Top 5 Players I’m Excited To Watch

<p>I’ll eventually stop commenting on this but, this is my first season with Prep Hoops and I’m so ready to finally get into gyms to watch some of these players I’ve been covering live. I’m incredibly grateful for this opportunity to cover these prospects and hope that I can in some way help get a player’s name out there that might not have been on people’s radar. I plan on doing an article soon about the teams I am most looking forward to watching, where I’ll comment on some players that could fit that criteria. But for now, I want to talk about a few of the top prospects in the state that I’m most excited to watch. Just a quick note also, I’m mainly going to be going over players around the Birmingham area as that is the area that I will mostly be.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="886970" first="Kendan" last="Maddox"] - 6’7 PF - Pelham</strong></p> <p>Let’s start with a player from a school practically in my backyard. [player_tooltip player_id="886970" first="Kendan" last="Maddox"] is our 48th ranked prospect in 2021 but, has the athleticism and talent to improve that ranking by the end of the year. At times he can be a vicious big man in the paint who just plays mean. Something I’m looking forward to watching is if he can implement more creative ways to finish. He has good touch on his turn around shots but, I would love to see some post-up fadeaways (almost like how Tim Duncan would use them) implemented into his game. Something like this could help spread out his offensive effectiveness and make him a more dangerous scorer. Defensively he has that instinct to challenge driving players and send their shots into row 10. He also has good on-ball defense for a big man. Maddox has a lot of potential and if he can just smooth out some of these aspects of this game, he can be a great asset to a university.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="890740" first="Will" last="Shaver"] - 6’10 PF - Oak Mountain</strong></p> <p>It’s just not fair to be this big and talented in high school. [player_tooltip player_id="890740" first="Will" last="Shaver"] is one of the top prospects next year and for good reason. He’s an absolute nightmare to guard offensively. He’s so strong when backing down players and offers a wide variety of ways he can finish. His drop-step in particular is something that is money for him. On top of that, Shaver has great range and is a legit threat behind the three-point line because of course, he is. He has a low arching shot that may be viewed at a higher level as an inconsistent way to shoot but, he definitely makes it work. He really is just a cheat code and a fun player to watch. I’m looking forward to watching him and seeing how he’s improved over the summer.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="725153" first="Logan" last="Feltman"] - 6’7 PF - Winfield</strong></p> <p>I apologize for going heavy on the big man but, this kid is a left-handed stretch big who plays 15 minutes away from where I grew up, how can I not include him. Feltman can drain a shot from anywhere in the gym let alone just the court. His jump shot is silk for a big man with an aggressive flick that puts a great arc on the ball. This will allow him to be a more consistent shot-maker when he makes the transition to the next level. While he’s not the most athletic guy I’m going to cover his natural ability to score from anywhere certainly makes up for it. I’m looking forward to going back to Winfield to get a "Strawberry Mountain Dew" from Cardinal and see Feltman take his next step. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="887017" first="Jalon" last="Moore"] - 6’4 SF - Pinson Valley</strong></p> <p>Everywhere I look has Jalon listed as 6’4 but, if you watch his tape, he looks and plays like he’s 6’8. He has great length that allows him to contest with big men in the paint for rebounds. That length also allows him to finish with contact easily. The only thing that I could potentially say that he’s missing is maybe better court vision but, that’s something that I’ll be able to determine when I see him live. Other than that, Moore can literally do it all. If he were to improve that passing ability this kid could legit play every position on the court. There’s not much more to point out when you have a player that does everything so well.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="725169" first="Antonio" last="Kite"] - 6’2 PG - Anniston</strong></p> <p>A certified slasher that has blistering speed. Kite can leave defenders in quicksand when he blows by them. He also has good height for a PG that allows him to finish with ease whenever he drives to the hoop. Add his variety of dribble moves and he is just a nightmare to guard. If you try to help defensively when he’s driving he’ll just casually kick it out for an open three. He makes his teammates better and is one of those players I’m very interested in seeing how coaches go about locking him down. Kite is such a fun player to watch score at every level of the court.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>