CBG Fall Series 1: 2023 Standouts (Part 3)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The third annual CBG Fall Series kicked off with Session 1 on Sunday at U-Turn, with 24 teams from all over VA and the DMV in attendance and a talent pool of prospects that was second to none. There were plenty of big time matchups, college coaches in attendance and a great atmosphere for preseason basketball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We take a look at part three of some of the top seniors that were in attendance for session one,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If you want to watch the entire event, you can see it <a href="https://cbglivenetwork.com/">here</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sam Brannen | 5'11” PG | Peanut City</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1583804,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/09/Brannen-Sam-CBG-scaled.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/09/Brannen-Sam-CBG-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1583804"/></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I have been singing Brannen's praises for years now, and the 5'11” lead guard out of King's Fork backed me up as he had a phenomenal first game before running into the buzz saw that is Paul VI in their second game. Brannen's skillset and control of the game is unmatched as he handles the rock and is excellent running pick-and-rolls and making reads, he shoots the ball extremely well from deep and he always seems to be in the right place at the right time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='999620' first='Kaleb' last='Brown'] | 6'2” CG | Peanut City</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brown has dealt with a lot of injuries in his high school career but he is back healthy and made a huge impact on both ends of the floor for Peanut City. He's a super heady guard who is strong when he gets in the lane and can handle pressure, he is a relentless on ball defender and excellent in the press and he picked his spots and scored it in different ways.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1408028' first='Gavin' last='Burns'] | 6'9” PF | Roanoke Catholic</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Burns is starting to garner some attention from college coaches and will likely enter our state rankings after showing his big time upside and his impact on both ends of the floor at the Fall Series. The 6'9” big man is mobile and runs the floor hard, he attacks the glass on the offensive end and knows how to rebound in and out of his area and protects the rim defensively and he has a budding skillset that should get better moving forward.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Darryl Johnson | 6'5” F | Highland School</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Johnson is the senior leader on a young Highland School team and will be leaned upon a lot this season, and he looked ready in their two games on Sunday. At 6'5” he's a walking mismatch as he has the body and strength of a power forward but has a perimeter skillset too, he can put it on the deck and get downhill and use his strength to finish through contact and defensively he can switch everything and is a good rebounder as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1231823' first='AJ' last='Wills'] | 6'2” PG | CBG Wildcats</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1583810,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/09/Wills-AJ-scaled.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/09/Wills-AJ-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1583810"/></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We've been touting Wills as perhaps the most under recruited guard in the state if not up and down the east coast, and the way he played on Sunday makes it so hard to believe he doesn't have many options for college right now. He's a silky smooth guard who is dynamic in transition and is lightning quick off the bounce to get in the lane, he is explosive with good hang time and is a crafty finisher around the rim, he can both score it and make plays for others off the bounce and he's a lock down defender on the ball too.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='999619' first='Yuri' last='Manns'] | 6'3” WG | CBG Wildcats</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1302372,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/10/Manns-Yuri-CBG.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/10/Manns-Yuri-CBG-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1302372"/></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Manns is another super under recruited guy for the Wildcats and when they suit up together for LC Bird this season, Manns and Wills could be the best backcourt in the state. Manns was aggressive to score the ball attacking downhill and finishing around the rim, making shots from the midrange and from deep and continually putting pressure on the defense and showing he can work off the ball or create off the bounce to get to spots and score it.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->