The 2013 has Johnnie Williams and Nick King at the top but the 2014 class has star power of its own with Leron Black (pictured left) of Cordova and Joseph Williams of American Way. Black at 6'3 do it all type of player is in the mold of Reginald Buckner or Ferrakhan Hall type of player who can effect the game on offensive and defensive end. Down low, it's almost unfair against players his age which has made him move over to the wing where can start to work on his guard skills. He actually runs the point for Cordova on occasion and doesn't look bad doing it. Star is written all over him and he will continue to rise locally and nationally as he gets older. I think he could be a top 50 player in the country.
Joseph Williams is a late bloomer who could one day overtake Black as the to player in this class due to his upside. I'm I crazy for saying this? Picture this, your on a fast break and he's hawking you down you think you have an easy lay up and boom he blocks your shot out of the air, except the referee calls goal tending because he got your shot out of the RIM!!! Notice I said out of the rim. Crazy thing is, I don't think he knew what he had done. He could be crazy athletically and can almost dunk and this is coming from a player who is still very raw skill wise. He can use both hands with jump hooks and is very aggressive rebounding the ball. There is no telling how good he could be.
Go see them play and say 'I saw those 2 youngsters ball when they were young and now their playing D-1 on national televison.'
Go see them play and say 'I saw those 2 youngsters ball when they were young and now their playing D-1 on national televison.'
On Saturday at th Mam Center, the Lady Tigers of Havenview took on a Center Hill Mustang team after their game was moved due to leaks in the roof of Second Presbyterian. It was a chance to see a little girl hoops and a chance to watch who some say is the best 8th grader in the city in Nina Davis (pictured left). She did nothing to prove me wrong, pretty much scoring at will against a team that was very undermanned and showing flashes of a young hooper that could quite well lead the city in scoring someday. She's a slasher/finisher who can get to the basket like no other in her class but one thing that I noticed was her tendency to rely on her athletic ability. When she shot the basketball, she didn't really look comfortable doing it. I would like to see her improve on her ball handling as well as she sometimes looked down when she dribbled but never the less, the talent is there and I'm pretty sure the determination is there too.
Ebony Hayes - What' the first thing you notice about Hayes when you see her, size size and more size and the potential to be a beast. At 6'2 maybe 6'3, her chance to be special has no ceiling. I think she's been playing basketball for about 4 years now(I think) so her upside is what may make her great. She has good hands and has gotten much better going to get rebounds. She can block shots at an alarming rate thus making a lot of teams shoot the ball from the outside where she can use her frame to control the boards and the game. Is the work ethic there to become a great post player? I sure hope so, because she has the tools and plenty of time. Watch out for Ebony Hayes.
He pulled up from the corner with a pretty release that touched the bottom of the net and I thought, man this young guy could be a player. I would love to see him become more aggressive as a scorer though as there are not many players his age that could stop him from scoring if he made his mind up attack. I would love to see him match up against players his caliber as well just to gauge him more. Depending on what high school he attends, the diamond could shine bright in years to come.
On The Rise
We talk about Dresean Looney and Juwan Johnson, Nick King and Johnathan Williams and countless other players that each and everyone of us know among the better Middle School players. They are the quote unquote bigger names but what about some rising players in Middle School. Let’s take a look at a few players that you may not know much about.
Cody Hailstock PG (Bellevue Middle School) 7th - I think some people forget about this young player. This 5’7 stocky pg is among one of the best young lead guards that I have seen all year among Middle Schoolers but this comes as no shock to me. Hailstock has played with the Memphis WarEagle organization for the last 4-5 years so his talent is not second rated. His head is always up allowing him to see open teammates, something that he is becoming better at. He has a flair for making great passes but he’s definitely as scoring point guard seeing as he scored 16 in a win over Cypress Thursday. I would like to see Cody become a little less about the ooh and aw and become about a little more basic as this sometimes allows his game to appear sloppy when he’s as good a 7th grade point guard as there is in the city. Don’t be surprised to see Hailstock’s name in 901PrepScoop’s top 10 of 2014.
Darius Rodgers PF (Bellevue Middle School) 8th- There are not that many big players in his grade that appear to higher more upside than Rodgers. He has great hands and he can score around the basket well enough to put him among some of the city best young big players. He gets nice position on rebounds and he loves the put back on the offensive glass. Best thing is, he has a great frame for his height and something that you can’t teach, size. If someone takes time with him and teaches him how to be a big he could be very good, extremely good. I think he could one of the top 10 if not 5 young post in the city by next year if not already there in his grade.
Nourse Fox PG (ECS Middle School) 8th- Reminds me a little bit of former Gonzaga guard Dan Dickau. High praise huh but Fox is talented. His ball handling ability is pretty good making him able to with stand pressure and dribble through traps and his height 5’9-5’10 is the height of many post players his age. He loves to penetrate but I would love to see him more aggressive with his shot. He passes the ball as well as most guards on the high school level and he appears to be a leader on the court. Keep this name in mind and say you saw him 901PrepScoop.com. Coach Tippett is getting a very good young point guard next year, that’s if he chooses to go there.
Chris Hodges PF/C (ECS Middle School) 8th- 6’3 maybe 6’4 can catch turn and make a move, what more could you want in a young big guy. I saw Hodges in the MAM Tournament and said to myself, I should have been watching him more. He’s definitely a top 20 talent among his peers. He rebounds well and he plays smart. I saw him a couple of times directing his teammates to spots on the floor making him like a coach on the court. He has a soft touch and he knows how to use his 190 pound frame if not more. Don’t let the size fool you, he is very nimble and he runs the floor well. Definitely a player worth watching for years to come and he could be a top 10 talent by his senior year.
We talk about Dresean Looney and Juwan Johnson, Nick King and Johnathan Williams and countless other players that each and everyone of us know among the better Middle School players. They are the quote unquote bigger names but what about some rising players in Middle School. Let’s take a look at a few players that you may not know much about.
Cody Hailstock PG (Bellevue Middle School) 7th - I think some people forget about this young player. This 5’7 stocky pg is among one of the best young lead guards that I have seen all year among Middle Schoolers but this comes as no shock to me. Hailstock has played with the Memphis WarEagle organization for the last 4-5 years so his talent is not second rated. His head is always up allowing him to see open teammates, something that he is becoming better at. He has a flair for making great passes but he’s definitely as scoring point guard seeing as he scored 16 in a win over Cypress Thursday. I would like to see Cody become a little less about the ooh and aw and become about a little more basic as this sometimes allows his game to appear sloppy when he’s as good a 7th grade point guard as there is in the city. Don’t be surprised to see Hailstock’s name in 901PrepScoop’s top 10 of 2014.
Darius Rodgers PF (Bellevue Middle School) 8th- There are not that many big players in his grade that appear to higher more upside than Rodgers. He has great hands and he can score around the basket well enough to put him among some of the city best young big players. He gets nice position on rebounds and he loves the put back on the offensive glass. Best thing is, he has a great frame for his height and something that you can’t teach, size. If someone takes time with him and teaches him how to be a big he could be very good, extremely good. I think he could one of the top 10 if not 5 young post in the city by next year if not already there in his grade.
Nourse Fox PG (ECS Middle School) 8th- Reminds me a little bit of former Gonzaga guard Dan Dickau. High praise huh but Fox is talented. His ball handling ability is pretty good making him able to with stand pressure and dribble through traps and his height 5’9-5’10 is the height of many post players his age. He loves to penetrate but I would love to see him more aggressive with his shot. He passes the ball as well as most guards on the high school level and he appears to be a leader on the court. Keep this name in mind and say you saw him 901PrepScoop.com. Coach Tippett is getting a very good young point guard next year, that’s if he chooses to go there.
Chris Hodges PF/C (ECS Middle School) 8th- 6’3 maybe 6’4 can catch turn and make a move, what more could you want in a young big guy. I saw Hodges in the MAM Tournament and said to myself, I should have been watching him more. He’s definitely a top 20 talent among his peers. He rebounds well and he plays smart. I saw him a couple of times directing his teammates to spots on the floor making him like a coach on the court. He has a soft touch and he knows how to use his 190 pound frame if not more. Don’t let the size fool you, he is very nimble and he runs the floor well. Definitely a player worth watching for years to come and he could be a top 10 talent by his senior year.
Markell Crawford 5'10 (Airways Middle School) - A friend of mine told me about a young player that he saw at Airways Middle, so on a rainy Monday evening, I decided to attend to see this player in person. I didn't really know who he was at first but when he slashed to the basket in an almost effortless motion, I said to myself this must be Crawford. A long 5'10 guard with long arms and the appearance of a player who could reach 6'3 or 6'4, Crawford is what some may call a diamond in the rough.
|
|
|
