Recruiting Report: Bryce Hunt (2018)
This past weekend, Bryce Hunt (2018) jumped on to our radar in a major way. The 6’7” athletic wing/forward from Cincinnati Reading made some outstanding transition plays for OT Elite 2018 at the Circle City Shootout — the type of plays only college athletes are capable of.
“What separates me is definitely attacking the rim and being able to make moves in traffic … If I get stopped, I can alter my shot. Say, I go the rim, he steps in front of me, I can switch up my shot in the air and go to my left. Or if he stops me going left, I go up with my right. Make a spin, up-and-under,” Hunt explained.
“Attacking the rim and being how explosive I am, I can get to the rim in like one and half steps. That’s what my strong suit is. I also feel like I have a really good pull-up jumper, like in the mid-range,” Hunt continued.
It’s true. Hunt is a superior athlete at 6’7”, who unsurprising also excels in track and field.
We believe Hunt is a true small forward. However, his skill and size allows flexibility. Defensively, he’s confident that he can check anyone.
“The 1 through the 5, I could defend pretty well,” Hunt said.
Offensively, becoming a reliable perimeter player isn’t a question about his size and athleticism, as he already possesses the necessary tools. As Hunt would tell you himself, it’s primarily about improving the jumper.
“I try to get at least 100 free throws up, and at least 200 shots — usually 100 threes and 200 15-18 footers. I actually have my sister record so I can critique myself,” Hunt said.
He continued on the importance of developing the jumper by saying, “To be honest, that’s the thing I think I need to improve on most. I think I have a pretty decent handle, where I can handle the ball. But my shot isn’t where it needs to be to play at a collegiate level.”
It’s clear that Hunt is his own biggest critic. Even though he believes the jumper is an absolute must, the kid is too big and too athletic not to play college basketball. Consistency with the jump shot is just going to determine Hunt’s ceiling.
Currently, Asbury (KY), Northwood (MI), and Wilmington, have shown interest in Hunt.
Hunt went through unusual circumstances towards the end of last season, when he was a student-athlete at Purcell Marian.
He was asked to leave the team after a situation with a teammate. Purcell Marian told Hunt he could re-apply this coming year, but he plans on finishing up high school at Reading.
“I’m not a troublesome kid. At the moment, I got into it with a teammate in the locker room and it kind of escalated. I got out of character and I made a mistake. I did get into it with another teammate. Basically, they just weren’t having it. They weren’t giving me a chance to redeem myself. Like I said, I had never been suspended from Purcell for anything. I was not a troublesome kid. To be honest, I don’t know why they let me go… Really, I made a mistake. Got out of character. It kind of hurt me because I had to sit out the remaining five games and sit out the tournament,” Hunt said.
“I do want to say that I did make a mistake, I shouldn’t have done that. But I do understand that the mistake is something that actually happened, and I can’t change it. So I just want people to understand, when they see the situation it might look bad but, to actually see me as an individual. You can talk to any coach that’s ever coached me, anyone that’s ever played with me .. I’m not that type of person, I just made a mistake. I just want coaches that to know, I’m not that type of person where I’d bring that type of atmosphere to their school,” Hunt said.
Scouts and coaches can watch Hunt with the OT Elite 2018 in Indianapolis this weekend at Nike Indy Live. Hunt will not be participating on Friday, but will be there Saturday and Sunday.