South Dakota’s Best 2022 Prospects – Caden Hinker
***Photo from DWU athletics twitter The South Dakota 2021 Prospects. PHD is going to take a dive into their film this month starting with the number one ranked prospect in the state, Caden Hinker. What makes Hinker a top prospect?…
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Continue Reading***Photo from DWU athletics twitter
The South Dakota 2021 Prospects. PHD is going to take a dive into their film this month starting with the number one ranked prospect in the state, Caden Hinker. What makes Hinker a top prospect? We let you know today.
PHD stepped into the film room to see Mitchell against Watertown from late January. Here are some things that make Hinker the top high school prospect in the state (and by prospect we mean the player that will fit best at the college level in the future years).
Positionless Basketball. I am not a huge proponent of the “positionless basketball movement” because you have to be able to guard. People don’t want labels on offensive players which is fine with me but you are what you can guard and to me that is what defines a player’s position.
With that said, you can’t look at Caden Hinker’s roster listing of “PF?C” and instantly think he is a low block guy. Sure he can play with his back to the basket but his comfort in facing the basket at the arc means he is more of a combo, versatile forward than a big.
Back to the defense in terns of position. This film does not give us a clear indication of what Hinker can guard. If he shows he can defend small forwards (to do that he would have to show he can move his feet with quicker opponents in high school or in AAU), then his recruitment could move to the D1 level. If Hinker is most likely guarding frontcourt players and he stays 6-foot-6, then we are looking at a strong D2 scholarship guy (if he grows an inch or two everything changes).
Passing Ability. The first thing to catch my eye about Caden’s productivity was his ability to pass the basketball. Early in the game he created a post entry attempt for a bigger teammate, Caden hit a backdoor cutter for a lay-up with a great lead, and he sent a rocket of a skip pass to his teammate that beat the defense allowing his teammate to hit an open three.
This type of passing surely will result in comfort of college coaches playing Hinker as a skilled three or a face-up four man. At the end of the first quarter Mitchell was able to get a lay-up and the key part of that was Hinker making a quick decision to snap the ball 30 feet to the middle of the floor for what became a lay-up (and a hockey assist!).
The Shooter. Caden is an all state honored basketball player that averaged 18 points a game. Every night the defense was aware of him but yet Caden was still able to shoot between 36 and 37 percent from the arc.
Caden’s first make in the Watertown game was over a hotly contesting opponent who ran into Cade but yet Hinker’s high extension at 6-foot-6 made the shot anyway. The Hinker form is decent, it is quick, and the results are strong, and that’s all that really matters when you are talking about bigger players that extend the floor. Speaking of the form, when opponents see the quick snapping release they know they are in trouble. Like when Watertown was in the zone and Hinker ran baseline, caught, ignored two trapping zone defenders, and showed that release for a new dancing third triple make.
End Result. Scored 19 points in this game with eight boards making three triples and 6 of 8 foul shots, but a rougher contest shooting for his 5 of 13 final tally. Two of the foul shot makes were late with two seconds left and most thought they would be the game winners. It showed Hinker has the clutch gene (even though Watertown hit a three-quarters court shot to win).