Bjornberg, Higham, Reeves and Smith could be tops in each of their respective classifications
The all-county and all-state football selections are finally in hindsight. Some selections more obvious than others, but all-in-all 4B saw representation at a vast rate.
Keep in mind, though, the aforementioned accolades were a product of three months of production. Tabbing the finest area basketball products, however, may be as simple as walking into a gymnasium while reflecting on what transpired just a year ago.
Yes, differentiating the finest boys basketball players from the pedestrian-like will be far from a daunting task this winter, as four individuals —all representing a different school and classification—have already made names for themselves on the Idaho prep hoops scene and are seemingly picking up where they left off.
Jordan Bjornberg (Blackfoot), Tanner Higham (Shelley), Colter Reeves (Firth) and Magic Smith (Sho-Ban), pending a formidable presence in the post-season, could very well be the classification players of the year in 4A, 3A, 2A and a 1A ranks.
For a county with a shoe-string population of just 44,000 in a state with 1,500,000 residents and 142 high school basketball teams, that would be a monumental feat in itself.
Is this a premature assessment? Pretty much. A high improbability? Not really.
Player-for-player, these four are arguably the best in their classification right now, but you won’t hear of a Player of the Year whose team didn’t at-least make it to a trophy game at the state tournament. That’s what separates true candidates from the state’s highest honor. The question “What did this player do to get his team at a high level?”. We’ll know more about that query in due time.
Anyhow, here are some reasons that support my case…
A high riser, baby
At 6-foot-6, the versatile senior that is Jordan Bjornberg has made an early case for HCC player of the year honors.
But keep in mind he was just a few votes short of the honor a year ago and is recognized as the best all-around player in southeastern Idaho this season.
Already averaging 22 points a contest, if the high-rising Bjornberg - who’s shown his range is as efficient as his presence on the block – can lead Blackfoot back to the state tournament for the first time since 2006, the sky is the limit.
With the 4A classification being down as a whole in part to the end of Burley’s two year undefeated run, the race for the second largest classes white banner is wide open.
Quarterback on the floor, too
After talking to Idaho Select head basketball coach Vince Hordemann about Shelley senior guard Tanner Higham during the summer, my preconceived notion of the multi-sport star’s status as a basketball player quickly subsided.
Turns out he’s the real deal.
Hordemann, who’s helped send a number of his players to the NCAA I level, noted that Higham is one of the top 5 guards in the state of Idaho regardless of classification. From there, I was sold. I hold the former Idaho Vandal hoopster’s opinion in high regard.
A 3A all-state selection a year ago on a team that went 1-2 at state, Higham could nab player the year honors if he can get through a tough MRC and lead a young, but balanced, squad to the same building he did as a sophomore: The Idaho Center.
Can he do it again?
Firth senior Colter Reeves was the 2008 2A state player of year on a team that captured its second consecutive state basketball championship.
The one question that hangs in the balance: Can the new supporting cast help get Reeves to the title game once more (or vice versa)? The answer to that question is leaning towards the positive as the Cougars currently sport a 5-1 record including a win over 3A power and rival, Shelley.
If Firth finishes anywhere near the neighborhood it has the past couple of seasons, Reeves should be a lock once again.
Do you believe in Magic?
The most prolific score in the Tater State resides just a few miles south of the Potato City in Sho-Ban do-everything senior Magic Smith.
Sho-Ban has been a repeat customer at the 1A state tournament awhile now, and last year Smith was a second team all-state selection on a squad that went 1-2 at the state tournament. If they went 3-1, maybe 2-2, Smith nabs a first team honor.
Smith, who averaged 30 points a game a year ago, had a 56-point outburst in the team’s opener this month at a Nevada Tournament following up with a 42 point performance to the lead the Chiefs to the tournament title game the day after.
Right now, the coach’s son is averaging nearly 40 points a contest for a team with an early 5-1 record. If the Smith leads the Chiefs to some sort of hardware in March, he may attain 1A’s highest honor.
