Malachi King and Part I of PHoopsTN Combine EAST Evals

The eighth annual @PrepHoopsTN Combine featured ambitious, young hoopers, aged 15-17 years old.  For the rest of the summer, we will be featuring the campers with evaluations and measurements from the day, May 31st, 2026. This was the first time the event took place inside Notre Dame High School (Chattanooga). To be precise these campers attended the PrepHoopsTN EAST camp.

Elliott Baldwin Elliott Baldwin 6'1" | PG/SG East Hamilton | 2028 State TN | PG | East Hamilton | 2028

How did he measure against the competition?
Class of 2028
6'0" PG
3/4 Court Sprint -- 3.23, 3.48
Lane Agility -- 11.01, 10.79
Hand Height -- 8.0"
Hand Span -- 8.5"
Wingspan -- 5'10"
Camp Ranking -- #26
State Ranking -- Top 175

All-around player. No glaring weaknesses. Improving in the lane is an area to focus on. His touch is good, but finishing after contact will enable him to score even more at the 4A level. Might become a straight point guard, might already be a point guard. During this event he played either guard spot. Senior-to-be Ian Allen Ian Allen 6'3" | SF Boyd-Buchanan | 2027 State TN easily posted up Baldwin in a simplified post-up drill and though Allen was abnormally strong this revealed an area Elliott can address...power. Baldwin's Lane Agility shone brightly (10.79 seconds).

Carter Smith Carter Smith 6'4" | CG/SF Boyd-Buchanan | 2028 State TN | 6'3" SG/SF | Boyd-Buchanan | 2028

How did he measure against the competition?

Class of 2028
Wing Guard
@PrepHoopsTN Combine All-Star
3/4 Court Sprint -- 3.56, 3.31
Lane Agility -- 11.85, 11.50
Wingspan - 6'8"
Hand Height -- 8.5"
Hand Span -- 10.0"
Camp Ranking -- #5
State Ranking -- Top 75

Great day for Carter. Strong but nimble. Carter projects as a college 2-3. His defense suggests that he could guard 1-3 for a small college. Jumper is improving, but that may be his limiting factor. His shooting form is solid though he can improve his efficiency. Slashing, rebounding, defending are all above average for his age. Carter Smith Carter Smith 6'4" | CG/SF Boyd-Buchanan | 2028 State TN smoothly made a leaning left-handed layup. Athletically, he was among the tops in the gym. The lane agility, in particular, impressed (11.50 seconds).

Bentley Ellis Bentley Ellis 5'10" | PG/SG Scott | 2029 TN | 5'9" PG | Scott County | 2029

How did he measure against the competition?

Class of 2029
5'9" Point Guard
3/4 Court Sprint -- 3.22, 3.38
Lane Agility -- 12.31, 11.96
Wingspan - 5'8"
Hand Height -- 8.0"
Hand Span -- 8.5"
Camp Ranking -- #24
State Ranking -- Top 135

Needs to use his shoulder more to create space. Catch-and-shoot is a strength, for sure. At the high school level Bentley is capble of playing either guard position. After high school he might be a point guard exclusively. Lateral mobility is fine for his age. Jet-quick older guards will challenge him, as they will almost all sophomores. So, plyometrics/track training is a good option beyond typical basketball training. Bentley's passing with the weak hand was very good. Bentley's best measurement was the 3.22 second sprint time.

Malachi King Malachi King 6'2" | SF/PF Cleveland | 2027 State TN | 6'2" SF | Cleveland | 2027

How did he measure against the competition?

Class of 2027
6'2" Wing
3/4 Court Sprint -- 3.32, 3.26
Lane Agility -- 12.31, 12.43
Wingspan -6'7"
Hand Height -- 8.5"
Hand Span -- 9.0"
Camp Ranking -- #23
State Ranking -- Top 225

Quick feet. Broad, strong shoulders. Likes to pass. Probably not a PG, but unselfish. High-character. Long arms. King's jumper needs quite a bit of work. Practicing catching-and-shooting will help. When he has his feet under him, King is a very good defender. If you get him dancing sideways, then you are more likely to find a momentary slip up.

Corbin Mayes Corbin Mayes 6'3" | SF East Hamilton | 2027 State TN | 6'3" SF | East Hamilton | 2027

How did he measure against the competition?

Class of 2027 6'3" Wing
Wingspan -- 6'3"
3/4 Court Sprint -- 3.50
Lane Agility -- 11.08, 11.15
Hand Height -- 8.5"
Hand Span -- 9.0"
Camp Ranking -- #19
State Ranking -- Top 75

Physically imposing. Plays with authority. Could get slightly quicker laterally as a defender. The Lane Agility times are ok for a wing forward and average for a small college wing guard (11.08 seconds). The question regarding Corbin's game is...'What position is he?' He is probably most comfortable as a face-up four and most of his high school success will be inside of 10'. Can he defend the college guard? The strength is there. It is all about lateral mobility. Very bouncy.

Deven Woods Deven Woods 6'2" | SF East Hamilton | 2030 TN | 6'1.5" SF | East Hamilton | 2030

How did he measure against the competition?

Class of 2030
6'1.5" Wing
3/4 Court Sprint -- 3.68, 3.50
Lane Agility -- 11.51, 11.55
Wingspan -- 6'4"
Hand Height -- 8.25"
Hand Span -- 8.75"
Camp Ranking -- #27
State Ranking -- Top 100

Coachable. Eager to learn. Good guard size. Woods is still growing, so a taller and stronger hooper is anticipated. Nice wingspan. Needs to develop his handle some. Projects as a wing guard. Woods needs to learn more about floor spacing and the direct impact his positioning and movement away from the basketball has upon his defender's position. In 3v3, Woods unwittingly drug his defender towards a driving guard, which enabled that defender to double without consequence. Light on his feet. Naturally quick. Love his wingspan! The Lane Agility (11.51 seconds) was exceptional for a 2030 guy. Better defensive awareness than offensive at this early point in his development. Quick, active hands defensively.

Charlie Simmons Charlie Simmons 6'1" | SG/SF Notre Dame | 2028 State TN | 6'1" SG | Notre Dame | 2028

How did he measure against the competition?

Class of 2028
6'1" SG
3/4 Court Sprint -- 3.36, 3.26
Lane Agility -- 11.98, 11.34
Wingspan- 5'11"
Hand Height -- 7.5"
Hand Span -- 8.25"
Camp Ranking -- #25
State Ranking -- Top 185

Really pretty shot. Repeatable. He could be more physical as an attacker. Laterally Charlie can improve. Ideally, he would work on getting "cleaner" hips. Stretching. Doing general sprinter exercises and training will increase his agility and help him become a more sharp-moving perimeter defender. In the last year Simmons did become a better straightline runner and his 3/4-sprint times reflect that (3.36 seconds, 3.26 seconds). His Lane Agility times are quite different, but the second one is quite a bit better (11.98, 11.34). Generally, players do better the second time through because the movements are not as foreign. Nearing 11 seconds is nice for a tallish guard entering his junior year.