PrepHoopsTN Combine Evaluations: Part II

Andrew Force July 17, 2023 @ 12:35 AM

Darryl showed a good amount of wiggle. He was definitely slippery all day, but also playing in two drills; He looked really good all day in the one-on-one drill and Cotton played very sharply in the four-on-four half court battles. During these his handle and creativity shined. Sprint speed poor for a senior-to-be (3.78, 3.80). Cotton would be a wonderful player in "21" as he creates wonderfully. Handle is sound. First-step quickness helps. Read his measurements/times in the link below.

PrepHoopsTN Combine: The Measurements - Prep Hoops

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How did he measure against the competition?

Class of 2025
6'2" SG
Camp Ranking -- #14
State Ranking -- Top 125

Nathan Russell Nathan Russell 6'4" | SG Powell | 2025 State TN just missed making the All-Star Game. We condensed it to 12 players instead of the ordinary 20 because attendance numbers dictated. He just missed that 12-man cut.

Nathan camped in February and was injured at the time (labrum). He is fully healed and the shooting reflected it. Russell is a combo guard, perhaps a 2-guard right now. His strengths are shooting form, scoring versatility, body strength. He can work on finishing and passing with his left hand, creating for others with the pass, adjusting mid-air might be necessary against bigger defenders on the drive.

Explosion off of the ground is an area of need. Russell recorded a 25" vertical, which is just over 2'. His natural heft and strength is nice, but he would be more effective finishing in the lane with better lift. Russell put up a nice pair of sprint times: 3.43, 3.51.

Of the various ways to score, NR's shooting is ahead of his slashing, but both are above average for a '25, on the way to good. Read his measurements/times in the link below.

PrepHoopsTN Combine: The Measurements - Prep Hoops

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How did he measure against the competition?

Class of 2025
5'11" PG
@PrepHoopsTN Combine All-Star
Camp Ranking -- #8
State Ranking -- Top 120

Jayden was a surprise in the playing portion, in that his tenacity came out. He drives hard to the basket. Tough-minded. 4-on-4 Semifinalist. JC was a handful to guard and many teams struggled to keep him away from the basket with his good mix of speed and strength. Nice first-step. Outside shooting is an area for improvement. On-ball he defends well. He could improve away from the basketball defensively. Perhaps he could spend time learning the intricacies of offenses and player tendencies. His feet can move, so becoming a better than average defender is possible.

Read his measurements/times in the link below.

PrepHoopsTN Combine: The Measurements - Prep Hoops

How did he measure against the competition?

Class of 2025
5'11" PG/SG
Camp Ranking -- #24

John's lane agility times lagged behind most campers. His vertical marked as average (26.5"). He plays a little stiff in the hips. Rodriguez needs to work on dribbling more smoothly. He can dribble fine, but he is not likely to carve up defenses with the basketball in his possession. Rodriguez is an average free-throw shooter. Scoring when dribbling into it is a skill JR needs to develop. He plays a little more like a SG than a point guard at this stage. Amenable personality. Coachable. Becoming a more vocal player on the floor is one step that he can take immediately. Rodriguez can speak up on defense and give information.

PrepHoopsTN Combine: The Measurements - Prep Hoops

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How did he measure against the competition?

Class of 2026
6'1" SG
Camp Ranking -- #20
State Ranking -- Watch List

Khalif is light on his feet. His smoothness is good. He can get around the floor pretty well, but his handle needs to get much tighter. For as natural an athlete as he is, Khalif did not finish with a very good Lane Agility time (3.98, 3.96). This is a drill that he seems like he would be better in, traversing the outline of the lane with slides and sprints. Silly, affable personality. The athleticism is something to watch. He is probably a handful in a "21" setting where one-on-one play is the thing. Khalif might be a point, a 2-guard, or a combo down the line. It is tough to tell right now. Dia is a bit of a ball-hunter in that he...hunts the basketball offensively when he and his team will benefit more if he moves to dangerous spots and readies himself for a pass. For example, cutting away from the basketball, screening, flaring to corners are all helpful.

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