Loper finished the high school season strong, and that’s carried over to a productive spring with new program Blessed. He’ll be looking to keep the momentum going at the Recruit Look live period event in Kansas City.  He’s another pure shooter on this list, who has seen his offensive game make strides as a more athletic attacker. With a developing mid-range game and crafty finishing at the rim.

There are likely very few players in Oklahoma shooting the ball better right now than the junior sharpshooter.  He’s locked in from deep, while also hitting tough shots from all the court.  One of the better examples of his shooting versatility was the quickness and fluidity of a catch and shoot, mid-range turn around he hit in the second half.  His soft shooting touch continued around the rim, where he did a great job of finshing traffic all night. He’s playing some of the best ball of his life, at the right time for the 6A State Tournament bound Jaguars.

Loper was often nails in high leverage situations for the Jaguars last winter. He’s a pure shooter, that is dangerous once his feet get set. In spring and summer viewings, he’s working on expanding his game with a little more juice on drives. While also showing signs that he could be a high level passer, as the great touch he has on shooting also translates to passing. Still, his calling card is that of a long range specialist, and the lefty’s quick release from beyond the arc is sure to change games this winter.

Stop if you’ve heard this before; on Friday night Loper’s second half shooting changed a game. In the second half, Rogue pulled away for a win against a quality team from Minnesota, while it was a team effort it also involved consistent dagger threes from Loper.  When the Westmoore Jaguars’ feet are set, he is an absolute weapon as a catch and shoot specialist.  There were also signs of other growth, as he skied for offensive rebounds when crashing the glass. He also had a good move to the rim after being ran out of the line. Loper already has one aspect of his game that standouts with shooting. Now he has flashes that his overall game could be improving, he could be a good candidate for an Oklahoma prospect that makes one of the biggest junior year leaps.

Watching Loper with Westmoore this past winter, he stood out as a great catch and shoot specialist. He hit some big time perimeter shots throughout the season. In the win against New Mexico D1, he opened the game with a deep three. Then closed out the first half way with a microwave type barrage from deep. He pulled up in transition and drained step backs in the halfcourt. The kid can flat out shoot it.

In the portions of the Power contest that were viewable, Loper was more of a driver. Which was more of a mix bagged when compared to his quality shooting. He did not gain the same separation on drives as his brother but there was promise with a couple good acrobatic, contested finishes at the rim. Right now shooting is his calling card, and it will be interesting to see how along with his commitment to defense, the rest of his game fills out.

In a crucial win over Putnam City West last month, it was a the sharpshooting sophomore that hit a couple back breaking threes to seal the victory. Last night it looked like he would be the catalyst to a miraculous comeback.  Seemingly every time he was left open, he would drain the open triple.  When describing the difference between being a good and great shooter, it’s important the prospect has the game changing ability to string together makes in a hurry.  This being the second time this season that Loper has changed a game by hitting from downtown, it looks like he has that gene in his DNA. Especially with both times coming against elite competition in high leverage moments.