Spring Preview: 2020’s Toughest
The spring is now just about here and we are spending time over the next month preparing and previewing all you need to know about the 2020 class as AAU gets ready to get going. We will breakdown many areas with not only position breakdowns but the best of the best. Today, we are looking at those toughest prospects in the 2020 class.
Prospect | HT | POS | High School |
Jake Archbold | 6’4 | SG | Homestead |
Isaac Farnsworth | 6’1 | SG | Fort Wayne Snider |
Deontae Craig | 6’4 | SF | Culver Academies |
Justin Fickling | 6’4 | SG | South Knox |
Dillon Duff | 6’4 | SF | Fort Wayne Snider |
Jack Townsend | 6’2 | SG | Bloomington North |
Tre Coleman | 6’5 | SF | Jeffersonville |
Michael Saunders Jr. | 5’10 | PG | Lawrence North |
Jakylen Thomas | 5’6 | PG | Marion |
Brayton Bailey | 6’2 | SG | Bedford North Lawrence |
Breakdown: One of the qualities that college coaches seem to value that players don’t always show is toughness. It is that quality that makes you stand out in every game as a part that you can control no matter what. However, it is hard to find.
With this 2020 class, there are quite a few guys to take a look at here. At the top of the list, Jakylen Thomas, Deontae Craig, and Dillon Duff seem to show this the most. Thomas is a spitfire who might be small in stature but he plays big and is tougher than any you will find with his passion and energy. Craig isn’t as outspoken but he’s probably more physical and overpowering and doesn’t back down. Dillon has the energy and effort level that others just don’t and he will throw his body around to make plays.
Fort Wayne actually takes quite a few of these spots with guys like Duff but also Jake Archbold and Isaac Farnsworth. Jake is a big guard that does everything defensively and is physical at the point of attack. Farnsworth is a big guard with some hidden athletic ability and he plays with a lot of energy at all times.
A couple higher end players that show this quality is Tre Coleman, Michael Saunders Jr., Brayton Bailey. Coleman is just a big dude with energy and more skill every time you see him and the energy he plays with makes him special. Bailey has that toughness as well. He’s never phased and he’s got that ultimate green light and skill to let him play his skill up. Saunders shows his toughness more on his ball handling ability as he doesn’t slow down or avoid contact going at the rim. You are going to have to really knock him down to slow him down.
Two more under-the-radar guys in this class are Jack Townsend and Justin Fickling. Townsend is the more well known guy and for good reason. He’s a little spastic in his style and super high energy which makes him fun to watch. He’s an alpha that only knows one speed. Fickling is a big guard who can really do a lot with the ball in his hands. He’s really overpowering against smaller guards and just pushes them around.