RUN Showcase: Developmental Stars
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It’s always fun to see players working hard during the offseason to add new dimensions to their game. The recent RUN Showcase was a great chance to check in on prospects making developmental strides since grassroots seasons has ended. Tavaris…
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Continue ReadingIt’s always fun to see players working hard during the offseason to add new dimensions to their game. The recent RUN Showcase was a great chance to check in on prospects making developmental strides since grassroots seasons has ended.
Deans has had a productive start to his high school career with two seasons of producing good numbers as basically an “undersized 4”. He’s competitive, a tenacious rebounder, a strong finisher and has consistently impacted winning at the high school level. But to become more attractive to colleges, additions were needed to his game. Last Saturday, he looked much more comfortable handling the ball and shooting it. From spotting up to even a good off the dribble make, the fluidity to Deans’ movement as a guard look to be improving. It’s a very promising sign for the high motor 580 standout.
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Ledbetter finishes like a bigger guard, with his combination of skill and strength, he’s turned into a crafty finisher, capable of playing through contact. In some way he’s turned what should be a disadvantage, only standing around 6 foot, into a strength thanks to his low center of gravity. He has some bowling ball like aspects on drives, “low man wins”. He also has a deceptive first step, that pairs very well with his continued development of his ball handling ability and off the dribble shooting from three.
At the RUN showcase he switched from draining threes with defender’s hands in his face to punishing them with drives. He even showed off his improving athleticism by punching in a slam on the break. With his skilled scoring package, Ledbetter is likely to have some big scoring nights this winter in a rugged Class 6A.
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Last season Rhodes profiled as a floor spacing, off the ball shooting threat, with occasional flashes of good passing and floor game. Based on his performance at the RUN Showcase, the Santa Fe Wolf has put in clear work at improving his ability to attack off the dribble and his passing vision. He had some of the better full court/transition finds at the camp, and was smart at getting downhill and kicking to shooters. Rhodes even had success at finishing himself when attacking the basket. It’s always fun to see the momentum and positive changes prospects make from season to season, and now the 2024 guard has a chance to be even more impactful for a scrappy Santa Fe squad.
The junior year leap is a common production jump for players as they enter the final two years of high school. Woods looks to be a good candidate to make a strong jump this season. He’ll be stepping into a bigger scoring role for Catoosa, and the proficiency of his long range shooting will make him a big scoring piece to the fast paced Indians. Especially with the confidence he now has an off the dribble three point shooter. Anytime he got an opening, the shot was going up, and likely going in.
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Kim has one of the tougher jumps to make as a prospect, going from good to great. He has traits that appeal to the next level, with good size, wingspan and most importantly shooting touch. In settings like the RUN showcase, he excels with his offensive game as he glides to his spot and his height often gives him advantage for high quality looks. These settings are good for identifying next level traits but can be fool’s gold if relied too much on from a scouting standpoint.
With a productive summer and now fall coming to a close, the winter at Cascia Hall will be a pivotal point in his career. Kim has the “float like a butterfly” aspect down with his skilled game. Now this winter will be his chance to prove he can “sting like a bee” with more steel and carrying over the production to winter gyms. The structure of games and likely being the focal point of defensive gameplans will give a better look to what actually translates to college. Class 3A is looking deeper and carrying the Commandos a step further than last year will be a good sign that Kim’s development has continued.
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Height, it can’t be taught. It’s an old cliche but as long the rims are placed 10 feet high, it will always ring true. At his height of 6’8, Moses will always have a chance to play the next level, and he showed good signs of taking more advantage of his natural gifts at the RUN Showcase. He was active on the glass on both ends of the court and even had a couple more fluid looking moves to finish at the rim. The tall Metro Christian Patriot needs to continue to maxim his lateral agility and attack the glass with ferocity, which will help him make a big impact this winter and potentially earn him college opportunities.