2023 City Rankings: Austin (20-16)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Check out my analysis on some of the top 2023 prospects in the Greater Austin area! Some of these guys are real division one prospects, with little to no offers. So coaches make sure you check them out when you can!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#20 <strong>Jayden Thompson </strong>2023 6'0 Cedar Ridge High School (Austin United Purple)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jayden is an intelligent point guard who uses his high basketball IQ to create opportunities for himself and his teammates on both ends of the court. He has incredibly active hands that allow him to routinely poke the ball free from his opponents, but also moves his feet really well to keep his opponent in front of him. When he needs to slide over as a help defender, he is good at staying vertical to reject the shot down low. He has an explosive leaping ability, allowing him to contest more shots than you would think at the rim! He is a high level rebounder for his position as well, constantly creating easy second chance points and jump-starting the fast break with defensive rebounds. On the offensive end, he is a very smooth finisher constantly finishing over defenders and avoiding contact. He is great at using eurosteps at the last moment to create some separation. I was very impressed with how well he made difficult passes look routine, even after he had already left his feet and realized that his first option was not open.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#19 <strong>Teddy Tapken </strong>2023 6'6 Lake Travis High School </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Teddy is a high level forward with a soft touch around the basket. He is great at going up quick and strong so that his opponents do not have a chance to reject shots or protect the paint. I was very impressed with how easily he scored in the post, he has a great game with his back to the basket. A massive aspect to his game is his athleticism and how well he is able to rim run. You can tell his high school coach wants to play with pace, and Tapken loves to slide into that rim running Clint Capela type role. When he and his point guards are running the floor, Tapken stays in his lane to allow an open path to the basket when a timely pass comes his way. He can finish strong and hammer home dunks on the break, but I would like to see him work on staying aggressive when he has the ball in his hands. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#18 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1471679' first='Quinton' last='Hairston'] </strong>2023 6'5 (Buda) Johnson High School (CTX Knights Premier 16U)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Quinton is an explosive athlete who loves to use his athleticism to finish at the rim, constantly out leaping his opponents on both ends of the court. He threw down some impressive dunks but probably turned more heads with how well he chased down his opponents and sent their shots careening off the backboard. He chased down multiple opponents on the fast break, but also showed an ability to slide over as a help defender to protect the rim. He has all of the athletic tools in his bag necessary to be a successful undersized forward or a wing option if he continues to develop. His ability to leap multiple times as he fight for rebounds or defending the rim. I loved watching him work on the interior, fighting hard to clear space for himself. Hairston was named to the all region team last season as well, this is one to keep your eye on! I would like to see him work on his foot speed and how naturally he runs the floor as a rim running option.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#17 <strong>Davion Allen </strong>2023 Hendrickson High School (ATX Future 17U)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Davion is a confident combo guard who makes his mark on the defensive end of the court, and thrives at turning defense into offense. I loved watching him poke the ball free from his opponent and running the fast break and attacking the rim, or finishing with some emphasis (see below)! He routinely rose up for dunks on the fast break, showing off his explosive legs at the explosiveness he brings to the point guard position. His active hands made him a real weapon on the defensive end of the court, and made his opponents incredibly uncomfortable when trying to get past him. On the offensive end, he made timely passes to set up his teammates but is great at attacking the basket and drawing the attention of the defense and then making the right outlet pass after getting into the teeth of the defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#16 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1139647' first='Cole' last='Andrews-Heitz']</strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/cole-andrews-heitz/"></a> 2023 6'0 Rouse High School, TX (ATX Lockdown 17U)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cole is a sharpshooting combo guard who can do it all on the offensive side of the ball. He displayed aggression when driving with a live dribble. He is an elite finisher in the lane and displayed crafty euro steps and finishes to evade defenders. I was very impressed with how well he attacked the rim and turned the corner on his opponents. He is a confident player with the basketball and is not afraid to score it on all three levels. He is great at drawing attention and dishing out to his open teammates. He displayed natural point guard instincts in the open court with his decision making and handle. I was very impressed with the change I have seen in him defensively over the last year. He has active hands that poked the ball free from his opponents, allowing him to come up with multiple steals on ball. He baited his opponents into mistakes by playing the passing lanes and angling them towards a second defender.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->