Elite 14 Showcase: What We Learned

Analyst Lyndon Cook was up in Wichita Falls this weekend for the final preseason tune up for many elite programs, and took in plenty of talking points to breakdown. The real grind starts on Friday, but for now take a look at three major storylines to come from the Elite 14 Showcase.

Justin Northwest will open the season as the number 1 team in class 5A, and for good reason. The Texans are looking to make it 3 straight trips to San Antonio, and return their top playmaker and their biggest inside presence in the forms of Avery Anderson and Sam Freeman. Also back is Julien Smith, who had a big day for himself on Saturday with more coverage to follow this week on his performances.

The major change from last year is not the personnel, but the system that they are in. Northwest deployed a 2-2-1 press for most of the game, and Anderson’s quick hands and great instincts in transition meant that the new gameplan was largely a success. There is still a lot of basketball to be played before title talk becomes verified, but if this new system is a success then chances are that Northwest will have a new color of medal around their necks at the end of the year.

Even though Northwest are current favorites for the state title in 5A, they will have to make it out of one of the state’s most grueling regions. Plenty of their competitors were at the Elite 14, including a matchup between Wichita Falls Rider and Little Elm to offer up a very entertaining clash of styles matchup early on Saturday. Rider outplayed Little Elm in the first half, with Ty Caswell and Ben Moffat showing that the Raiders could be a dark horse team to make a run this year. But after the scores reset at halftime, it was RJ Hampton’s turn to take over and lead the Lobos to a strong showing, with freshman Tre White also doing some damage.

These two teams, plus the likes of El Paso Burges, Colleyville Heritage, Mansfield Timberview, Fort Worth Wyatt and of course Northwest will be fighting it out between themselves for a berth in the final four, making this region arguably the pound-for-pound best in the state.

The amount of talent between these two schools is simply absurd. Perennial powerhouses with nationally ranked prospects having to meet up before the state tournament is a shame, but if they both handle business in the playoffs then this will be one of the most anticipated games in recent memory. Guyer looked the part of favorite as they always do in showcases like this, with De’Vion Harmon and Jalen Wilson doing what they do in some impressive displays.

But even more impressive possibly was how Duncanville responded to Micah Peavy sitting out their matchup with St. Mark’s after tweaking his ankle. Jahmius Ramsey disregarded how highly ranked the players on the other bench were, and proceeded to dominate every aspect of the first half in a 33-13 rout. Ramsey has been shooting the ball with more consistency than I’ve ever seen, and Derek Luna is proving to be exactly what the Panthers hoped he would: a lights out shooter with great mobility. Whenever the playoff brackets for 6A come out, find this game on the calendar and circle it. It’s going to be electric.