks. He was designated as the team out-of-bounds passer when on the baseline and sideline and created a plethora of looks for his team. I would like to see him work on squaring up on all his jump shots, even the ones off the dribble. There were instances in which he faded away unnecessarily or let his feet kick out to the sides and caused his shot to be off.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1217922" first="Luke" last="Coughran"] 2024 Katy Tompkins High School</p> <p>Luke is an impressive young wing who you can tell is not done growing, he possesses great arm length which allows him to finish at the rim with ease. His consistency in the paint was very impressive, even against strong defenders. He has great off ball awareness and is great at flashing to the high post or cutting to the basket to give his team a passing option and put pressure on the middle of the defense. He even displayed an ability to knock down shots around the arc when given time to catch and shoot. I would like to see him get more aggressive with the basketball, and hunt for his shot more. </p> <p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qqtr6nQq96g</p>