Scouting the State: Tournament Weekend (Dec 9th-11)

Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!   Prospect of the Week [player_tooltip player_id="955382" first="Kevin" last="Overton"], Senior Guard, Norman North Overton has always been one of the most talented players in his class. It’s been an issue of inconsistent production that has hindered the projections of his long term potential. He started the year up and down, but his back to back performances against Tulsa Memorial and Del City could be signs of him putting together a huge senior season. Against two of the better teams in the state, especially with next level size, Overton showed why he can be one of the premier scorers in Oklahoma. To go along with accurate beyond the arc shooting, the senior guard’s size and athletic ability allows him to operate as a midrange threat. When driving off the bounce, he’s able to create space and quickly elevate over defenders to hit from 12-16 feet. There are plays he can make on the offensive end that only a handful of players in Oklahoma can do. Another big improvement in his two games was his valuing of the ball. In scrimmages and a season opening contest in Texas, TOs plagued KO. Running into defenders on charges, bad passes. There was a lot of sloppiness to his game. This weekend he was smarter when driving, and put to good use his natural gifts when attacking the rim against bigger competition with more efficient scoring and passing. It was good to see a troublesome issue in his game get ironed out quickly. Overton possibly has the highest ceiling among the 2022 prospects in Oklahoma. If his last two games become the norm, he should be a priority for regional D1 programs looking for athleticism and scoring punch in their backcourt.   Other Notable Prospects [player_tooltip player_id="1164861" first="DD" last="Coleman"], Senior Guard, Ardmore Quick off the dribble, the southern Oklahoma guard is the catalyst behind the offensive attack for one of the top teams in 5A. His number one ability is his combination of quickness and ball handling that allows him to break down defenders off the dribble. That allows Coleman to get into the lane and create space for jumpers or get to the rim where he’s a good finisher.   [player_tooltip player_id="1049317" first="Killian" last="Spellman"], Senior Forward, Tulsa Memorial Playing hard is a skill. It requires a different type of mindset to consistently use energy and be a perpetual motion machine on the court. That’s exactly what Spellman does. He’s a small ball 4/5, that thanks to the aforementioned high motor and long arms plays much bigger than his 6’4 height. He’s a very disruptive player on the defensive end, he flies around the court racking up deflections, blocks and generally making the opposition uncomfortable. Those are all very valuable trait for a defense first energy player like Spellman. He’s also developed sneaky good bounce when attacking the rim, where he’s good as an off the ball cutter and in the pick and roll.   [player_tooltip player_id="965255" first="Jeremiah" last="Johnson"], Junior Guard, Norman North Evaluating Johnson and his recovery from his off the court injury incident last February is difficult. Especially when comparing him to what he was this time last year. The sophomore looked destined to be a McDonald’s All American and many more other accolades. A big reason for that was because of how effortless his graceful movements were. Now, Johnson is still making strides in his recovery. He’s already better on defense and moving laterally than he was a month ago. Hopefully the physical recovery continues and this period is only a small chapter in a successful career. What Johnson does well right now is still such a credit to his immense talents. He’s one of the top shooters in the state. His form is still pure, he gets great elevation on his jumper and it’s the type of shot that always looks like he’s going in. Johnson adds to offensive game with next level passing ability and a now crafty floor game. Where he uses his length and high IQ to get off shots on closely contested drive.     [player_tooltip player_id="967382" first="Trenden" last="Collins"], Junior Guard, Muldrow Quickness is what stood out for the Bulldog with an impressive family pedigree (father played for Oklahoma State, sister currently playing for Oklahoma State). But it wasn’t just being quick that stood out, it was how he used his quickness. On defense he was a terror with how he moved his feet and bothered Piedmont defenders. While on offense that quickness is used in bursts to create space and he looked in control. Eastern Oklahoma along the Arkansas border usually has notable talent. But given the distance from the major metro areas in Oklahoma, they can be overlooked. So it was good to be able to get a look at Collins and know he’s a prospect that needs to be monitored   [player_tooltip player_id="1172758" first="Caison" last="Cole"], Junior Guard, Norman Norman’s first win of the season had to wait another day, as late game officiating went against the Tigers when they were playing Owasso. But even the loss didn’t spoil an excellent performance for Cole. The junior guard connected on five triples, many of the catch and shoot variety. When players closed out on Cole, he was able to attack and get to the rim. Where he had a mixture of finishing himself, or making a couple nice reads with good passes to cutters and spot up options. The Tiger is a balanced guard across that board, who can do a little bit of everything. But perhaps most importantly he has the much valued trait of being a shooter.   Karmonie Waldon, Sophomore Guard, Tulsa Webster In the first half against Bishop Kelley, Waldon strung together multiple stretches that hinted at a good ceiling for the 6’0 guard. Cramps hindered him in the second half and his team suffered from his absence. The west Tulsa based guard is at disadvantage compared to other sophomores, as he didn’t get a chance to play varsity or even freshman ball last season. This past month has been important for his growth as he makes up for lost time. His playing style has unpredictability off the dribble, which is a big benefit when driving. Unlike many young guards, he’s not focused on just scoring when driving. Waldon is a playmaker for others and could be the next sneaky college prospect to emerge out of TPS.   Trashaun Combs-Pierce, Sophomore Forward, Norman Move well at around 6 foot 5? Bang a three or two? Get a transition dunk? Yeah, those are all things that will make a young prospect stand out and this Norman Tiger did all those against Owasso. He’s a rangy athlete, that is clearly still going but the production is already there. If Combs-Pierce approaches more games with a similar aggressive mindset and puts in the work, he’ll be a fun player to track over the next couple of years.   Madden Padilla, Sophomore, Guard Lawton MacArthur The Lawton MacArthur guard is a floor spacer with good shooting ability. But he’s more than just a player that floats around the perimeter. Against Ardmore, the southwestern Oklahoma youngster showed some juice when driving. It was most evident as a good passer out of the pick and roll or other opportunities to feed forward Jameel Graves. Shooting will be a calling card for Padilla, but as his game continues to mature he showed be able to continue to find ways to positively impact the game.