Skyview Falcons Basketball Preview, Possible 3-Peat?

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Peyson88
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Skyview Falcons Basketball Preview, Possible 3-Peat?

Post by Peyson88 » Mon Nov 07, 2016 9:51 am

The Billings Skyview Falcons are the two-time reigning Class AA State Basketball Champions, and this year they are looking to make it three in a row led by senior point guard RayQuan Evans who started since he was a sophomore on the 2014-15 championship team.


The 6’3” Evans is an explosive athlete who gets in the paint at will and can finish around and above the rim. He gets to the free throw line better than anyone in the state and his shooting range continues to get better and better. With a tight handle and the ability to create shots for himself and his teammates, Evans is a great passer with tremendous court vision. His explosiveness and long arms also allow him to rebound extremely well and be a shutdown defender. He probably won’t score as many points as Brendan Howard from Great Falls High, but he’s probably still the best all-around player in AA.


Down the stretch and in the state tournament, 6’6” forward Zharon Richmond began to break out on a team with 9 seniors and became the Falcons best post player. Richmond is another explosive athlete that can guard any position on the floor due to his athletic ability and size. He’s an elite defender who blocks a ton of shots around the rim while protecting the paint and he can also guard on the perimeter. He’s got tremendous skills around the rims both as a scorer and rebounder with three-point range. Richmond and Evans will lead a high-powered and explosive offense for the Falcons while also being responsible for shutting down the opposing teams’ best perimeter and post player, respectively.


The other seniors who will see major playing time are guards Steven Fisher, Zach Schmidt, and Matt Hunter. Schmidt is only 5’10”, but he’s an explosive player who can dunk and score off the ball off drives and spotting up from range. Fisher is the Falcons’ best shooter and he’s a threat to catch fire from downtown and light it up, he should bring some instant offense off the bench. And Matt Hunter is a speedy guard who is a bulldog of a defender who will bring energy, three-point shooting, and transition points off the bench.


For the underclassmen, the Falcons will rely on junior wings Logan DeHaven and Gabe Tranel to pick up the slack on both ends of the floor. The 6’2” DeHaven is a transfer from Shepherd who averaged around 10 points per game as a sophomore on the small school’s varsity team. DeHaven is an athletic slasher who is very good at finishing around the rim in a variety of ways as well as being a very strong defender who can guard multiple positions. At 6’3”, Tranel is a more complete scorer than DeHaven with the ability to score from anywhere on the floor, but he doesn’t offer the defense that DeHaven does. Another guard that will compete for playing time is junior Jeremiah Warner. He’s a skilled combo guard that can score at the rim, from mid-range, and from 3. He’s 6’1” and can create space off the dribble. In the post, the Falcons will rely heavily on the energy and defense of the 6’10” sophomore Zacher Schaat. Schaat is expected to grow to be over 7 feet tall, and he’s already going to probably earn starting minutes at center for the Falcons. He will score a lot of his points off of lobs and put-backs, but his rebounding and energy combined with his elite height and length will cause problems for opposing teams. The other post/forward that will get into the rotation will be 6’5” junior Tyler Kinghorn. A plus athlete, Kinghorn runs the floor well and is a strong scorer that will put lots of pressure on rim and should be a viable scoring option off the bench for the Falcons.


The biggest threats to the Falcons’ throne will be Hellgate, led by wing Derrius Collins and guard Rollie Worster. West will also be a tough team led by the Demming Twins and a roster that returns a lot of talent.


Once again the Falcons are favored to win the AA crown this year, and once agin they are one of the most athletic and explosive teams in the state. And unlike the past two years, the Falcons have some serious size in the post that will cause problems. The offensive attack will be led by Evans and Richmond, but the Falcons have serious depth when it comes to scoring. This team will also be the best defensive team the Falcons have had. Richmond and Schaat will cause serious problems and block a ton of shots if a team wants to challenge them at the rim and Evans and DeHaven will be able to lockdown perimeter players.


Will the Falcons three-peat?


Projected Lineup/Rotation:


Starters:
PG: RayQuan Evans (Sr./6’2”)
SG: Zach Schmidt (Sr./5’10”)
SF: Logan DeHaven (Jr./6’2”)
PF: Zharon Richmond (Sr./6’6”)
C: Zach Schaat (So./6’10”)


Bench:
PG: Steven Fisher (Sr./6’0”)
PG/SG: Matt Hunter (Sr./5’9”)
PG/SG: Jeremiah Warner (Jr./6’1”)
SF/PF: Gabe Tranel (Jr./6’3”)
PF/C: Tyler Kinghorn (Jr./6’5”)



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