Tarkanian Classic Recap: Top Bigs
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The Tarkanian Classic gets underway this week. The event will feature 100’s of teams from around the globe. Starting with the Prep School Division on Dec 16th the event runs all the way until the Finals of the Platinum division…
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Continue ReadingThe Tarkanian Classic gets underway this week. The event will feature 100’s of teams from around the globe. Starting with the Prep School Division on Dec 16th the event runs all the way until the Finals of the Platinum division on Dec 22nd. Best thing about the event is the fact that it has different brackets, allowing teams to compete against comparable competition. Here’s a look at some of the top BIgs at the event.
Gardner has always been a big that liked to flirt with the perimeter. He made some threes, but for the most part his dominance was felt on the inside. A fluid rim runner, Gardner spent time burrying opponents, getting great post position right in front of the basket, before finishing high percentage shots.
For my money Davidson was the best overall player at the event. If we graded his skill on a video game scale, he would be in the high 90’s on almost everything. His ability to faceup, get into the paint, draw two and kick was remarkable, and made him look more like a big guard, than a post. When he did get direct post up opportuntites, he rarely failed to contribute as he was patient, and seemed to have every tool in the tool shed allowing him to finish with both hands around the rim.
I was happy to get a look at Bartlett, the big man was very effective, and showed that he’s much more than a big body. I was impressed by his explosion off the ground, as Bartlett finished several plays with thunderous dunks above the rim. He showed decent hands, as well as good back to the basket scoring ability.
Highlights
Abbott Fluckey
Abbott Fluckey
Fluckey is a raw player that could be a nice fit for a high academic school. The lefty hit a three, but his bread and butter is on the defensive end. Being left-handed provided him with an easy and natural fit when it came to blocking and altering shots. A good rim protector with good grades, look for him to garner some high academic, small school interest.
Ghallab had been putting up some impressive numbers on the season, but was still of a bit of an unknown. I have a feeling that’s going to change. The sophomore has put in tremendous work, and looks like he’s loss quite a bit of weight. When he was heavier, he was still a terrific low post scorer. With the weight loss, he is now able to get off the floor even quicker.
Highlights
I couldn’t take my eyes off Marshall. A player of that size, and skill that plays with that energy is impossible to ignore. Marshall showed some decent back to the basket moves, however I thought he was at his best when grabbing in traffic boards and going up and finishing strong with two hand dunks. The Auburn committ was one of the top overall players I saw.
Kayden Rayfield
Kayden Rayfield
When watching Rayfield, I was convinced that he was a guy that only did one thing, however he was exceptional at that one thing. After futher evaluation, it’s not even accurate to claim that he only does one thing, as his energy and effort often times led to him scoring the ball around the rim.
Meadows is as good as any 4A team in the state and Hutchison is a big part of the reason why. The faceup big is the perfect small ball four, showing the ability to score by putting the ball down, and attacking the rim. He showed terrific versatility on both ends of the floor. Scoring from a variety of areas, as well as stepping out, hedging and switching ball screens.
Terrence Hampton Jr
Terrence Hampton Jr
Hampton was one of the players I was most excited to see. He put on a great performance last year en route to helping Marantha to a bracket title. His low post game is so intriguing, because he spends most of it in the mid post. Hampton would routinely catch, reverse pivot and then knock down a mid range jumper. His footwork, and skill were some of the best I saw.