Class of 2023: Front and Center in the Frontcourt
In the paint in the Palmetto State. A number of forwards and centers last year began their high school careers in emphatic fashion with the aspiration of becoming household names in the realm of South Carolina girls basketball as…
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Continue ReadingIn the paint in the Palmetto State.
A number of forwards and centers last year began their high school careers in emphatic fashion with the aspiration of becoming household names in the realm of South Carolina girls basketball as those careers continue to blossom.
Here are a number of names in the frontcourt throughout the state that started their preps careers on the right foot that fans may want to keep up with.
Maliyiah Mason Maliyiah Mason 6'0" | SF Gray Collegiate | 2023 State SC – 5’9” – 2023 – PF/C – Irmo High School – This is a name that, obviously, is already sounding alarms and ringing bells from Aiken to Myrtle Beach, from Rock Hill to Hilton Head and all points in between. She was offered by South Carolina and Dawn Staley before even starting her freshman season with the Yellowjackets. Mason’s play in her first season donning Irmo black and gold underscored why she was so sought after by the black and garnet. Mason excelled as a scorer averaging nearly 12 points per game and as a rebounder, hauling in over nine per contest. If this is what she delivered for a Monica Williams-led Irmo team that went 24-4 last year en route to a semifinal berth, what will she have in store for Acts Two, Three, and Four?
Riley Stack Riley Stack 6'5" | SF Wren | 2023 State SC – 6’2” – 2023 – F/C – Wren High School – The Hurricanes’ rising star “stacked” up numbers in 2019-20 and will almost certainly do more of the same over her ensuing three seasons. Her interior presence is felt on both ends of the floor. Stack averaged a double-double for the season (13.1 points, 10.1 rebounds) for Pam McGowens’ Wren squad. As effective a shot-blocker she is with her presence, opponents looking to drive to the basket against Wren may want to think twice – especially if they see a blue and gold No. 40 waiting to swat shots away with the quickness.
J’Adore Young J’Adore Young 6'4" | C Greenville | 2023 State #27 Nation SC – 6’4” – 2023 – F/C – Greenville High School – Speaking of imposing paint presences at Upstate schools that are at least six feet … Red Raiders fans adore J’Adore. Young is another … well, young big from the Greenville area that averaged a double-double for the season with 10 points and nearly 12 rebounds. Add shot-blocking ability to one’s game and you have much of what coaches are looking for out of a talented big like she is. Four points separated Anthony Gowens’ Red Raiders from a berth in the Class 4A semifinals and with Young on the team, there is just as good a chance she will score those four points as there is she will prevent those four points from being scored by the team on the other bench.
Makazia Hunter – 5’10” – 2023 – C – West-Oak High School – There is a very clear theme here developing that connects rising 2023 frontcourt standouts and the Upstate. Hunter was definitely that for a Warriors team that only fielded three seniors last season and concluded its 2019-20 schedule with a 12-15 mark. As a scorer and rebounder, she posted double-double outings in six of her games – and even had one contest where she finished with 22 boards. Those are traits that will certainly have Hunter as an anchor of the West-Oak frontcourt the next three seasons to come.
Peighton Jambor Peighton Jambor 6'2" | PF Berkeley | 2023 State SC – 6’0” – 2023 – C/PF – Berkeley High School – It is only fitting when a team has a big that averaged nearly a double-double for the season and her jersey number is 22. But it was not only bringing down rebounds and converting on high-percentage shots that Jambor was gifted at. She also displayed prowess as a shot blocker in aiding Berkeley’s defense. The Stags had to be impressed with what they saw out of Jambor on both ends of the floor as a freshman on a team with only two seniors. Between her and another star freshman in guard Jyahni Smith Jyahni Smith 5'7" | SG Grayson | 2023 State GA , the Stags are poised for big things in the coming years.
Hillary Offing – 5’10” – 2023 – F/C – Dutch Fork High School – Offing will have plenty more to offer in her ensuing seasons with the Silver Foxes. She is another that has shown her talents as a multi-sport athlete as she is also a goalie for the Dutch Fork girls soccer team. While keeping her opponents from scoring on the soccer pitch, she hit a stride late in the 2019-20 season as a scorer and rebounder for the Silver Foxes, including a 21-point, nine-rebound effort in a 64-13 rout of Chapin in late January and a 17-point game in early February vs. Lexington. She carries that late-season momentum into next season and watch out Silver Fox foes.