Coach’s Take: John Lamb (Guards)
Tony Roe, Travis Hines and I certainly provided our fair share of player evaluations this spring and summer, but we thought we’d give the guys who know the kids best a chance to be vocal: the coaches.
John Lamb: Kingdom Hoops Program Director
2016 Jaylan White, I-35, 5’9 PG
“He is the best leader in our program, from a vocal standpoint, from a work-ethic standpoint, from a bite that’s a big as his bark. He’s very consistent, he shows up to all of our stuff; all our skill workouts, all our practices. His tenacity on defense and offense, he loves to make his teammates better, and make plays for them. He’ll be a Division II guy, he’s got about three D2 offers right now. He has incredible grades, so actually some Ivy League D1s are looking at him. He’s a 4.0 student and has some great ACT scores, so they’re coming knocking, and I think he’ll have a fantastic career wherever he goes.”
2016 Daric Laing, Chariton, 6’1 SG
“He was really injured in the spring, he had a blood clot in his leg, and he had to sit out for two to three tournaments and it took him a little while to get back in the swing of things. But when he finished he has Division II schools in his mail and his phone, we went on a visit recently to Northern State, Minot State, Augustana — three of the best Division II schools in the country. He’ll be a two guard at the next level, he can really shoot the basketball. Obviously he plays at Chariton and he’s had a tremendous high school career. It doesn’t surprise me, he’s up at a 5 AM two times a week doing my training stuff. He’s just super hungry, and with their team of TJ Hockenson and Lim Choul, Aaron Cain, their school season is going to be super special this year.”
2016 Shammond Ivory, Perry, 6’1 CG
“Holy cow that dude’s electric. His athleticism and explosiveness in transition, off one-two feet in the air is high-major Division I. He’s had a great career as well and has really developed into a leader. And he’ll have a great college career, I know he’s going to have to go JuCo just like Wali Parks, and get his grades right and his test scores correct. But if he stays the course, and continues chasing after this game with the passion that he has the last couple years, he’ll be a special player you’ll be hearing about on the television come soon.”
2017 Drew Maschoff, Ankeny, 6’1 PG
“I can’t stop talking about Drew, just to watch that young man develop these last four years in our program, it’s crazy. He’ll be the best player on a great Ankeny team this year. He can shoot the ball, and is very, very clutch. He’s gone off multiple times this summer for 12, 15, 17 points straight. Athletically he can get up in the air, he can get on the rim, he can defend any of the EYBL guards. He scored 25 points against one of the best EYBL teams in the country a couple times, and scored 30 against The Family when we played them in Fort Wayne. And he is going to be a Division I player that really changes that Ankeny program from last year. I’m really excited about his future and what he can do, not only with the ball in his hands offensively, but even creating, penetrating for other teammates, and getting past defenders.”
2019 Tyreke Locure, Des Moines North, 5’8 PG
“He’s electric, he’s feisty, he’s skilled beyond belief, he’s the best ball-handler in our program, and his vision and natural instincts are all reasons he’ll start on a great North team this year. He hits big shots, he’s fearless, he’s a 5-foot-8 point guard who’s just 14 years old, but carries himself like a seasoned veteran. He works hard, doesn’t miss any workouts, and he’s been leading that 2019 class for years now. Tyreke is going to be a very difficult matchup in the Metro to stay in front of. If he can stay on the floor, and out of foul trouble, North is going to win a lot of basketball games this year.”
2018 Nathan Johnson, Waukee, 6’5 SG
“He had a great spring and summer and he got bigger, and stronger, and taller. He is just all over the rim, and he can just bring a different dimension of basketball to Waukee that almost Michael Jacobson brought last year. He was our go-to guy on that 2018 group, along with Cam Vander Zwagg — it’s a good one-two punch those two players bring. Nathan’s going to have an awesome, awesome year this season at Waukee.”