Announcement
I am going to post these evaluations here once again. Some folks like this; some don’t. My goal is to be transparent. When I have end-of-year meetings with players those messages often simply do not get passed to those at home as easily as this information does. Nothing posted here is meant to be meanspirited. This is where you stand. This is what you need to work on. I hope you’ll use this information to make an educated decision as to your future in the program. If you don’t like your evaluation, work on your weaknesses. If you like your evaluation, don’t get complacent. A lot can and will change between now and next season.
As a team we lose three seniors but return five guys who started at different junctures during the season. The strength of the group is shooting, and the weakness of this core group of returners is size. Who will play the 5? Will one of the bigs from JV fit into the lineup, or will Joel play a quasi-five, and we will go “small”? Who will replace Gus’s leadership, and who will rebound?
Clegg, Joshua – Josh comes off a great season where he became a solid starter and the glue that held us together defensively. Josh sets the tone for almost everything we do. We follow his lead, especially on the defensive end. I need him to get more vocal and take over more of the leadership. He also needs to shoot thousands of shots over the summer so that he gains confidence in what is a very decent jumper. Improved strength and agility will make him an even better defender as well. Projection: Varsity Starter
Sanders, Joel – Joel comes off an all-conference season and heads into what should be a huge senior year. Joel needs to continue to develop his footwork, strength, and agility skills. He needs to make sure is ready to shoot upon catch and keep quickening his delivery. A pull-up jumper would add nicely to his offensive repertoire, and improved defensive urgency will open coaches’ eyes from the next level. Sometimes the motor isn’t running at full speed, and he wants to stand. Joel needs to watch Steve Alford video to see what moving without the ball really means. Next year everyone will be keying on him; he’s got to learn to position himself. I don’t think that making all-conference is out of the question. Projection: Varsity Starter
Hall, Luke – Again, Luke is another player coming off a great season. If he can remain healthy, the sky is the limit. Luke needs to add some strength. He plays very hard, and his motor is good. He needs to streamline his shot release and make sure it comes off his hand the same way every time. We need to find a way for him to relax and play. As with everyone, athleticism, strength, and agility improvements will help. Projection: Varsity Starter
Miller, Jayden – Jayden made huge strides throughout the season, and my confidence in him is sky-high. Jayden benefitted greatly by splitting time between JV and varsity. His confidence in the jump shot improved. The next weapon in his arsenal…Jayden needs to make things happen defensively, and he needs to get to loose balls. As with everyone, athleticism, strength, and agility improvements will help. Projection: Varsity Starter
York, Colton – Much like Clegg, Colton plays with a very high motor, and I never question his work ethic. He needs to work on body language and prepare for offensive and defensive plays a little earlier. Right now, he simply relies upon superior athleticism when under the gun. We need Colton to spend lots of time shooting the basketball this summer. He’s very good at attacking the basket, but he needs more confidence in his jump shot. As with everyone, athleticism, strength, and agility improvements will help. Projection: Varsity starter
Duke, Colten – Colton’s footwork and educated hands showed significant improvement throughout the year. He needs to develop confidence and be willing to challenge a defender inside. Confidence is the main issue; he doesn’t believe in himself as much as I believe in him. His jump hook needs to be the weapon of choice and he needs to quicken his decision-making process. Defensively, he just needs to stay in front of offensive players and then blockout on every possession. As with everyone, athleticism, strength, and agility improvements will help. Projection: Varsity starter to varsity sub to JV split
McCormick, Mac – Mac has tons of potential, but quite frankly, I don’t know if he really wants to play. Mac could be better than good. He could be a great high school basketball player. However, he’s got to want to; we can’t force him. Mac needs to utilize footwork in the post, and he needs to demand the ball in the post. Mac could very well be the missing link for next season. Only time will tell. Projection: Varsity starter to varsity sub to JV split.
Duke, Ryder – For a guy who was thrown to the wolves early, I felt like Ryder had a great year. We pushed him into the point guard role for the JV early simply because he was unafraid of the assignment. Ryder showed tremendous improvement over the season. His shooting confidence improved, and he was the floor general most of the time. Ryder’s motor is good as is attitude! He needs to eliminate the unforced errors and keep shooting jumpers. As with everyone, athleticism, strength, and agility improvements will help. Projection: Varsity sub to JV split
Battles, Leyton – Another JV guy took huge strides towards being a big-time player, Leyton improved drastically over the season. Confidence is key here. He needs to calm down and play with confidence. Motor is good, attitude is good. Shoot the basketball!! As with everyone, athleticism, strength, and agility improvements will help. Projection: Varsity to sub to JV split
Kiteka, Wally – Wally is one of the hardest characters to figure that I’ve ever coached. He came on strong towards the end of the season. Waly is a very good one-on-one player, and he has good athleticism. The defensive end holds Wally back as does his ability to run offenses. As with everyone, athleticism, strength, and agility improvements will help. Projection: Varsity to sub to JV split
Heiden, Carson – Carson is a young man we threw into the JV lineup early but struggled to stay healthy during the season. He has lots and lots of potential. He is also another guy I honestly can’t quite figure out. I believe he has the athleticism and ability to compete for a varsity spot this season, but I don’t sense any urgency from him. It may be that he just needs to continue to season and mature, but I think he’s ready to compete now. I saw him dominate JV play and I saw him coast. I prefer him to dominate. As with everyone, athleticism, strength, and agility improvements will help. Projection: Varsity to sub to JV split
Johnson, Justice – Justice benefited by getting huge C team minutes over the year. With two senior posts on the varsity and two posts on the JV, there wasn’t much room for big minutes early. I hope Justice has a big summer and works on perimeter skills so that we can use him in more capacities. He proved to be a hustler and a hard worker. As with everyone, athleticism, strength, and agility improvements will help. Projection: JV Player
Eaton, Lucas – Lucas is another young man who, like me, struggled to stay healthy this season. He needs a big summer in the weight room and in the gym to keep improving his stock. Lucas can shoot the basketball, and he is very competitive. Lucas needs to gain strength and agility. He also will benefit by footwork repetition. As with everyone, athleticism, strength, and agility improvements will help. Projection: JV Player
Meadows, Cam – Cam’s a kid who has just kept his head down and has taken care of opportunities he’s gotten. Like Lucas, Cam is a streaky shooter who can light it up at times. Cam needs to gain strength and agility. He also will benefit from tons of footwork repetition. As with everyone, athleticism, strength, and agility improvements will help. Projection: JV Player
Fleetwood, Aiden – If there’s better kid in the program than Aiden, someone need to point him out to me. Aiden is a great kid who we love having in the program. He simply has not developed size and strength needed as of yet. He needs CONFIDENCE, strength and athleticism. His has skills are decent but defers to others too often. Projection: JV Player
Gillis, Tyson – Tyson is a guy who also struggled to stay healthy. He’s got solid athleticism, and his attitude has always seemed on track to me. It hasn’t helped that Tyson plays the position tht90% of our players play. However, that crowd is thinning. Opportunities will be available. As with everyone, athleticism, strength, and agility improvements will help. Projection: JV Player
Hahn, Conner – Connor made the most out of his freshman year. I felt he benefitted by the minutes he got on the C team. He is a scrappy player who plays hard. As with everyone, athleticism, strength, and agility improvements will help. Projection: JV Player
Wendell, Preston- Very solid defensive minded guy who has a future in the program if he sticks with it. Plays hard. Reminds me of a young version of Clegg. Projection: JV Player
Phillips, Brody – Like Connor, Brody battled his way through the season and seemingly improved throughout. He’s a hustler and competitor. As with everyone, athleticism, strength, and agility improvements will help. Projection: JV Player
Wendell, Carson – hard worker and potential player for the future. Reminds me of a young Clegg! As with everyone, athleticism, strength, and agility improvements will help. Projection: JV Player
Turner, Thomas – Thomas is a young man who fought injury this season. However, he seemingly improved throughout. As with everyone, athleticism, strength, and agility improvements will help. Projection: JV Player
Drelman, Carson – Carson joined us late in the year and showed glimpses of ability. We will be better able to assess him this summer. As with everyone, athleticism, strength, and agility improvements will help. Projection: JV Player
