Each 5A conference's most Underrated Players

The 5A classification only has four conferences, the 5A East, South, West, and Central. Let us take a look at two players from each of the four conferences who I think are extremely underrated.   5A East    [player_tooltip player_id='1196177' first='Jada' last='Cheers'] has been one of Marion's go-to scorers this season. She is often the leading scorer during games, and it is not hard to see why.   Cheers had 22 points against Nettleton in mid-January and 15 points against West Memphis. Both performances helped spark a 5-game conference winning streak for Marion. She also had a 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals in a recent victory over Batesville.   Cheers is someone who you do not leave open along the perimeter. In 3 of her last 4 games, Cheers has knocked down at least 2 triples, including 3 in that Batesville game. Once she receives the ball and has a good look from beyond, she is going to take advantage of the open shot.   On the other side of the ball, she is a solid defender. She is capable of forcing multiple turnovers a night, usually taking steals the other way and scoring points in transition.   [player_tooltip player_id='1196177' first='Jada' last='Cheers'] is an excellent player for Marion, and part of the reason why they are 6-2 in conference play. The Lady Patriots expect to make a run in the playoffs, and Cheers will be their leader during that run.     [player_tooltip player_id='1197183' first='Annika' last='Wilbanks'] is one of the better bigs in the 5A classification, and certainly one of the better ones in the 5A East. However, she is not well known around the state, but she has put together some impressive performances this season.   Against Marion on January 28th, Wilbanks posted 22 points in a tight victory. In Valley View's last game against Batesville, Wilbanks had a productive 12 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block. She does not have to be a primary scorer to have a major impact, as she only had 3 points in a close game against West Memphis. She did follow up that low scoring total with 7 rebounds and 2 blocks, though.   Wilbanks is doing most of her scoring on the interior, using her 6'0" frame to shoot over the defense. Her best play tends to be on the defensive side of the ball. She is an excellent shot blocker who keeps her hands up at all times. It is a bad idea to shoot over her, and if a player somehow does not get their shot blocked, then Wilbanks will be right there to grab the rebound.   [player_tooltip player_id='1197183' first='Annika' last='Wilbanks'] is a highly underrated center. Valley View is 19-4 overall and 6-2 in conference. She will be important to utilize in a postseason run.    5A South    [player_tooltip player_id='1195986' first='Emma' last='Welch'] already has her college basketball destination locked down, as she is committed to play at Central Baptist College, alongside her teammate, [player_tooltip player_id='1093304' first='Alexis' last='Duck']. Despite this, Welch is still highly underrated.   Welch can score from inside and out. She can knock down triples whenever she is called upon to do so, and she can drive inside and finish through contact. Welch will also pull up from the elbow and consistently knock down mid-range jumpers. On the other end, Welch can play solid perimeter defense.   As a combo guard, Welch has to play some point guard, and she plays that position well. The senior sets up teammates well, hitting them with a pass directly in their shooting pocket.   Benton is one of the top teams in 5A, and the second-best team in the 5A South. The Lady Panthers can thank [player_tooltip player_id='1195986' first='Emma' last='Welch'] for much of that, but they know their jobs are not close to being finished.     Kennedi Bowman is a star for this White Hall team. The Lady Bulldogs have played well, but they are bobbing just over .500 in conference play. Bowman is going to have to continue to step up to help this team go farther.   Bowman is perhaps the best defender on this White Hall team. She plays hounding on-ball defense, not letting opposing ball-handlers have an inch of breathing room. She plays with her hands up at all times, so she is often tipping passes when the opposition tries to pass over the top. One of her best defensive performances was against Benton, where she had 3 steals.   Once Bowman collects the steal, she will push the ball down the court, immediately looking to feed a trailing teammate. She is also capable of putting points on the board herself. Bowman is a solid outside shooter, and if you leave her open on the wing, she will bury the jumper.   Kennedi Bowman is a fantastic two-way player for White Hall, and she is one of the best defenders in the 5A South. Keep an eye on this rising junior.    5A West    Van Buren is 18-7 overall thanks to their great contributions from a number of different players. [player_tooltip player_id='1184451' first='AJ' last='McDonald'] is one of them, and she has asserted herself as one of the best forwards in the conference.   McDonald had a double-double against Greenwood with 16 points and 14 rebounds, including 6 assists. In Van Buren's most recent game against Siloam Springs, McDonald had 12 points and 7 boards. One of her best performances of the season though was against Russellville, where she exploded for 24 points.   McDonald scores most of her points in the paint, but she can step out and stretch the floor. She hit a couple of threes against Farmington earlier this month, looking automatic off the catch.   On the other end of the floor, McDonald is a stifling defensive presence. She blocks shots well, even chasing down opponents on the break like LeBron James. In a separate meeting against Siloam Springs, McDonald had 2 blocks and 5 steals, showing that she can disrupt passing lanes as well.   [player_tooltip player_id='1184451' first='AJ' last='McDonald'] is an excellent all-around center for this Lady Pointer team. She does whatever her team needs her to do, and she has high potential.     Farmington is probably the state's best powerhouse. They are consistently dominant, with multiple players moving on to hoop in college every season. [player_tooltip player_id='1196173' first='Reese' last='Thornton'] has that same potential, even though she is not one of the headlining Lady Cardinals.   Thornton has been productive all season long for Farmington, but her best offensive performance was against Siloam Springs. The junior was on fire that night, putting up 19 points without missing a shot. Some of her best offensive play is on the fastbreak, which is what she did in that game, scoring 10 points in transition.   Thornton must love to play against Siloam Springs because she had another fantastic performance versus their conference foe earlier this month. She finished with 8 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals. Thornton played with active hands, breaking up and taking away multiple passes.   Farmington has a large senior class, so [player_tooltip player_id='1196173' first='Reese' last='Thornton'] will have more responsibility next season as a senior.    5A Central    [player_tooltip player_id='1197335' first='Taila' last='Collins'] is evidence as to why the state's freshman class might be its strongest group of players. She put herself on the map against Mount St. Mary, and she appears to be the present and future of this Parkview squad.   Collins had 25 points versus Mount St. Mary Academy in late January. 18 of her points came from beyond the arch. Of her 6 made threes, 5 came in the first half, and it was clear that no one could stop her. Collins did not hesitate to pull up for the jumper, being unstoppable off the catch.   This is not all that unusual for Collins. She is one of Parkview's best shooters, knocking down 3 triples against Vilonia and 2 against El Dorado and Sylvan Hills.   [player_tooltip player_id='1197335' first='Taila' last='Collins'] is one of the best young shooters the state has to offer. Keep up with this talented sharpshooter.     Along with her sister, Jade, [player_tooltip player_id='1195990' first='Destry' last='Steele'] is going to play basketball at Central Baptist College in nearby Conway, Arkansas. Despite this, she is incredibly underrated.   Steele is a consistent contributor for this Greenbrier team. She shoots the ball extremely well, knocking down 2 deep threes against Beebe just recently. She does this quite often, hitting multiple threes against Mount St. Mary, Maumelle, and Parkview over the past couple weeks.   Steele is a great defender as well. She strips ball-handlers with ease, along with breaking away with a stolen pass or two. Despite her 5'5" frame, she has a nose for the ball, coming up with blocks in addition to steals.   [player_tooltip player_id='1195990' first='Destry' last='Steele'] is a solid two-way player for Greenbrier. That ability will translate easily when she moves on to play at the next level.    The 5A classification is rich in talent and great teams. Many of these players are going to be important when helping their teams make deep runs in the playoffs, and I believe all of these underrated hoopers have college basketball potential.

The 5A classification only has four conferences, the 5A East, South, West, and Central. Let us take a look at two players from each of the four conferences who I think are extremely underrated.