Prospect Spotlight: DeAndre Devaughn (2020)
One of the quickest players I saw with the ball-in-hand all-tournament, DeAndre Devaughn could grow to be an X-factor for a few teams if they were to run a small-ball lineup.
Sprouting tall at 5’7”, Devaughn dazzled the Sunshine Games crowd with his ability to aggressively drive through the lane late in the game—where most may settle for a jumper because of dead legs. Early in the matchup, he lit up the court with marksman three-point shooting from the wing.
Even at that height, he was clearly a player the Jax-Gamechangers squad trusted with the ball. I didn’t see him commit one turnover, all game. He appeared to really be thinking about where to place himself on-court, so he wouldn’t get trapped in corners or stuck in traffic.
Speaking with him after the game, Devaughn said he and his AAU coach consistently work with a shooting machine at her house. He currently gets up at least 100 shots a day, not including practice time. This summer, the biggest goals are developing on defense, boxing-out where possible, and overall passing ability.
Admittedly, he spoke about how the biggest mental skill he’s working on is not letting the height of others take him off his game. Devaughn constantly ponders ways to make his size an asset to his Raines High School team, and not a detriment. This is a player dedicated to doing any and everything to help his squad win.