VISAA D-I Final Four Standouts (Part 1)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The VISAA private school semifinals and finals were held at Virginia State this weekend, and it's always one of the most entertaining and competitive weekends of basketball in all of Virginia. The 4 divisions featured some of the best teams in the state, and there was tons of talent across the board.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We continue with a look at part one of some of the many standouts from the D-I semifinals and finals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='999616' first='DeShawn' last='Harris-Smith'] | 6'5” CG | Paul VI '23</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1496894,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/IMG_5085.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/IMG_5085.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1496894" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The WCAC Player of the Year and Naismith Honorable Mention All-American will go down as one of the best players in PVI history after leading them to yet another state championship, and there was no one more dominant this year in the state of VA. The 6'5” Maryland commit was fantastic with the ball in his hands getting downhill and finishing through contact and making plays for others, he made plays on the defensive end and set the tone and he rebounded well on both ends with his high motor. While he only had 13 points in their win over Blue Ridge in the semifinals, he posted 27 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists in their state championship win over STAB.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1259542' first='Ben' last='Hammond'] | 5'9” PG | Paul VI '24</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1692760,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/Screen-Shot-2022-12-12-at-5.48.45-PM.png"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/Screen-Shot-2022-12-12-at-5.48.45-PM.png?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1692760" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hammond may share a backcourt with Harris-Smith which sometimes gets him overlooked, but there's no doubt he's been groomed into one of the top floor generals in the country over the last few years. The 5'9” point guard may not look intimidating but he gets under ball handlers and hounds them the length of the floor, he has a lightning quick first step and blazing speed in transition to put pressure on the defense and he's equally capable of being a scorer and a distributor off the bounce and in pick-and-rolls. He finished with 19 points in their semifinal win over Blue Ridge and was a fantastic playmaker and leader in both of their wins.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1259631' first='Patrick' last='Ngongba'] | 6'10” C | Paul VI '24</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1341252,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/12/Ngonba-Patrick.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/12/Ngonba-Patrick.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1341252" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ngongba become more and more of a focal point for PVI throughout the season, and in their matchups against these two teams with great size he was dominant in the paint on both ends of the floor. The 6'10” big man used his size and length to clog the paint and challenge shots without fouling, he showed his soft touch and good footwork around the rim as a finisher and he cleaned up the glass on both ends of the floor. He may have a throwback style of game as he's not a get up and down big man but he is very productive and efficient and is starting to show he can stretch the floor too.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1259620' first='Darren' last='Harris'] | 6'6” WF | Paul VI '24</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1344039,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/12/Harris-Darren.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/12/Harris-Darren.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1344039" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Harris may not have put up huge scoring numbers like he has at other times this season, but there's no understating his impact as all eyes our on him when he's on the floor. His reputation as a shooter means that teams can't help off of him and he opens the floor for others, he showed his deep range with a couple of NBA threes and he showed his continued improved athleticism with a couple of big finishes at the rim. He impacts the game on both ends of the floor and doesn't even need to have the ball or get shots to be a focal point for the defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1483035' first='Camden' last='Brewer'] | 6'2” CG | Blue Ridge '23</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1581503,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Brewer-Camden-scaled.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Brewer-Camden-scaled.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1581503" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While Blue Ridge wasn't able to get past PVI in the semifinals of their first season at the D-I level, they showed they will be a force over the next few years, and Brewer left his high school career by showing he's one of the more skilled available guards you'll come across. The 6'2” combo handled pressure well and made good decisions with the ball in his hands, he showed his ability to make shots from deep and in the midrange and he has great instincts on the defensive end too. He finished with 15 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in their loss to PVI.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1759699' first='Kamren' last='Martin'] | 6'5” CG | Blue Ridge '24</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1777527,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/Martin-Kamren.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/Martin-Kamren.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1777527" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Martin emerged throughout the season as one of the top guard prospects in the 2024 class with a spectacular junior season as their top scorer and a high upside guard to keep an eye on this summer. At 6'5” he has terrific size and knows how to get to spots and create space to shoot over top of smaller defenders, he plays with good pace and is able to get downhill and finish at the rim and his size allows him to disrupt passes and challenge shots defensively. He finished with 17 points and 3 rebounds in their loss to PVI.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1767516' first='Colby' last='White'] | 6'3” WF | Blue Ridge '25</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>White is a young piece on this Blue Ridge team that I'm really excited to keep watching as he develops, as the 6'3” wing has a lot of tools that make him very intriguing moving forward. He has long arms and is likely still growing, he's a big time athlete who can get out in transition and finish at the rim as well as rebound and defend and he has the ability to make shots from multiple levels too. He finished with 9 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists in their loss to PVI.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->