Iowa Barnstormers Gold 17U Evaluations
In this article:
Kyler Gerardy IA #36 PG #12 HEIGHT 6'0" POS PG CLASS 2024 View Profile Kyler Gerardy Instagram Twitter State: Iowa School: North Scott Club: Iowa Barnstormers Gerardy is everything that you look for in a point guard. He’s tough, physical,…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingGerardy is everything that you look for in a point guard. He’s tough, physical, and a talented ball-handler. He sees the floor extremely well and loves to get his teammates involved. He’ll knock down open shots, and he’ll compete hard on the defensive end, fighting through screens, coaching his teammates through actions, and moving his feet and making life difficult for opposing ball-handlers. He’s a high IQ player on both ends of the floor who uses his physicality, quickness, and court vision to impact the game on both ends of the floor.
Gardner is lightning quick with the ball in his hands, and uses his explosive first step to blow by defenders and get to the rim. He’s a creative finisher around the rim who can finish through or around the contact. Defensively he uses his quick feet to stay in front of opposing ball handlers. He’ll need to continue to improve his jumper to add more to his offensive game, but his ability to break down a defense and get into the paint is rivaled by few in the state.
Kampman will move into the top 10 when the next rankings update is put together, in large part due to the improved offensive game that he showed on Friday night when we watched him play. A mobile 6-8 big man with great length and timing as a shot blocker, his offensive game is still a work in progress, but it is certainly headed in the right direction. He showed improved footwork that looked less robotic, made quicker decisions on post touches, and has good touch around the bucket. His value at the next level is largely tied to his defensive ability, but the improving offensive skill set will make coaches pay attention to him this spring and summer.
Readus is a shifty guard with good size at 6-2/6-3, and he uses his length effectively on the defensive end, getting into passing lanes and turning defense into quick offense. In the halfcourt, he’s a skilled ball-handler and shot creator who knows how to get to his spots using his quick first step and solid frame, and he has a pure stroke from the high school line and in. He needs to work on becoming a more consistent jump shooter, but that should come with repetition – nothing with the form looks like a problem.
A skilled lefty with great size and length on the wing, Phillips can, at times, be the best player on the floor. He can create his own looks off the bounce, as well as create opportunities for his teammates, and he has good form on his jumper. He needs to become a more consistent shooting threat, but that should come as he continues to iron everything out. He’s a good athlete who can impact the game as a defender with his ability to defend multiple positions and not get lost when switched onto either bigger or smaller players.
Hughes had a great game on Friday night, routinely coming off screens and knocking down tough, contested shots. He moves extremely well without the ball in his hands and has a quick, repeatable release off the catch. He does a good job utilizing off-ball screens to find spaces in the defense, and he always has his feet squared and ready to shoot off the catch. He’s one of the best pure shooters in Iowa’s 2024 class, and he finds other ways to contribute as well, competing on the glass and playing solid team defense.
Wilkins got off to a bit of a slow start in the game that we watched, but started to take over the game late in the first half, and then continued that dominance into the second half. A gifted three-level scorer who can shoot it at a high clip off the catch, Wilkins was showing a little bit of everything in his bag. He used off-ball screens to get a tiny bit of space to knock down contested shots. He put the ball on the floor with a few hard dribbles and got to a pull-up jumper. He put the ball on the floor and got all the way to the rim. He rebounds at a high clip on both ends of the floor, and he rotates well defensively. A high IQ wing scorer, he showed why he’s considered the top player in Iowa’s 2024 class.
Wade is a great interior defender with tremendous strength and understanding of defensive rotations. He’s a really good team defender who will rotate and contest shots, and he doesn’t give up any ground in the painted area with his physical frame. His offensive game is still a work in progress, but he has good hands, rebounds at a high level on both ends of the floor, and will provide versatility on the defensive end.