Team Thad 16u Player Development: Alec Kegler, Anthony Jones
Team Thad AAU whistled through another successful summer, from their youngest to the Fab48 Champion 17u bannermen.
Most of the 2018 Team Thad 17u players will consist of the thriving 16u leaders. This summer Coach Joshua Weeden coached the lengthy, spry Team Thad 16u squad. He gave @PrepHoopsTN an exclusive interview during July. These are his thoughts on the men he coached all summer.
Alec Kegler (Clarksville Northeast)
Alec Kegler (2019) is one of the top five players in Clarksville right now with the potential to be the next D1 prospect to emerge from that proud city.
“He is about 6-4,” said Team Thad 16u Head Coach Joshua Weeden. “Very athletic. Very strong. Can play multiple positions. He is more of a utility guy. He can play the three, he can play the four. He can rebound really well. That is what he does. He follows the ball to the basket. He defends the two, the three, and the four. Whatever we need him to do.”
Alec Kegler/ Photo by Andrew ForceOne criticism Memphis coaches tend to whisper about non-Memphis players is that the coaching isn’t as good outside Memphis. The thinking is that players like Kegler might develop faster with AAU programs like Team Thad or Team Penny. Is this something Coach Weeden (Nashville-based) sees in Kegler’s game?
“Alec Kegler has been coached really well, but the one thing I could say is that he can work on his ball-handling and become more of a guard,” said Coach Weeden. “If he becomes more of a 2-3 than a 3-4, then he will be a mid- to high-major player because of his aggression and the way that he plays.”
Defensive devotion and upper body strength get young players on the floor quicker at the college level. Regardless of what position he projects at Alec Kegler is a grinder who will defend for you.
“He is a very hungry player,” said Coach Weeden. “I just want him to get more comfortable with handling the ball at the 2-spot.”
Anthony Jones (Humboldt)
Humboldt began last winter 15-1 with promising wins over Memphis Central and Cordova. Their program is on the rise and Anthony Jones (2019) is a big part of that success.
“Anthony Jones is a freak of nature,” said Coach Weeden. “He is all over the place. He is a high-flyer. One thing I can say is he needs to just keep building his confidence in handling the ball, better decision-making. Other than that he plays hard and he plays above the rim, as well.”
Humboldt plants Anthony Jones under the rim. Team Thad used him more on the wing, doubling as a big in smaller sample size.
The 6-foot-4 forward could become a college wing.
“Anthony can be…he has high-major athleticism, but he has mid-major decision-making right now and skill work,” said Coach Weeden.
The Team Thad 16u coach liked to use him all over the floor on defense.
“We use him at the two, the three, the four, and sometimes the five because he is very versatile,” said Coach Weeden. He plays the five in high school, so we try to take advantage of that against bigger players that he can guard, but they can’t guard him on the defensive end.”
How well does he trap (a Team Thad staple)?
“He does really well,” said Coach Weeden. “I want him to be a split second faster with the decision-making. When we are trapping I want him to be able to shoot the gap a little bit faster to get some of those steals that we are missing.”