PH Next BatL Shakopee: Top Under the Radar Players

With so many talented players and teams in attendance this past weekend at the Prep Hoops Next tournament in Shakopee,  there were plenty of players that did not make some of the other lists. These players are the players that I saw that may have gone under the radar or did not make one of the other teams.

Jimmy Coddington- 6’0″ wing- MN Select Babb

Jimmy is a very deceptive scorer. He plays the game with a great understanding of pace and shot selection. He’s not always looking to attack, but when he does, he does so quickly and efficiently. He does a good job of having his hands always ready on the catch and has a smooth shooting release. He does a good job of using screens effectively by going hip to hip and leaving little space for his defender to blow it up. He also showed spurts of effectiveness as an on-ball defender. I want to see Jimmy develop his left hand and become more comfortable going left on his drives.

Cazell Henderson- 5’10” guard- D1 Wisconsin

Cazell is a traditional-style point guard. My favorite thing he does is pick up the opposing ball handlers early. He does a good job of moving his feet and using his body instead of his hands on the defensive end. He works hard to fight around screens and showed good anticipation in the passing lanes. I really liked his overall effort and motor on defense, but he showed that he was capable offensively too. He does not always look to score, but he does a good job of getting into the paint, drawing defenders in, then dishing the ball out to open teammates. I’d like to see him develop his floaters and runners so that he can capitalize on how much he gets into the paint.

Will Packard- 5’11” guard- Border Select Booth 2025

Will is a very smooth and quick secondary guard. He has a quick crossover from left to right that he uses to shift his defender so that he can attack downhill. When he gets around the basket, he is relentless as I saw him grab his own miss and put it back up multiple times. On the defensive end, he uses his long frame and his quickness to do a good job of keeping his opponents in front. What I’d like to see Will develop is more confidence in his outside shot. There were times when he forced a drive to the inside when he had the space to shoot the ball from the outside. If he can develop that, I can see him becoming a proficient scorer.

Tony Sebit Daniel Loria- 6’4″ forward- Inspired Athletics 2025

Tony has the frame and athleticism to be a high-level basketball player. For a player of his size, he moves very well and has great end-to-end speed. He is excellent at sprinting to screens and then rolling hard to the basket. If he gets the ball on the roll, he looks to finish through contact. Otherwise, he is working hard to try to grab an offensive rebound. He also does a great job of protecting the basket on defense. His anticipation and timing along with his athleticism allow him to block or deter a lot of shots. I would like to see him develop more comfort in the post and in facing up since he can use his size and speed to score easy baskets.

Christian Hughes- 5’11” guard- Pride Roc 2025

Christian played his role as a secondary scorer perfectly for Pride Roc this weekend. With a guard like Josh Arnold on your team, the ball is not always going to be in your hands. Christian does a good job of finding open spaces to make himself available for kick-outs. He does a good job of mixing up his finishes around the basket by using both hands and has good touch on his floaters. I’d like to see him do a better job of playing without fouling as he played with his hands too much defensively.