TexasHoops 2018 in review

2018 was a great year for hoops in the state of Texas, with both team and individual successes playing their part in the overall accomplishments of the past 12 months. To recap the highlights and most memorable moments of the past year, we’ve brought in TexasHoops.com writer Lyndon Cook, recruiting analyst Blue Zertuche, and media director Michael Timmins to share their thoughts on who stood out the most.

Blue Zertuche: The most memorable game is when 205 total points were scored in a 32-minutes. It was a track meet for the 4A State Title between Silsbee and Dallas Carter and shot after shot hit the bottom of the net. In a place where shooting percentages go to die, The Alamodome seemed to have transformed itself into an asphalt playground where chain link fences separated the court from the street. It was an “anything you can do, I can do better” game. The two teams combined to go 19-35 from behind the arc, and 123 total shots were taken. Silsbee went 30-34 from the charity stripe while connecting on 33-58 from the field. Carter shot the ball 65 times and converted on 38 of those shots. Carter also went 14-18 from the free-throw line and 11-18 from the arc. I am not sure what either coach can say they would have done differently as they both played their style of game. It wasn’t a secret that both teams wanted to run, and run they did. Numbers and stats help paint the picture, but sitting courtside tells the whole story. Silsbee won, 104-101 and took home their second straight 4A championship.

Nine total players (Silsbee 4/Carter 5) reached double figures, while MVP Devon McCain (Austin Peay signee) went for 39 points, 11 boards, and six assists. Teammate Jordyn Adams scored 31 points, and also an Austin Peay signee. Zahad Munford (Grambling signee) stroked 6-out-7 three-pointers to finish with 37 points.

Michael Timmins: I was front and center for the 3rd round match-up during last season's playoffs between Denton Guyer and South Grand Prairie. South Grand Prairie had the momentum most of the game, in what was looking like a potential upset over top ranked Guyer. Senior guard, Kelyn Pennie, hit a 3 with 1:20 left for SGP to take a 77-71. A quick 3 by Jalen Wilson cut the lead to a 3 point game. Guyer got a stop and a huge 3 pointer by Grayson Carter, to tie the game with 55 seconds left! I'll let you watch the final seconds below to see why it was my favorite game and most wild finish of 2018!

Lyndon Cook: My most memorable game also took place at the UIL State Tournament, though it happened the night before Silsbee-Carter when South Garland met Katy Tompkins. I’d seen both teams several times earlier that season and was expecting a shootout, but the way Tyrese Maxey came out shooting made it look like it was going to be South Garland’s day. But the senior experience of CJ Washington and Jamal Bieniemy combined for 51 Tompkins points and they made their free throws down the stretch to knock off SG in overtime. Maxey wound up scoring 46 in an offensive barrage that tied a 71-year old single game scoring record in Texas’ biggest classification, and that’s something that will be hard to forget anytime soon.

BZ: After a rocky spring and summer, Dickinson’s guard Tramon Mark has re-established himself as an elite player and scorer in the class of 2020. Mark has looked comfortable and focused, and Dickinson’s style of play is a system that allows for the 6-foot-7 Mark to ease his way to a 30-plus game. He is a finesse guard who scores off the dribble and stretches out with his long arms to score. Mark was slipping in the rankings, but he will once again find himself in the top 10, and possibly higher.

MT: Samuell Williamson. While starting 2018 as a top 50 player, his time with Drive Nation this summer started to really turn heads of the National media. Leaving the summer being known as having quite possibly the most polished mid-range game in the country, Williamson was primed for a huge senior high school season. The Louisville signee has been nothing short of brilliant these first few months. Multiple 30+ games on the biggest stages, including a few 20-20 games has many pushing for Williamson to not only be a 5 Star prospect, but a McDonald's All-American.

LC: 2018 saw plenty of players take their game to the next level, but I would have to pick Drew Timme of Drive Nation and Richardson Pearce, just edging out Elkins’ Donovan Williams. Timme has become a player that can dominate games from start to finish and score in the open floor as well as in the halfcourt. His passing vision is unrivaled among big men in the class and at times he looks like a 6-foot-10 point guard leading the break. He earned a 5th star as a prospect, has Pearce ranked in the TABC top 5, and signed with Gonzaga. Very few players can match that kind of resume in 2018, making him my choice for the year’s biggest stock booster.

BZ: Favorite team to watch was easily the Allen Eagles. No one could have predicted the stretch run the Eagles had and not to mention the 6A Title that they captured in the final seconds of the UIL State Championship game unless you were head coach Jeff McCullough.

The Eagles took down North Crowley, Denton Guyer, Austin Westlake and Katy Tompkins in a nine-day period. Allen started five guards and rotated in-and-out more guards. They played the style they wanted. The Eagles dictated the pace of the game. They were a mismatch for bigger teams, their ability to handle and share the ball was key, but the team’s high IQ to shave time off the clock, and to limit their mistakes put them in position to win. And it was each individual player’s commitment to be coachable and not to stray from the game plan that made it possible for a 6A title. I was told by a friend of mine to never bet against the Allen Eagles again, as I had them losing to Austin Westlake in the State Semis. I made the mistake once, and those words linger in my head today. This story is to be continued in late February, of 2019.

MT: I really like watching how Lancaster can blitz teams with their press and has a bunch of dudes who can score on their roster. You can’t count them out of any game even when they fall behind (the comeback win against South Garland a few weeks ago is a great example of that) and they can light up the scoreboard on any given night. Mike Miles and Marco Foster are super fun to watch and Wade Taylor has the potential to be something special. 5A is going to be tough to predict in the playoffs but I like Lancaster’s chances. They’re always going to compete and make life tough for other teams.

LC: Silsbee. Every game is a track meet and everyone in their starting 5 can drop 20+ at any given game. Austin Peay signees Jordyn Adams and Devon McCain control the tempo of games from the wing as two of the best slashers in the 2019 class, and turn up their defense when it’s crunch time. Braelon Bush may only be listed at 5-foot-7, but he plays much bigger than that and will pull up and cash shots from the volleyball line. I don’t get to see them all that often, but every time I have it’s been an impressive, high octane offensive display - and I’ll be looking forward to potentially seeing two more Silsbee games as they look ready to go for a 3-peat in San Antonio in March.

BZ: Who is poised for a huge 2019? How about someone in Region 4. I can honestly say that as we enter the new year, I do not have a pulse on who will get the state bid in 6A. In 5A, I would think most are leaning towards San Antonio Wagner, but 6A is wide open. The old saying is “who gets hot at the right time” will get to state, and yes, that is easy to fall back on. But who will it be? Lake Travis and Cibolo Steele are looking like the front-runners, but there is too much talent at Austin Westlake to not give them the nod at their second straight trip. How about San Antonio O’Connor or Brennan who both are playing great ball. Converse Judson has good wins around the state, so can they be in the conversation? Does Laredo United have enough to knock off the teams that are listed to punch a ticket to the 6A Final Four? Region 4 will be fun to watch in 2019.

MT: I think we're really going to get a chance to see what kind of player Caleb Lohner is on the big stage. He'll be playing along side RJ Hampton with Drive Nation on the EYBL. Playing with a talent like RJ, Caleb will have his opportunities to showcase his inside and out game against the countries top competition. With the spacing in the EYBL, I think Lohner has a chance to thrive and be a major problem for opposing defenders.

LC: I’m picking Greg Brown and RJ Hampton for this one. I feel like the 2020 class in Texas has a chance to produce some real stars, with LJ Cryer, Tramon Mark and Micah Peavy also deserving of recognition, making huge jumps in their own development over the past 12 months. And it would be a shame not to mention Montverde’s Cade Cunningham should he return to Texas for the summer or possibly his senior year.

But I’m really excited to see the race for the top spot in the 2020 TexasHoops rankings. Brown has made it no secret that he wants to overtake Hampton for the No.1 spot in Texas and I can’t wait to see his Texas Titans group face off with Hampton’s Drive Nation throughout the summer. I think both players can raise their national stock, too, though it will be tough in the rarified air of the national top-10. Brown’s overall game has been on the rise for sometime, and can still dunk all over any defender. Hampton will surely be involved in plenty of high profile matchups in 2019, and if he can make the most of those opportunities then his spot on the rankings throne may be a lock.