AAU Workout Visit: Wood Elite 2023

<p>The second of 2 consecutive days with the Wood Elite program saw me head over the Kell HS to see Quinton Wood and his coaches Spencer Dixon and Korry Richards did not waste any time or energy in putting their 2023 charges through the work. That energy should bode well for a cast of serious risers and sleepers who have plenty of talent to make a splash on the scene this spring and summer</p> <p>Here are some standouts from the evening:</p> <p><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="793816" first="Cameron" last="Pope"], CG, Cherokee</strong></em></p> <p>The talent level screams from this do-it-all guard who can handle the point like a boss but easily slide over and slip into scoring guard mode with a combination of perimeter shooting and crafty driving, good size and frame approaching 6-2, long strider is clearly best with the ball in his hands orchestrating, terrific vision and smart distributor as well as a sound defender out front, expecting monster breakout vibes from this player.</p> <p><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1020689" first="Tayden" last="Owens"], PG, Cherokee</strong></em></p> <p>With Owens and Pope likely starting together next year it will be both a PG-by-committee approach but also a potentially deadly dual-pronged attack for whoever takes the head coaching gig at Cherokee, Owens got more and more comfortable this past season playing with his older brother Taihland and a veteran crew, he’s super quick with the ball and can really cut up a defense, not overly tall but has no qualms about getting to the rim and can really stroke it from outside, a talent on the rise for sure.</p> <p><em><strong>Eltramon Smith, SF, Sandy Creek</strong></em></p> <p>Bye-bye [player_tooltip player_id="754230" first="Jabari" last="Smith"] hello Eltramon Smith (no relation), the rangy 6-6 forward oozes potential with an easy-looking combo of 3-point shooting and sly moves near the basket, his offensive game emanates immediate star-quality and when he adds muscle to his frame he’ll be better equipped for the nightly banging inside and physicality needed to guard players his size and bigger, but still a fascinating summer awaits and he’ll join 2024 [player_tooltip player_id="1050448" first="Micah" last="Smith"] next year to combine for one heck of a young frontline.</p> <p><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="820318" first="Mason" last="Waterbor"], SG, Cherokee</strong></em></p> <p>You get a lasting taste of what Cherokee’s backcourt rotation may look like next year with this crew from Wood Elite, I love to see Waterbor’s progression from when I first laid eyes on him with GA Legacy last year to a much more composed, polished product, looks like he’s gotten a little taller and certainly stronger, and both of those things will play nicely in how he looks to do things - draw you out to the line where he can hurt you, or<span style="font-size: 1rem;"> put it on the deck and use good length and craftiness to score nearer the basket, a sound, well-schooled defender as well.</span></p> <p><em><strong>Preston Parker, SG/SF, Sequoyah (pictured above)</strong></em></p> <p>There’s a lot to like about what you see from Parker in spurts, so much so that I predict with more than a little confidence this could be a big summer for the 6-2 Chiefs product who plays and looks bigger than that, I really like his athletic ability out in space, be it on the break or from the wing, he’s got a good stroke and that will continue to come to become a weapon, he’s lean but can mix it up a little inside and you can tell the staff has high hopes for him because they’re on him mercilessly, keep an eye trained here.</p> <p><strong><em>OTHERS TO WATCH: Dastin Hart (Cherokee), Mason Bennett (Cherokee), Hunter Apple (River Ridge), Nolan Tricker (Creekview), [player_tooltip player_id="1059110" first="Ryan" last="Williams"] (2024, North Paulding)</em></strong></p>