Under the Radar

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Try as we might to see and promote every talented player, inevitably we miss or underestimate certsim guys. Read about several overlooked players that we would be remiss to exclude from our coverage. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2><strong>Ben Groth</strong> - Tennessee HEAT - 2024</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"Groth has an extremely quick first step," shared Tennessee HEAT Head Coach Joe Bond. "At 6-foot-1, he can elevate. He has a 33-inch vertical. He doesn't shoot many three's because he can get to the rim."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Do not make the mistake of assuming he faces weak competiton because his squad is a homeschool juggernaut. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"He scored 33 against Columbia Academy (11-19 FG)," said Coach Bond. "<strong>Jeremy Jackson</strong> guarded him. CA put Jeremy put on <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1400749' first='Collin' last='France']</strong>, in a District Tournament game. I think he had 25 against them the second time." </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He does foul too much, says Coach Bond, which caused him to miss much of the first half against the Cougars.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"He had 15 points and 6 rebounds. He was 7-11 [against Goodpasture]."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"We finished seventh in the nation last year. He started in regional last year, he is late-bloomer." We are ranked third this year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"He had 37 against Valor Prep. He had 15 and 12 against the Beech."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>https://twitter.com/tn_heat_sports/status/1624833305186033664?t=eZF1M7yiMWL5DS-egBHvSg&amp;s=19</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"He had 13 and 8 against Creekwood. He gets from ground level to top of his jump as anyone I have seen."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"I get a lot of D3 calls. He earned a 33 on the ACT. He has gotten some looks." </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"Rockvale, he had 17 and 10." RHS is among the most athletic 4A teams in the state, typically led in rebounding by a future D1 track star.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"The kid can play."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Jakabri Stevenson - Lawrence County - 2024</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The speed and agility of Jakabri Stevenson ranks near the top of D8-3A. Quick with the ball, Jakabri is a versatile scorer from 12' and in. Stevenson's coach labeled him the team's best on-ball defender.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>[player_tooltip player_id='1665186' first='Markell' last='Sibert'] - Rockvale - 2023</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"I had a couple of colleges reach out to [[player_tooltip player_id='1665186' first='Markell' last='Sibert']]," said Coach Ingram. "He made a name for himself during the summer." Roane State and Johnson University wanted more film, back in November. So hungry on defense and on the glass. At 6-foot-4, capable of defending, Sibert has the makeup of a NAIA-floor off-guard.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Obgonna Agbo - Hamilton Heights Christian Academy - 2023</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1495420' first='Ogbonna' last='Agbo'] is a rare athletic dynamo. Elite rebounder. Incredible explosion. Shooting range is limited. Capable of defending 2-4 at college level. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/HHhawksbball/status/1626049520483155968?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/HHhawksbball/status/1626049520483155968?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->