Zach Carter is a first-year Journalism – News major and writes for The Daily News. His views do not necessarily reflect those of the newspaper.
When a new season of high school basketball comes around, people wonder what players will stand out. To some, it’s their skill level, their attitude or just how they play the game.
Since taking over the beat writer position for Delaware County high school boys basketball earlier this season, multiple players have stuck out to me. This list is, in my opinion, the players who have improved the most from last season.
Delta - junior Jayden Furney
Furney is averaging 11.1 points this season, compared to 6.4 last year. His rebounding average has also improved to 3.2. He is in the top three for points per game, rebounds per game, and assists per game. One highlight of this season was his performance in Delta’s win against Mississinewa. He had a season-high 25 points on nine for ten(90%) shooting.
Yorktown - junior Jacob Grim
Grim has become one of the offensive staples for the Tigers. Last season he averaged 8.7 points per game. This year, he has upped that to 10.8. He has also contributed to their defense as he has improved his steal numbers. He is averaging 2.3 steals per game. He scored his season high, 19 points, in the Tiger’s loss to Wapahani.
Muncie Central - senior Daniel Harris
Harris has bumped his points per game up to 15.6. On defense, he has also improved his steals to 1.3 per game. He leads the team in points per game and free throw percentage(80 percent). His biggest highlights this season occurred against Pendleton Heights and Yorktown. In both contests, he hit the game-winning basket as time expired. He finished with a season-high 25 points against Yorktown.
Cowan - junior Mason Kidd
Kidd has improved his game since last season. This year, he averaged 11.0 points per game versus his 8.0 last year. He is also averaging 2.3 more rebounds this season. He ranks second on the team in assists and third in points.
Wapahani - senior Nathan Nelson
Nelson’s points per game average have jumped to 11.8 this season. His rebounding has also improved as he averages 6.9 per game. He leads the team in rebounds per game and field goal percentage(65 percent).
Wes-Del - senior Cade Pretorius
Compared to last year, Pretorius has been on a roll this season. He is averaging 8.2 points per game this season and 2.0 rebounds per game. He leads the Warriors on free throw percentage(84 percent) and is second for three-point percentage(29 percent).
Daleville - senior Carson Buck
This season, Buck has improved on every stat line. He only averaged 1.9 points last year but has upped that to 12.8 this season. His average for rebounds has also improved as he averages 4.6 per game. His best performance came when he had 31 points in Daleville’s win against Union City.
Muncie Burris - senior Bryce Karnes
Karnes has helped the Owls this season on many fronts. He is averaging 8.6 points per game and 2.6 assists. He leads the team with a 44 percent field goal percentage and is second in assists. His season high is when he scored 19 points in the team's loss to University.
Contact Zach Carter with comments at zachary.carter@bsu.edu or on Twitter @ZachCarter85.
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