Prospect Spotlight: Damani Hayes (2018)
The Mankato East Cougars have been up and down this year as they’ve had to work a lot of inexperienced players into varsity action. A guy they’ve leaned on for production has been junior forward Damani Hayes. And he’s been…
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Continue ReadingThe Mankato East Cougars have been up and down this year as they’ve had to work a lot of inexperienced players into varsity action. A guy they’ve leaned on for production has been junior forward Damani Hayes. And he’s been excellent.
The 6-foot-4 junior forward has been one of the top players in the Big 9 this year, averaging 18 points per game and showing off the ability to defend, rebound and make plays at a high level.
“As a team we’ve had some struggles — lost a few games I think we could’ve won but we are learning from our mistakes and the team wants to get better,” said Hayes. “We’re trying to peak now and start playing our best.”
The Cougars are pretty much locked into the No. 5 seed in Section 2AAA as they currently sit 11-13 on the season. It’s been an inconsistent season because the Cougars lost so many players from last year’s team. It’s a talented, but young group. Hayes said he’s trying to be a leader on the floor and provide a good example for guys breaking into varsity action.
“We have talented players but there have been some growing pains,” said Hayes. “I remember having those same kinds of adjustments. At the beginning of the season I knew I had to step up and be more of a leader for this team.”
Hayes looks the part of a Division II wing player. He’s an excellent athlete with a strong frame and he can score in a variety of ways, using his strength and ball handling ability to create shots for himself from the perimeter or in the post.
If there’s a weakness in Hayes’ game, it’s his outside shot. Hayes knows as much.
“That’s one thing I’m going to be for sure working on,” said Hayes. “I facilitate and can handle the ball against pressure and I can finish and get to spots where I can score pretty well. I want to get my outside shot on that level.”
Hayes said he isn’t sure where he’ll play this upcoming summer on the AAU circuit but said he’s hoping to either play with Howard Pulley or D1 Minnesota Rise. With a productive summer, Hayes could be a hot commodity for a lot of schools in the near future.