Little Kanawha Conference Juniors Preview II

Juniors are an invaluable ingredient to all high school basketball teams. They can make an impact and have the second-highest basketball IQ on the court. The Little Kanawha Conference has its share of juniors who are about to make big impacts during the run to Glenville State University's WACO Center for the LKC Night of Champions, and, eventually, to the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center for the state tournaments:    Watkins will probably run college track, but it can't hurt to talk about her basketball skills. Not one bit. Even her head coach Fred King thinks she will run track, but he also believes she could excel on the basketball court. Watkins is an ambidextrous shot taker, who knows how to attack the basket. She knows when to use the backboard. Her speed allows her to pull off moves most other players cannot dream of. As a bonus, she can shoot the 3 ball.       Pope is a high-flying, wheeling and dealing, competitive, perfectionist point guard from Clay County. She is a left who is quick to the rim, knows how to distribute the ball and can shoot it left-handed. The best part about her is on the defensive end, she plays as hard as she can. She can help pilot the fast break just as easily as she can settle a team into a half-court offense.       Riggs puts in the work. My word. Does she ever. Given the chance to improve, she has taken advantage of her summer ball with the West Virginia Wild. In addition, she puts up 500 shots on the shooting machine, daily. Her ball handling and shot look fantastic. Her hands are faster than ever. Her shot has become buttery smooth. She added all of this to a game where she was tops in the state in points, rebounds, and steals, one year ago.       Taylor is a hard-working shooting guard who always wants to get better. There's always part of her game she is working on. She's a three-level scorer with a quick release and consistent motion. She's able to come off screens, and catch and shoot just as easily as she can play under the basket.       According to Doddridge County head coach Lisa Cheesemen, DeHaven is a "freakishly athletic" and one of the most gifted players she has ever coached. She is a rebounding machine, but what really sets her apart is her combination of speed, explosiveness, and body control. She makes jaw-dropping plays. DeHaven has a tremendous ability to score inside and finish around the rim, and she's working hard to expand her offensive game to become more of a threat from the perimeter. When she collects a head of steam, her speed and athleticism make her extremely difficult to contain. She's the kind of player who can change the game. She can also be a menace on the defensive end with her high basketball IQ.     Satterfield has the vision and instincts of a true point guard. She scores the basketball, while also seeing the floor and finding open teammates. She has improved her ability to attack and finish around the rim, and she continues to make great strides on defense.     Sloan is still working on herself on the basketball court. She prefers to play on the perimeter and is learning how to handle the slash and kick game, so as not to be one dimensional.     Fiber will be a defensive asset for any college team. Oh my. This super pesky high-energy guard has the privilege of guarding an opposing team's best player night in and night out. For Fiber in the LKC, she inherits the assignment to guard college-ready players in Ritchie County's [player_tooltip player_id='840057' first='Elsa' last='Law'], St. Marys' Brynnley Bulluck, Williamstown's [player_tooltip player_id='728692' first='Quinn' last='Bunch'] or [player_tooltip player_id='840060' first='Gracie' last='Montgomery'], and Doddridge County's [player_tooltip player_id='721987' first='Aleigh' last='Cheeseman'], as well as a few others.       Andrade was thrown into the fire last year and had no choice but to improve on the varsity floor. As we enter this season, she is showing nice game management and ball-handling skills. Offensively, she is still working on her iso game, though the can take the ball to the basket to create slash and kick situations. Her best trait is her feel for the pick and roll. She reads defenses well and knows when to use the backdoor.       Salser is a mismatch problem for several reasons. Her height and length can cause trouble for most Division II and Division III wings. Her aggressive play style has caused players to back off as she starts to go downhill toward the basket. Coaches will want to keep an eye on Ravenswood for this wing.

Juniors are an invaluable ingredient to all high school basketball teams. They can make an impact and have the second-highest basketball IQ on the court. The Little Kanawha Conference has its share of juniors who are about to make big impacts during the run to Glenville State University's WACO Center for the LKC Night of Champions, and, eventually, to the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center for the state tournaments: