8 Fast-Rising Seniors
In this article:
These eight seniors have been on a tear this season, quickly raising their stock and proving invaluable to their teams as they chase the road to State. These are guys that have made huge strides from their junior seasons to…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThese eight seniors have been on a tear this season, quickly raising their stock and proving invaluable to their teams as they chase the road to State. These are guys that have made huge strides from their junior seasons to know and are eight names to now as the playoffs approach.
Clark’s improvement over the course of a year has been truly remarkable. He’s become a true presence in the paint, punishing smaller teams on the glass and finishing inside, while maintaining his ability to take bigger, slower defenders off the dribble from further out. O’Dea can feed him in the post and let him go to work, he can work on the offensive glass to get put backs, and he’s shown the ability to take the ball in the open court and put a nice, quick move on defenders to turn them or leave them behind. He’s a versatile forward who’s had some beastly games inside.
Manning-Blanks’ game really took off toward the end of summer and he hasn’t looked back. The biggest development has been his consistency as a shooter. The Spanaway Lake point guard is now a real threat to bury shots behind the arc and hit the pullup off of quick moves. He’s shown for a while now he can be one of the shiftier guards in his class and make some incredible passes, but the development with his jumper has added another level to his game and helped him put on a great senior season where he was averaging 16.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.1 steals as of January 5th.
I’ve gotten to watch Walla Walla both with and without Gardea this season and it is clear to see the effect his has on his team. He’s a taller point guard at 6-foot-4 and shows off some incredible athleticism with his drives and finishes in transition. But he’s not just a flash in the pan player. He affects the rhythm and tempo at which the Blue Devils play at and gets the ball moving quick. He attacks the rim with such strength and ferocity that help defenders have to make quick decisions which can open up lanes for him to throw some pretty slick passes for assists. And with his athleticism, he’s proven to be a pretty strong rebounder from the guard spot.
Harris was an all-league player a year ago and has continued to build on that success as a Cleveland Eagle this season. As of January 7th, Harris was averaging 21.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 6.0 steals, and 3.0 blocks per game. He’s quickly become the Eagles’ go-to guy and has shown the grit and toughness to warrant such trust, coming back from a broken hand to sink a game-winner against Ingraham last week, still with the protective wrap on his hand. He’s always been a great athlete, as shown by his defensive numbers, but Harris has looked even more capable with his jumper, making tough leaners and turnarounds look easier than before. He’s proven to be a tough matchup on a nightly basis and should earn another all-league selection at the end of this season.
Tahoma has one of the best starting fives in the state top to bottom and Stonerock quietly leads the way from the point. He’s an excellent 3PT shooter, limits turnovers, and plays an unselfish brand of ball but stays ready to attack. Over the spring, summer, and into this season, he’s thrown some of the prettiest passes I’ve seen and threaded some of the tightest needles, and he does this on almost a nightly occurrence. He has a bunch of big, skilled players around him and knows just how to get them the ball on the mark and on time to make plays. He’s averaging 11.8 points on the year but has turned it up since the winter holidays, scoring 14.1 points per game since December 26th.
White has been the “do-it-all” guard for Everett this season and vastly improved in every category from his junior season. His junior year he put up 15.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game. This year, he’s up to 23.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 2.6 steals thru January 11th. When you watch him it’s pretty easy to see how he can rack up all those stats. He’s a 6-foot-5 guard who can handle the rock or play off the ball, has the athleticism to play above the rim on both ends, and has markedly improved as a 3PT shooter this season. He’s simply a guy you have to gameplan for and someone who has been scoring from just about every spot on the floor this year.
Hawkins has made one of the biggest leaps of any senior player this season, going from 4.9 points per game as a junior to 14.6 points per game as a senior. That number was even higher at 16.6 per game before a rough three-game skid over the last week. Even after the slide, Jackson has shown they can be a dangerous team and Hawkins’ ability to put the ball in the basket from different areas has been a big boost for the Timberwolves. He’s looked really smooth getting to his spots and working downhill, weaving through defenses and pulling up for the short to midrange jumpers. He’s also someone who’s prone to getting to the line where he’s an excellent foul shooter.
Another Jackson Timberwolf on a tear this season, McFerran has been an absolute workhorse on the glass. He’s averaging 16.4 points and 14.5 rebounds per game but has the ability to dominate any given game on the glass. He’s had 10 games this year with 15+ rebounds and four with 19+ boards. He’s 6-foot-7 and long, and while he’s doing a ton of work in the paint, he can also work off the perimeter to get to the cup or spot up and bury some 3s. He’s up from 9.5 points and 9.3 rebounds as a junior and will be a big factor as they approach the playoffs.