Top Prospects from TJ Ford Basketball Academy Fall League (2/3)

<p>Check out my analysis on some of the top prospects from TJ Ford Basketball Academy Fall League down in Houston! This was an intense and fun event, chock full of highlights! </p>   <p><strong>Dorian Hayes </strong>2025 6'3 Ridgepoint High School</p>    <p>Dorian is a silky smooth guard prospect who has the ability to score in bunches. He does most of his damage from the mid-range, taking defenders off the bounce in the half court and the open court and calmly getting to his spots. The ease in which he was able to attack off the bounce is already at an incredibly high level for his age. I was very impressed by his poise and calm demeanor he had with the ball. His ability to calmly put up buckets when his team was in need of it most really stood out down the stretch of games, scoring pivotal baskets to keep his team in it. </p>   <p>He showed an ability to knock down shots off the catch, showing good mechanics and a quick release to punish the defense after a crisp cross court pass from his point guard - TJ Ford Jr. Dorian has already showed a budding connection with the guard, and Ford seems to know exactly where he wants the ball every time down the court. He loved sneaking backdoor after his opponent played up on him too tightly, allowing him to blow past them with a simple head fake. Hayes is a 2025 prospect that will quickly garner some attention around the state of Texas this year with his lanky frame and the silkiness and ease in which he can score from all over the floor. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bl9kV1VPHB0 </div></figure>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1354704' first='Chris' last='Catchings'] </strong>2024 6'5 Fort Bend Marshall High School</p>    <p>Chris is an incredibly refined wing player with the ease in which he scores off the bounce from all three levels of the floor. He is a great shot maker, even fading away and coming off the dribble. It looked like he loved working with the shot clock at TJ Ford Academy's gym, routinely getting the ball in order to bail out his teammates at the last second. He displayed elite shot making ability off the bounce, especially from beyond the arc. He knows exactly how much space he needs to get his shot off, and also how much space he needs to shift his defender to get it off. He has all the tools to become an incredibly effective Division 1 wing player or even play at the combo guard spot with his ability to handle the ball, score off the dribble and get past his defenders in both the full court and the half court.</p>   <p>Catchings also makes his mark with his ability to explode with a live dribble, and then detonate and finish over anyone who stands in front of him. He contorts his body well to avoid contact, and loves using his long arms to finish around his opponents. I loved watching him get out of the triple threat and get downhill, he was very skilled at using his quickness to get around his opponents in any situation possible. On the defensive side of the ball, he has incredible instincts and knows when to attack a ball handler with a trap, or rotate over to catch a cross court pass and run on the fast break. He is going to be tasked with being his team's best defender this year, and I am excited to watch him continue to develop on this side of the ball. He already makes good decisions defensively, it will be fun to see him get more aggressive and go after chase down blocks and rotating over to protect the rim. Catchings is a prospect you CANNOT miss out on.  </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anq8jt9lAxU </div></figure>   <p><strong>TJ Ford Jr </strong>2023 5'11 Ridgepoint High School</p>    <p>TJ is the definition of a true point guard, who takes pride in setting up his teammates within the half court. He easily creates a connection with his teammates on the court, even the young players who have just been brought up to Varsity. He makes crisp passes right into their shooting pockets, allowing them to get even better looks on the fast break and within a half court set. He routinely created looks out of the pick and roll, making the right pass on the back side but also finding his big man when he made the right pop or roll decision. I was very impressed with his pose and how naturally he carried himself with the ball in his hands, he got downhill to put pressure on the defense, constantly attacking the rim and using his speed and vertical ability to get downhill. </p>   <p>Ford Jr has really improved his shot making ability off the catch since I last saw him, becoming a more consistent spot up shooter while still wreaking havoc off the bounce. He routinely got to his spots across all three levels of the floor to affect the game. He has explosive leaping ability at the guard position which allows him to hang in the air and finish around defender's outstretched arms. He has the ability to contort his body to get away from contact while also adjusting his shot angle to avoid defenders. He made every finish in the book look routine with the ease in which he scores the basketball. One of the best aspects of his game has to be how well he is able to create space with his handle. He used a series of head fakes and crossovers to consistently create separation. His shiftiness is an elite weapon already, and is sure to make a college coach at the next level absolutely ecstatic for bringing him into their gym. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bl9kV1VPHB0 </div></figure>   <p><strong>Diamon Maloney </strong>2023 6'1 Goose Creek Memorial High School </p>    <p>Diamon is an aggressive wing player who loves punishing you from the inside-out, using his bruising strength and nonstop motor to chase down rebounds and loose balls. His energy is infectious and it really bleeds into his teammates and their tenacity on the defensive end. I love watching him hustle after loose balls and actively defend down low, even despite his minimal stature. What he lacks in height he makes up in strength, bullying his opponent's out of position under the rim. His ability to punish the defense on the interior really stood out, and his determination and aggressiveness underneath the basket will give him an opportunity to play at the next level. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVNCJgjdC_g </div></figure>

Check out my analysis on some of the top prospects from TJ Ford Basketball Academy Fall League down in Houston! This was an intense and fun event, chock full of highlights!