2020 MAYB Kick-Off: Standout forwards

<table style="width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #fdffd6;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 100%;"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;">Jaiell Talley | Broken Arrow 2021 SF | Tulsa Hawks</span></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;">Talley was perhaps the most versatile presence in the Hawks’ offensive attack. The swing-man from Broken Arrow maximized his benefit from sets, rolling from screens, bullying defenders in the paint and even launching triples with unexpected accuracy. Defensively, he was able to stop many of the best players at the event from each position with great versatility and athletic tools that applied to every practice of the floor including lateral speed, shifty foot-work and explosive athleticism to guard the one-through-five.</span></p> <table style="width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #fdffd6;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 100%;"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;">[player_tooltip player_id="889482" first="Nick" last="Hogan"] | Eisenhower (KS) 2021 PF | Team Buddy Buckets Kansas (<em>pictured above)</em></span></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;">Thriving primarily from offensive sets, Hogan used both his 6-foot-5-inch, bullying stature and interior iQ to produce offensively for TBBK. He moved well off-ball, used his power at the rim and also displayed impressive touch when finishing inside. Also an aggressive rebounder, Hogan’s presence was pivotal in his team’s championship weekend at home. </span></p> <table style="width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #ffd6d6;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 100%;"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;">[player_tooltip player_id="726579" first="Thomas" last="King"] | Campus 2020 PF | Team Buddy Buckets Kansas</span></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;">A top-20 post-grad in the state, the stretch-four with high aspirations was brilliant in many respects last weekend. An exceptionally versatile athlete, King played with as much competence handling the ball in transition as he did with his back to the bucket. He shot the ball well from deep, using his crafty hand-work and coordinated foot-work to hit shots from the catch. He also drove well, slashing from the perimeter and finishing well with either hand at the rim.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;">*<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><em>The TBBK staff informed me that King’s recruiting is closed.</em></span></span></p> <table style="width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #fdffd6;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 100%;"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;">[player_tooltip player_id="938872" first="Jaelen" last="Tucker"] | Tulsa Memorial 2021 PF | Tulsa Hawks</span></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;">Memorial’s head coach texted me Sunday morning to ask how his starting post was playing. I told him that Tucker must have put springs in his shoes at breakfast because I had not seen him play with such aggression before. The standout played with his usual high-iQ, foot-work-predicated play in Wichita with the addition of some fire into his game. Even during warm-ups, he was shaking the rim with elevation I thought was unprecedented for him. He not only bested opposing defenders with his craftiness, but he imposed his physiological advantages on them as well and did the same defensively and in the rebounding game.</span></p>