6/7/26: Hunter Noel Hunter Noel 7'0" | C Davidson Academy | 2027 State TN earned placement on the PrepHoopsTN Combine All-Star Team earlier this month. Noel is what centers were for decades: tall, long-armed, homebound. Though he has some shooting touch you are not going to ask Noel to hedge out 18-20′ as a defender. That is a disastrous gameplan. When pitted against Beech in June, Davidson Academy kept Noel beneath the free throw line despite Beech’s relentless attempt to pull him away from the lane and it worked as a strategy. Noel is exceedingly coachable. He made a lot of defensive reads correctly with his eyes and feet against Beech High. A dream for anyone eager to instruct him. It is a tall ask for a tall, young man but Hunter needs to get stronger in his back to fend off the hyena-like rebounding foes. They try, and sometimes succeed, in uprooting him or dislodging him from the best position.

7/5/25: Junior center Hunter Noel Hunter Noel 7'0" | C Davidson Academy | 2027 State TN eagerly posted up, but sometimes had trouble gaining leverage on the defenders when he backed down. This is quite common for tall, slender bigs because they often get guarded by shorter, more stocky guys. Hunter will have to continue to get stronger in the lower body and in the long-term he will find it easier to establish on the blocks with this added power and weight. His understanding of the game is better than six months ago. Facing Lebanon Hunter passed exceptionally out of the post. He did not get “sticky” hands and routinely found the open man. Lebanon did not double the post as aggressively as some teams might, but this court awareness and willingness to kick it out will serve him well for years.

12/13/24: Sophomore Hunter Noel Hunter Noel 7'0" | C Davidson Academy | 2027 State TN is all of 6-foot-10, pushing 6-foot-11 before 2025 arrives. What makes Noel a college prospect? Well, the height. And then the work ethic. Noel is built like a fawn, a young basketball deer that obviously needs to “grow into his body” and yet he is modestly nimble on the floor against guys almost all 6+ inches shorter than him. Hunter is in the Tennessee Tiger basketball program. You can expect to hear a ton from him during the 16u AAU season this next spring/summer.