SURVEY RESULTS: Who is Your Favorite Chester High School Basketball Player?

Rodae Jefferson (38%) - 'The Future'

Maurice Nelson (23%) - 'The Assassin'

Erikk Wright (20%) - 'Over & Out'

DeQuan Walker (10%) - 'Department of Energy'

Lamon Church (7%) - 'Smooth'

On a team with no one superstar, I was curious who your favorite player was. Here is my assessment of the players.

Rodae Jefferson - He couldn’t have had his growth spurt at a better time. With two full seasons still ahead of him, I expect that he will grow accustomed to his new size with an increase in strength and agility to become one of the nation’s top players. He’ll be one of the biggest point guards in all of high school basketball. His ability to dribble, pass, slash, and finish is already on par with Division 1 talent. As he catches up with his body, he’ll become a much better shooter by his senior year making him impossible to stop. He never had a break-out game this year but always contributed when needed. ‘The Future’ indeed.

Maurice Nelson -  The classic ‘2’ guard in a point guard body. Oh, if he was only 4 inches taller. Who else could have the worse shooting game of his career in the State Title game, and still come out a winner? Shooting long jumpers in empty cavernous arenas with that large depth-of-field is not easy, especially when you’re used to playing in small gyms all year. He’s a tenacious defender with lighting quick feet and hands, and has an innate ability to sneak into passing lanes for steals. ‘The Assassin’ kills you with a ‘3’ or a steal, and flashes that huge smile on the way back down court. 

Erikk Wright - It takes a good big man to slow him down, and there aren’t too many of them in high school. He simply out jumps most defenders. Inside of 6 feet, he’s ‘Over & Out’. 

DeQuan Walker - This guy is everywhere at all times and never seems to run out of gas. Whenever he’s in the game, the lights get a little brighter, the crowd gets a little louder, the other team gets a little worried. Loose balls, rebounds, put backs, pressure defense...he brings all the fill-in-the-blank things that make the team keep ticking. ‘The Department of Energy’ is always plugged in. 

Lamon Church - Okay, I must admit, Mr. Church is my favorite Chester High player. He does it all with no signs of struggle. For a guy his size, he can dribble like a point guard, he gets to the basket with ease, and finishes with either hand. He loves contact and battles with anyone. He never takes a bad shot and is very accurate inside of 12 feet. He defends like a vice grip. He uses that mid-size body to snatch rebounds and either brings it up himself or makes the right outlet pass. Every time I think he can’t jump, he slams one home, or blocks one into the 5th row, to shut me up. I believe that because he is so ‘Smooth’, he’s being overlooked by a lot of schools. This guy is fundamentally sound all around and can flat out play basketball.