Coach’s Take: Martin Brothers (Part II)
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. Hank Huddleson —…
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Continue ReadingTony 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.
Hank Huddleson — Martin Brothers Program Director
Owen Coburn, 6’10 C, Spirit Lake (2019)
“He’s going to be someone that a lot of high-majors are going to monitor, and may or may not offer early. I think it’s a goal for him to attain more offers, and he’s well deserving of those offers. He doesn’t get pushed off the block anymore like he did maybe two years ago. He’s comfortable with his right or left hand in the post. He doesn’t make mistakes, he rebounds his area. As his core gets stronger he’s going to hopefully be able to rebound out of his area. He has great length. When he first came on board with us I’d say his jump-shot was a little awkward, but that’s gotten better, it’s gotten more consistent. When I look overall — spring to end of summer — two of the names I would talk about would be Aidan (Vanderloo ) and Owen as far as where they were at the end of the high school season to where they are now.”
Aidan Vanderloo, 6’1 G, Sioux City East (2019)
“He’s a very vocal leader. He has some ability but — and I may differ with some people — he didn’t play a whole lot of point with his high school, but he played a whole lot of point guard for us. He’s strong enough and big enough that he was to handle people coming at him. He’s kind of teetering on whether he’s a point guard or a shooting guard. And he did shoot it pretty well this spring and summer. Unfortunately, 6’2 shooting guards from Iowa don’t get necessarily a whole lot of high-major looks. But I think he may have a better chance of doing that (point guard) than being a 6’2 shooter that maybe you roll over to a point. He’s been successful wherever I’ve played him. But I think schools will look at it like ‘well, if I can have him as a two or I can get a 6’6 wing out of Chicago that’s super athletic,’ Aidan is going to kind of dip down the ratings chart if he’s just a two guard.
Dawson Jones, 6’6 SF, Johnston (2017)
He had a good summer. He’s not a true three and he’s not really a true four, he’s just a lengthy athlete that can put it on the deck, score in transition, shoot it a little bit. I think he may get some more offers is he’s willing to wait. If he sticks it out he may end up with more than what he has right now — rather than jumping on one of his existing offers in September and October.”
Drew Johnson, 5’11 PG, Waukee (2017)
“I thought his body improved, and I thought his confidence improved. I know he plays a lot of sports and he missed a couple of tournaments because of other things going on, but when he was there he was very committed. He played hard, and for the most part he had better games when he was shooting it than when he wasn’t. I would say that it was a productive summer for him. I think at the NAIA level he can probably play both guard spots, and I would have hoped some Division II program went in on him. I think he’s better than Division III. But I’m not a Division II coach and I don’t have the opportunity to offer him a scholarship. But he was good to have; good kid, good family, good player.”
Ben Dentlinger, 6’5 SF, New London (2017)
“He was a do-it-all for New London, kind of a stat-stuffer. And I think he might have been a little nervous this spring, he had never really been exposed to that level of basketball like his cousin Matt (Dentlinger) was for the last couple of years. And as the summer went he gained confidence, and he was a great kid to have. And the level he wants to play is D2 to low-major and anywhere in between. I could see him making a roster and having success. Nebraska-Kearney and some of the same schools that were recruiting a lot of our guys have expressed interest. Everyone thinks he’s intriguing.