Too Early Class 3A Preview

Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!   Basketball practice has officially begun for high schools in Oklahoma. Which means scrimmages and even games for some teams are only a month away, it's time to take a look forward and start breaking down what looks to be a very competitive season of hoops this winter. In this post, we're taking a look at Class 3A. There were several contenders that moved up to Class 4A so we will more than likely see some new faces in Class 3A. We take a look at some of the top teams heading into the season and the players that will be leading them. Look for more team and player previews in the upcoming weeks as we ramp up our High School Basketball Season coverage.   DEFENDING CHAMPION/TEAM TO BEAT   Millwood   There are a few classes in Oklahoma where the defending champion also comes into this season as the overwhelming favorite to win another gold ball. Class 3A is one of them as Millwood would knock off Community Christian at the buzzer to win their 16th state championship in school history. They ties the Falcons with Booker T Washington for the most boys basketball titles in state history. And they're the favorite in Class 3A to bring home title number 17. We'll go further into why as the Falcons bring back the majority of talent from last year's team. Led by senior [player_tooltip player_id='967381' first='Rickey' last='Hunt'] and super sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1391439' first='Jaden' last='Nickens'], who was one of the best freshmen in the state last year, the Falcons are loaded.   But fans of the Falcons might have to wait to see their defending 3A champs at full strength. The majority of playmakers that return for the Falcons are currently starters on the Millwood football team. And this year, the Falcons are a top five team and a contender to make a deep run in November. That means players like Hunt, Nickens and others might not get into the gym and trade out the shoulder pads for sneakers until December. Despite that, we still think that Millwood will be playing their best basketball when March rolls around and they have the firepower to capture another gold ball.   TOP CONTENDERS   Alva   We start the top contenders with Alva as they have to be coming into this season, incredibly hungry after the way last season ended. Alva was one of the top teams in Class 3A all season but they had their season cut short in an upset loss to Perry. They lost two games in the regional round by a combined two points. Coming into this season, Alva will once again be one of the top teams to watch in Class 3A. But it will be all about what they do in late February and early March that will decide whether or not they are going to be a true contender. They should have another strong season with the players they have returning, but it will be all about how they finish off the year.   Silo   Silo is moving up to Class 3A this season after making a run to the Class 2A semifinals a year ago. They fell to eventual champion Dale in that semifinal round but they're immediately a team you need to take seriously in Class 3A. The Rebels bring back just about everyone from last year's team. They didn't start one senior and are led by a dynamic 2024 prospect in forward [player_tooltip player_id='1367220' first='Ethan' last='Wilkerson']. At the high school level, Wilkerson is too much to handle as he has a size advantage in almost every game. But he can also step out and knock down shots. Last year, Wilkerson averaged well over 20 points per game and will look to lead the Rebels back to the postseason and contend with the other top teams in Class 3A.   Westville   Another top contender way out in eastern Oklahoma is Westville. They're close to the Arkansas border but they were one of the top 3A teams in Oklahoma last season. They were 17-1 going into the area round but would fall in back to back games with one of them coming to eventual champion Millwood. The Jackets would finish 17-3 and like Alva and several other top teams, they come into this season with unfinished business on the mind. Westville is going to be led this winter by senior standout [player_tooltip player_id='1603536' first='Buddy' last='Hammer']. We've written about Hammer a few times and we get to see him again this week at our Edmond camp on Sunday. We're looking forward to seeing him match-up with other top guys at his position. Hammer is a dynamic player, capable of helping lead Westville all the way to the state tourney.   DARK HORSE   Cascia Hall   If Cascia Hall ends up making a run this winter, remember where you first heard about the Commandos. Out of all the classes, you probably won't find another team that's more of a dark horse than Cascia Hall. The Commandos are coming off a 6-21 season and they had a stretch where they lost 13 of 14 games. But they won several playoff games and nearly made it to the area tournament. They also hired Tulsa hoops legend Lee Mayberry to be their next head coach. And Mayberry inherits a Cascia Hall team that has some young talent that continues to grow. Sophomores [player_tooltip player_id='1393777' first='Jyson' last='Kim'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1295745' first='Kam' last='Burris'] are two guards that you need to know about heading into the season. We could have made a safer pick here for a dark horse in Class 3A but Cascia has the tools to turn this around quickly. And if Cascia can go from 6-21 to contending for a spot at state, once again, remember where you heard it first.

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