Special thanks to everyone who participated, coached and attended the Tennessee Prep Hoops Rankings and Exposure Showcase at Carson Newman a few weeks back. I have accumulated information from four different sources that helped scout the event and will provide a brief synopsis of each player who attended the showcase.
INDIANA (81-90)
82. Micah Goss (Fulton) 2013 6'2 PG
Exciting competitor showed maturity and leadership skills encouraging his teammates and being unselfish and commanding respect with the ball. Micah is an improved scorer who needs to maintain his fundamentals to make shots. He has added some burst and can finish off the dribble going to the cup. He is stronger than he looks and plays with passion. He is a solid defender and a player who helps coaches win games at any level.
83. Hunter Nelson (Franklin) 2013 6'2 SG
Rhythm shooter who can knock down consecutive shots when his confidence and shooting form mesh at the optimum time, Hunter needs to be more aggressive without the ball and make himself available as an option in the half-court. Improving his ball-handling and finishing at the rim will help him get more scoring opportunities while on the floor.
84. Alex Fountain (Wartburg Central) 2013 6'6 WF
Houston Baptist commitment, "The Franchise" as I have dubbed him is a freaky athletic, long player who when he gets his fire under him can be a very effective offensive threat. He can shoot the mid-range with anyone and has improved his aggressiveness on the boards. He will block a shot and run the floor for a nasty finish. He is stronger than he looks but will need to increase his strength for the rigors of D1 basketball next fall. Good luck in your quest for Mr. Basketball.
85. Lannom Sowell (Signal Mountain) 2014 6'7 PF/C
Improving inside force, Lannom has a mean streak which when controlled makes him a devastating offensive rebounder and a true post presence on the interior. He has improved his footwork and can score over either shoulder. He is still a bit mechanical at times so more lateral drills and continued footwork will only assist him this season. He has made massive improvements in his game and the best is yet to come.
86. Larenzo Westmoreland (Maplewood) 2014 6'1 SG
Young man has a true desire to get better. Zo is hard working, plays with passion and is a great teammate. He has good quickness and is a viable defender already in this stage of his development. He has solid handles and is a very coach able young man. He will need to work on his offensive game to be an effective scoring option at the high school level.
87. Devin Stuart (Dobyns-Bennett) 2015 5'10 PG
Small youngster with some serious quickness was all over the place on both ends of the floor. Thus leading to this evaluation of slowing your roll and letting the game come to you, Devin has desire and plays very hard which should be his blueprint as he gets older and stronger. As a lead guard he will need to work on his decision making with the ball as well.
88. Travis Brooks (Volunteer) 2013 6'1 SG
Fundamentally sound player who understands his limitations and does not try to do things he is not physically capable of doing. That's a wonderful quality by the way. He has a good looking stroke; he passes well and has an above average basketball IQ. He lacks lateral quickness and will need to improve his explosion as he plays against more athletic guards.
89. Taylor Hawkins (Sequoyah) 2014 6'3 WF
Very smooth rising junior who can score inside and out, Hawkins has sneaky athletic ability and often out-rises his defender for the bucket. He shoots the ball well from the outside and once he improves his ball-handling and becomes more of an off the dribble threat he will see a huge improvement in his development overall. He has a solid motor and seems to love to play the game.
90. Austen Rhoades (Knoxville Catholic) 2015 6'3 WF
Long and determined, Austen has really made big strides in his confidence level on the court; as well as, his overall skill development. He feels he belongs on the floor and is not afraid to take a tough shot. He certainly needs to add some strength to his length which will do nothing but make his confidence rise even further. He has a tendency to drift to the perimeter and needs to work on his shot selection at times also. Once his confidence level gets to the point where he can show some interior progress, he has the basketball IQ to make himself more of a complete player.
ILLINOIS (91-100)
91. Chaisson Gordon (CSAS) 2013 5'10 PG
Lead guard who proved he could make open shots when left open and provided with time. Gordon has quickness and does not force the action on offensive but he will need to be more aggressive at times to create more scoring opportunities for himself and others with more attack on the bucket. He must not always settle for the outside look.
92. Blake Maness (West-Oak) 2013 6'3 SG
Young man traveled from South Carolina to participate in the showcase and showed himself very well. A guard with good size, Maness showed he could knock down the outside shot and came off the screen ready to score. He was relentless in attacking the basket and looked very pure and smooth in his demeanor on the floor.
93. Andre Wilson (Austin East) 2014 6'3 SG
"Needs to put in the work but could very well play at a high level" was one evaluation on the skills of Mr. Wilson. Talented rising junior was at his best with the ball in his hands using his one dribble pull-up with great success. A very good rebounding guard who can start the break and finish with a flourish off the bounce, Wilson has the tools to be a player on the next level without a doubt.
94. Trey Stewart (Grace Christian) 2013 6'6 SG
Excellent shooter, who has nice arc on his ball, can spot up or catch and shoot with equal effectiveness. Trey is long and needs time to get off his patented shot so his mission will be to quicken his release and add some one-two dribble moves off the catch as well. He also needs to work on his ball-handling and gaining some strength to make him more than just a three-point threat. He is capable of being a big time scorer on his high school level.
95. Neal Phillips (Lithia Springs) 2013 6'5 PF
Inside scoring threat was a monster on the interior and used his strength to create several scoring opportunities for himself. He was a beast on the boards and was in constant motion when his shot was missed. He rebounded out of his area and showed he could pass out of the double team as well. Georgia kid showed a great awareness of where he was on the floor; he blocked shots and made several key outlet passes to breaking away teammates for easy hoops.
96. Makale Foreman (Dobyns-Bennett) 2015 5'10 PG
Young lead guard has solid handles but placed too much emphasis on the dribble. He seemed to have a hard time finding a rhythm on the court and compensated with pounding the ball, something a lot of younger players have a tendency to do. He has skills and is a very good defender. He will need to work on his decision making and realize where he is on the floor. I have confidence he will be a solid contributor as soon as this season on the high school level.
97. Daniel Justus (Wartburg Central) 2014 5'8 PG
A heady young player who works hard but needs to show more aggression and get his teammates more involved when he is leading the charge. He has a natural basketball IQ but obviously needs to get stronger to make some of his decisions come to fruition. He plays his position well on defense, moving his feet but still lacks the physicality to stop stronger guards if they wish to foray to the bucket.
99. Austin Harwood (Walker Valley) 2014 6'2 WF
Rising junior has good size and uses his feet well especially on the defensive end of the floor. He is not laterally quick but makes up for this with an understanding of angles and positioning. On offense he uses the bounce effectively to get to the rack, he steps into his shot and showed some decent moves in the open floor. He will need to improve his quickness and footwork as he continues to improve his game.
100. Jacob Cawood (Midway) 2015 6'6 PF
Much improved inside scorer who never gives up on a possession, Jacob has improved his game on both ends and is becoming a capable inside threat. He is not afraid to screen on or off the ball and he runs the floor on both ends. He will need to improve his strength and add some short jumpers or some one-two dribble moves to his offensive arsenal. I like his future.
