Noah Cockerham, Thrash and raw upside guys

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>PICTURED: [player_tooltip player_id='3699014' first='Noah' last='Cockerham']</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A jaunt to Louisville mid-July afforded @PrepHoopsTN the opportunity to see hoards of AAU players and numerous first impressions unveiled upside guys...guys with height and potential. Most of my Saturday was spent watching 15u hoopers. Because freshmen rarely play varsity or at least rarely play large, meaningful roles on varsity 15u is the first extended look we get. I watched P7 15u, [program_tooltip program_id='2434055' first='STARS' last='Basketball Club'] 15u, [program_tooltip program_id='2434055' first='STARS' last='Basketball Club'] 15u Premier, BMaze 15u, [program_tooltip program_id='2959163' first='Scenic' last='City Warriors'] 15u, and TN Heat 15u. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As expected, many 15u guys lacked polish but showed promise and committed effort. Height, skill, and athleticism are good indicators of future success within this crazy world of youth basketball. Scan the following evaluations of Raw, Upside Guys.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='3636384' first='Caleb' last='Thrash']</strong> / 2029 5'10" PG / [program_tooltip program_id='2434055' first='STARS' last='Basketball Club'] Premier 15u / Battle Ground Academy</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Speedy. PG. Lefty. Facing and overmanned Carolina Premier Grind 15u Saturday morning in the Kentucky Exposition Center [player_tooltip player_id='3636384' first='Caleb' last='Thrash'] was comfortably faster than the opposing guards. Thrash made good decisions in the open floor and did not turn the ball over. Again, it bears mentioning that Carolina Premier Gold was not a good basketball team and STARS Premier won 58-50. Maybe it should have been more. Regardless, Caleb looked very fast and dangerous. He sees the floor well. Not perfectly yet...but very well. Good court awareness. Offensively he is ahead of defense. Thrash could be more vocal, specifically because he will be a lead guard for most outfits. Battle Ground Academy Head Coach Trey Meyer is high on Caleb and anticipates a steep trajectory for the young guard. The word is that Caleb is a solid outside shooter and capable hitting three-pointers. In the particular game mentioned here and watched this aspect of his game was not required. Obviously, to be a versatile guard Thrash must be able to hit shots when open. [program_tooltip program_id='2434055' first='STARS' last='Basketball Club'] Premier played a lot of players and split the minutes up ferociously. This helped them maintain high energy but made it trickier to track player endurance. [player_tooltip player_id='3636384' first='Caleb' last='Thrash'] will need to add some heft, some good weight in time. With his quick feet and above average change of direction Thrash is going to spend time driving at the trees. It is incumbent that he takes a bump and finishes occasionally. That requires strength/size.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='3699014' first='Noah' last='Cockerham'] </strong>/ 2029 6'2" SG / [program_tooltip program_id='2959163' first='Scenic' last='City Warriors'] 15u / McCallie</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At this point [player_tooltip player_id='3699014' first='Noah' last='Cockerham'] is very, very skinny. Though he stands 6-foot-2 he looks like he will keep growing a few more inches. Thinner guys can add weight easier once they stop growing vertically. That is the hope for Noah. The young guard likes to shoot the 3-pointer. His mobility is better than expected. In fact, Cockerham defended quick guards quite well even though he was/is not very wide to provide a daunting roadblock. Still, Noah moved his feet laterally and got his body in the way. This was the one aspect of his game that surprised me. He was not afraid of physical play, and he also appeared nimbler than I anticipated. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2886594' first='Landon' last='Baldwin']</strong> / 2030 6'11" C / BMaze 15u / Providence Christian Academy</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Well, Providence Christian Academy (PCA) does not intend to purely build from within their walls. This summer PCA attracted a gigantic 2030 from Somerset, Kentucky. His name is [player_tooltip player_id='2886594' first='Landon' last='Baldwin']. He "played up" with BMaze 15u the final LIVE weekend. Baldwin is not just tall. He is very, very strong for his age. The game is that of a throwback center. Think Andre Drummond. He already showed off some decent footwork. He also integrated a left-handed hook shot. There will much more analysis on PrepHoops.com/Tennessee about Landon going forward. Consider this merely an introduction.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->