Sin City Scouting Notebook: Jack’s Underclassmen Guard Standouts
The end of the AAU season sees over 1,000 AAU teams travel to Las Vegas to compete in a dozen or so tournaments. It’s a great place to be for a hoops fan, college coach or scout, however there’s just so much going on across the city that it’s hard to see everything. I focused on the Adidas Gauntlet Finale, the Fab 48, Adidas Select Showcase and Bigfoot Hoops The Ei8ht. While I wasn’t able to see everything, I compiled a notebook of standouts from across the country, and here’s a look at some of the underclassmen guards that stood out from across the events.
Ashton Hagans | 6’2” PG | GAME Elite 17U
If I was starting a team and had my choice of any point guard in the country, I would likely pick Hagans. Not saying I’m sure he’s the best point guard in the country, but he’s my type of guy at that position and that’s an absolute DOG! A certain national scout who agrees with me on many things said “He’ll take your lunch, eat it, smile at you and hand you back the bag.” He’s a tremendous on-ball defender, controls the pace offensively, gets in the paint and will and has the ability to finish above the rim or with a soft floater in the middle. What separates him from other guards is that he may have the best vision/feel of anyone in the country. He sees the game a few plays ahead of everyone, and has that innate ability to make everyone on the floor better by putting them in the right situations. He’s dynamic, exciting and looks like someone who everyone would love to play with.
Sherrif Kenney | 6’4” G | Team Loaded VA 16U
Kenney is extremely talented, and he showed his versatility in a number of different ways playing with Team Loaded VA this weekend. What’s good about him is that he’s a stocky guard who can play on or off the ball, and he has natural instincts on the court that allows him to do a number of different things. He has great vision and playmaking ability, and one play I saw left my shaking my head as he dove on the floor for a loose ball, turned and threw three-quarter court pass on a dime for an easy layup. He plays well in transition where he’s a downhill scoring threat, he can shoot it off the catch and he’s able to jump passing lanes and is a good help-side defender too. He added a solid playmaking dynamic to this Loaded group that they were lacking earlier this summer.
Tim Montgomery | 6’1” PG | Team Loaded 757 16U
I didn’t get to see a ton of him, but there was no way they would have won the Adidas Select Showcase 16U Tournament without him. Montgomery is a true floor general who changes pace well, sees the floor and makes great decisions with the ball in his hands. He’s a natural leader that makes other’s better, sets the tone on both ends and is an absolute competitor. He doesn’t care what his stat line is as long as his team wins, and they did plenty of that going 46-5 and winning five tournaments this summer. Expecting his recruitment to take off big time this upcoming season and summer.
Casey Morsell | 6’3” G | Team Takeover 16U
Morsell was one of the catalyst for Takeover in their run to their second straight Fab 48 16U Championship. The St. John’s guard was impressive in a number of ways as a guy who can score it on and off the ball without having to force shots. In transition he plays with pace and sees the floor, is a crafty finisher and can knock down the midrange. Off the ball he moves well, gets to his spots and can shoot it out to 22 plus feet off the catch. He has a natural feel for the game and is able to impact it in so many ways, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he was a breakout player in the WCAC next season as a junior.
RJ Hampton | 6’4” PG | Texas BU Nation 16U
I’m not sure that anyone needs my opinion on this one, but Hampton is an absolute stud and deserves every bit of hype that he’s getting as one of the top players in the country in the class of 2020. I was watching a game next to him, and I kept looking up and seeing this long point guard with an arm sleeve that was getting busy in so many different ways! He’s a smooth ball handler that can work the pick-and-roll, changes direction with ease and can score from all over the floor. In four straight trips down the floor I watched him hit a pull-up going right that he was fouled on, get to the rim and finish with his left through contact, hit a catch-and-shoot three then deliver a dime for an easy lay-up. It’s scary to think that as a point guard he already has great size, IQ and skill set at such a young age.
Isaiah Hill | 6’0” PG | Compton Magic 16U
This kid is a dog! He’s a dynamic scoring point guard that can fill it up in bunches and score it from all over the floor. When I watched them play Team Loaded VA 16U he immediately stood out as he wasted no time getting after it on both ends of the floor. He’s a good shooter from deep with a quick release and good range, gets off his feet well and is a crafty finisher in the lane. On top of that, he’s an active defender that reads the press well and can stay in front of the quickest guards on the ball. He may be a little on the short side, but he can straight up play!
Kerry Martin | 6’0” PG | MATTS Mustangs 16U
This was my second time seeing Martin in as many weeks, and the best word to describe him is shifty! He’s supposedly a very good dual-threat quarterback and safety from Charlestown, WV, and I can absolutely see that with his build and athleticism. He has great burst that leaves guys in the dust, he changes directions well and when he gets downhill staying in front of him is almost impossible. He has takeover ability when he gets it going, and once he gets it going he has to draw help because he’s so tough to stay in front of and then he’s able to create easy shots for teammates. Whether he chooses basketball or football, he has a scholarship in his near future.
Jalen Cone | 5’11” PG | Team Loaded NC 15U
Another guy that’s lightning quick, Cone may have one of the quickest first steps I’ve ever seen in a guard his age. His athleticism is on another level, as he has end-to-end speed that’s out of this world and not only will he go put it on your head, he has great hang time and craftiness around the basket. He doesn’t just use his athleticism on the offensive end, as he can shoot passing lanes from out of nowhere or just beat guys to the spot to take a charge or just strip them on the ball. He’s a good shooter both off the bounce and off the catch, and he continues to get better in that aspect as well. He’s going to be one to keep an eye on for sure moving forward.