Freshmen of Influence

There is some pretty good young talent emerging in the St. Louis metro area.
I have been impressed with the performances of some of the freshmen, who have already started to make their mark in area basketball this season.
Here are a few of those talented freshmen:

Anthony Virdure, Jr. (Lutheran North): The son of former LN standout Anthony Virdure, young Anthony is a smooth 5'9" combo guard who can score and distribute the basketball. He has already emerged as the Crusaders' top offensive threat, averaging 13.4 points a game.

Hunter Reine (Roxana): A 6'7" post player, Reine has been impressive in averaging 14 points, 12 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game for the Shells. Reine has enjoyed some really dominating performances so far this season. With a 6'10" father, this young man could really grow into something special.

Malcolm Hill, Jr. (Belleville East): The son of former Normandy coach and ESTL Assumption standout Malcolm Hill, young Jr. is a nice 6'2" shooting guard who has made an impact on a veteran Lancers' team. With good size and a nice outside shooting stroke, Malcolm Jr. has been coming on strong as of late, averaging 10 points in his last four games.

Jordan Swopshire (Fort Zumwalt South): The fourth member of the talented Swopshire basketball clan, the 6'5" forward is one of the area's top youngsters with his versatile game. Young Jordan is averaging eight points and four rebounds for the Bulldogs.

Jordan Martin (Hazelwood Central): The 6'6" Martin is a talented young big who will be even more of an impact player in the future for the Hawks. However, to be starting for a team as talented as Hazelwood Central as a freshman speaks well of this versatile's young man's talent.

Keenan Minor (Cahokia): The 6'2" swingman has made an immediate impact with his outside shooting for the Comanches, who surprised many by winning the Centralia Tournament over the Christmas holidays. Minor had 12 points in the championship game.

Tyrin Williams (Riverview Gardens): The 5'10" point guard has been a real asset for an improving Rams' team with his speed and quickness at the point. Williams is averaging better than nine points a game.

Jim Barton and Nolan Berry (DeSmet): Barton is a 5'6" point guard and Berry is a 6'6" forward. Both are getting some varsity time for the Spartans and have showed some nice potential in limited varsity minutes. Barton is a floor general who can hit the open 3-pointer while Berry is a forward who has been handling himself well at the varsity level. Berry had a breakout game, scoring 23 points against DeSoto in the first round of the Ameritime Classic.

Many more youngsters will emerge and I'm sure I missed a few, but these are some of the talented young players that fans in the area will have a chance to watch develop over the next four years.
Enjoy.