Big Shots' Best: '29 Bucket-Getters

New readers: Use code Proia30   Our scouts traveled to Henrico, VA to attend a great event hosted by Big Shots and Paul Biancardi as a warm-up event, with competition across all three high school age groups (17u-15u) in addition to some good middle school bump. Our team covered a ton of ground watching local grassroots teams duke it out in front of national scouts and college coaches (non-D1) from across the country. Electric guards that can either score at a high level or create for others to create high-percentage looks are crucial in today's game. Let's zoom in some of the best backcourt prospects that I saw this weekend!    15p 10r 3a 1s vs DC Assault   -Loved Williams' ability to get to his spots in the midrange to raise up for smooth pull-up jumpers off the bounce from both sides of the rim. Williams' showed good body control on baseline pull-ups with a hand in his face and on hanging double clutch layup attempts around the basket. His speed and aggression in transition served him well as a prospect that constantly pushed the pace to put pressure on opposing transition defense's to not only keep him in front but avoid sending him to the FT line. I came away impressed with his moxie on the glass in the paint as a pesky rebounder that timed his dives to the rim to leap from out of nowhere to collect boards over forwards in the paint.     11p 4a 2r 1s vs DC Assault, 7p 1a 1r vs TME   -Baskerville was a fun watch over the course of the weekend as a skilled guard prospect that proved capable of taking over games for stretches as both a shooter and passer. Baskerville uses his handle effectively but efficiently in the halfcourt, getting to his spots to shoot or find a teammate with a crisp pass from all 3 levels. Throughout the weekend he proved capable of knocking down shots off movement or off the catch, drilling stepback 3s through contact, blowing by his matchup to make plays in the paint, and kick the ball ahead in transition to collect several hockey assists. If he can add some weight onto his frame to dole out more physical bumps to create space in the halfcourt, his innate feel and skill with the ball in his hands should raise his profile as a balanced guard prospect with some nice upside.     15p 6r 1b vs DC Assault, 8p 11r 2b vs TME   -Loved the versatility that I saw from Naegle this weekend as a shooter that can also mix it up in the paint and affect the game at the defensive end of the floor with help-side shot blocking. I saw Naegle knock down three 3s to space the floor effectively for his team, score on a spin move layup off the window, hit a double clutch lay on the big through the contact at the rim, then follow that up with a running hook that banked in perfectly off the glass. Naegle also impacted the game on the glass to extend possessions for his team, was an effective passer from all 3 levels to find cutters and shooters, and showed good timing/explosive leaping on several emphatic blocks around the rim. In the second game he continued to show his ability to cover ground defensively and be able to switch onto guards or bigs effectively as a defensive prospect unwilling to cede ground to his matchup in the key.     -Wouldn't say that Naylor is a scorer in the conventional sense, but that he impressed as a prospect with a pretty safe floor due to a motor that runs hot at both ends of the floor (especially on the glass). Naylor scored throughout both games that I watched on putbacks through contact around the rim, stubbornly chasing down misses to earn trips to the FT line and damage the depth of opposing frontcourts. Naylor works as an excellent cutter off the ball that can catch the ball and finish in traffic from either side of the rim with a soft touch. Loved the versatility that he brings to the defensive end of the floor as a G/W tweener that can scale up or down in a rotation to affect winning.     -Moody continues to build some momentum this spring playing with a [program_tooltip program_id='2528398' first='TTO' last='Showcase'] group that is building a rapport as they compete in preseason events. Moody has proven that he can be more than a shooter, serving as a disruptive defender both on the ball or as a helper in TTO's fullcourt defensive trapping schemes that have fueled most of their runs in games. Moody is also growing much more comfortable attacking closeouts from the wing and drawing trips to the FT line to give himself more well-rounded performances that keep opposing defenses guessing on his next move. Want to see him be more assertive and aggressive as the skill work continues to show through as a guard that is steadily adding more to his game from 18' and in.

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