Freshmen playing Varsity Spotlight: Young Talent
Freshmen kids playing Varsity is a big jump for most kids. They are skipping two levels of competition. Michael Jordan didn’t play Varsity basketball as a Freshman. So when a kid plays varsity as a Freshmen, its a huge deal. Here are six kids with something special.
Zaon Collins (Bishop Gorman)– Zaon was a highly sought after recruit in middle school. Yes, high schools were all hoping they would end up with Zaon. He is a 6-0” guard who played middle school ball with Frankie Collins (no relation) in 8th grade at Faiss MS and won a championship there. Both were high level guards at the time but Zaon was slightly better and more athletic at the time. Zaon has extremely good court vision and never looks down. He can score at all three levels and uses both hands at finishing. He currently holds offers from UNLV, TCU, Washington and Southern Miss.
Will McClendon (Bishop Gorman)– Will is part of the duo that came to Bishop Gorman with Zaon Collins. Will is a larger SG who plays more off the ball but does damage just the same. Will has a bit stronger frame for the same age and year as Collins. Both play Varsity and both play real minutes in big games. This is the anomaly for Freshmen players.
Frankie Collins (Clark HS) – Frankie plays PG for the Clark Chargers in the Southwest League who rival Gorman locally in Las Vegas. Frankie is used to winning just like Zaon. Frankie is a bit more pass first than other point guards but he can he score when needed. He stands at 6-0” tall and while not huge he is expected to grow a few inches. He doesn’t hold any offers yet but let’s be serious, most kids don’t have legit offers until their Junior year even if they are great. Frankie is part of a history of Freshman star players at Clark High School the past few years. 30
Anthony Swift (Durango HS)– Swift is another kid to come from the Faiss MS program that was a beast two years ago. Swift stands about 6-4 or 6-5” tall now. He is long, athletic and gifted. He is still adjusting to the speed of the game and playing help defense at the highest level for High School. He has tremendous upside as he may grow more and he is an offensive force at so young. He plays for Durango HS in the Southwest League and plays sparing minutes but at any other smaller school he would be a force.
Drake Booker (Durango HS) – Drake was the final piece of the puzzle at Faiss middle School. Hard to imagine so much talent at one place. I met both Drake and Anthony at my final year of coaching and these kids are were so far ahead of their time in 8th grade. Drake was much more polished coming into high school. He was 6-1” tall and strong both mentally and physically. He isn’t leading Durango in scoring but he plays real minutes and contributes each night. That alone for a Freshman is a huge feat. Neither Drake or Anthony have any offers yet but they are high on the radar of many coaches.
Jaden Hardy (Coronado HS) – Jaden is a 6-4” PG at Coronado with intangibles you just don’t coach. Jaden is the best of the bunch coming from Michigan with his brother Amauri who plays at UNLV now. He is the leading scorer for the Cougars averaging around 18-20 ppg. He is a high major prospect and will likely fill it up all year long. Little is known about his years prior but he came from out of town and caught attention right away. He is one player in Las Vegas you should come to watch. He will be a special player in 4 years from now.
This group of 6 are probably the most notable Freshmen in town.