The Big Interview: Maddux Routh

On August 7th, just after dinnertime, Maddux Routh Maddux Routh 6'5" | SF C.P.A. | 2024 State TN shared a few minutes with PrepHoopsTN Andrew Force for a phone interview. Maddux is a senior-to-be for Christ Presbyterian Academy (CPA) coming off a summer with Tennessee Tigers AAU. Routh is a future college basketball player with wonderful size at the wing spot. His breakout summer came following some intense conditioning and weight-training, which he talks about within the interview.

PrepHoopsTN Andrew Force: How is life going?
Maddux Routh Maddux Routh 6'5" | SF C.P.A. | 2024 State TN : It is going great right now. I have a lot of things going for me.

PrepHoopsTN Andrew Force: Your AAU summer was fantastic.
Maddux Routh Maddux Routh 6'5" | SF C.P.A. | 2024 State TN : My coaches helped me a lot when I put in a lot of work in the off-season. My team played really well too, which helps. We added Dra ( Zundra Jackson Zundra Jackson 6'1" | PG Chattanooga Christian School | 2024 State TN ). He is really good. It really helped the chemistry of our team, which was really good. We won a lot of games and he really helped me play better. Because we were winning and winning games we kept getting to play against better teams. So, I guess it just kind of made me play better and better.

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PrepHoopsTN Andrew Force: He played really well. I didn't know about him at all [before AAU].
Maddux Routh Maddux Routh 6'5" | SF C.P.A. | 2024 State TN : He played extremely well. It was a really great year for him this year. I was excited to play with him. He really helped our success.

PrepHoopsTN Andrew Force: I think he is a guy that needed a great summer because he plays at a small high school with very little college basketball recruiter attention there. So, unlike you who had and will have some coaches by occasionally to see your HS team, he needed a big summer and he did great.
Maddux Routh Maddux Routh 6'5" | SF C.P.A. | 2024 State TN : Mmhmm. It was me, him, and Parker [Robison] played really well together and I felt like everyone kind of fell in around after that and we won a lot of games. It was a really fun year. It was definitely my favorite year out of the three years I played with the Tigers.

PrepHoopsTN Andrew Force: I am guessing you don't want to have like your 17u year feel like you had missed opportunities or that you could have done more. Even as you get older it'll feel like you really put everything into it. And it will be more rewarding.
Maddux Routh Maddux Routh 6'5" | SF C.P.A. | 2024 State TN : Mmhmm.

PrepHoopsTN Andrew Force: Can you tell me about any college contact? Campus visit invites, upcoming in-person evaluations. Anything in that vein?
Maddux Routh Maddux Routh 6'5" | SF C.P.A. | 2024 State TN : I have talked to colleges from really every division, from D1 to JuCo. I really like some schools. I am going to a visit to Berry upcoming in August. I am going to go to Centre (College) for a visit in September and then I went to the Vandy Camp. It went really good. It went well there.

PrepHoopsTN Andrew Force: Are you able to tell the difference between the camp invitations to get a large camp and players being invited for the purpose of actual recruiting them?
Maddux Routh Maddux Routh 6'5" | SF C.P.A. | 2024 State TN : Oh, yes. So many of these I was called or texted by the coach to tell me that they wanted me to come. You can tell that they are not a generated text that they send out to everyone. I have contact with coaches through a call or text so that we can watch you more. Stuff like that.

PrepHoopsTN Andrew Force: Yeah, that is ideal. I am glad that you are being actively recruited by them. That is helpful. Do you have colleges that have not talked to you, that you are trying to introduce yourself to?
Maddux Routh Maddux Routh 6'5" | SF C.P.A. | 2024 State TN : I would say that I have talked to most of the schools on my list that I really wanted to talk to. I guess I am just really. I have been really fortunate and very blessed I would say.

PrepHoopsTN Andrew Force: Have you had any relatives that played high school or college sports?
Maddux Routh Maddux Routh 6'5" | SF C.P.A. | 2024 State TN : So, my great-great grandfather played at Vandy for basketball. My great grandfather played. My grandfather played and my uncle all played at Vanderbilt.

PrepHoopsTN Andrew Force: Oh, wow. That is same side of the family or both?
Maddux Routh Maddux Routh 6'5" | SF C.P.A. | 2024 State TN : Same side. That is my mom's side.

PrepHoopsTN Andrew Force: Wow. They all played at Vandy?
Maddux Routh Maddux Routh 6'5" | SF C.P.A. | 2024 State TN : Yes, sir.

PrepHoopsTN Andrew Force: Do you have any skills that you would like to work on?
Maddux Routh Maddux Routh 6'5" | SF C.P.A. | 2024 State TN : I would say to get quicker. I would like to get better at that. I am really long, so I can really get around defenders really well. My first step is really good. Just when I get tired I kind of lose that sometimes where I guess my endurance needs to get better. I feel like it was pretty good because most of these games I was playing the whole game where I didn't really lose it but I wish that I could maintain my stamina the whole game.

PrepHoopsTN Andrew Force: I noticed a big difference in your athleticism in the last year.
Maddux Routh Maddux Routh 6'5" | SF C.P.A. | 2024 State TN : I have to thank Craig Bradshaw, who played at Belmont. He really, really helped me. I went from not being able to dunk to being able to windmill within a year. I would say it was pretty drastic. It was a lot of fun. It was a lot of lifting, a lot of work. But it was fun.

PrepHoopsTN Andrew Force: That is awesome. Thank you for your time.
Maddux Routh Maddux Routh 6'5" | SF C.P.A. | 2024 State TN : Thank you so much.