PrepHoopsTN Recaps: Part VII
MURFREESBORO-
Sunday at the first annual PrepHoopsTN / Above the Rim Gym Fall Combine a good turnout and energetic coaches coalesced to draw some really special performances out. Blackman High School, the site of the event, witnessed the grit of Kley McGowan (Cleveland), the versality and speed of Isaiah Allen (Upperman), and the shooting prowess of Hunter Scurlock (Goodpasture).
Kley McGowan 2021 Cleveland Point Guard
Kley has some heft to him. As a guard Kley can get into the lane a number of ways. He doesn’t have the silly first step of CHS teammate Isaiah Johnson, but he does have some of the natural strength of Jacobi Wood, his other great guard teammate.
McGowan might be able to pan out as a point guard longterm, but finding minutes at that spot at Cleveland High will be tough in the coming two seasons.
Kley McGowan measured 6-foot-2 in shoes and 144.4 pounds on the scale. In the coming year McGowan would benefit from adding good weight to his frame. Though the arms are showing signs of strengthening Kley (PrepHoopsTN #73) is certainly a slender player entering his sophomore season.
In order to keep defenders on his hip he needs bigger hips and more meat to hold steady after bigs foul him underneath.
McGowan’s scoring helped make a spectacular Cleveland High freshman team shine in 2017-2018. Teammates Caleb Bunton (PHT #128) and Grant Hurst (PHT #33) certainly scored plenty too.
McGowan showed off quick feet and a repeatable shooting form.
Already Kley is drawing D3 and D2 interest.
New York Institute of Technology (D2) and Heidelberg University (D3) are showing strong interest in 2021 SG Kley McGowan.
— Cleveland Basketball (@CBR_Basketball) May 18, 2018
Isaiah Allen 2021 Upperman Point Guard
Three Upperman players attended and each brought a drastically different. Isaiah Allen might be an athletic wing long term. While Gore certainly delivers the goods now, Allen could vault ahead of him in four to five years with a deep devotion to his craft. Allen’s straight line speed measured in the 3/4 court sprint (3.75 and 3.87 seconds) better than almost all freshmen. Changing direction quicker will open up the slashing options for Allen.
He has decent hip mobility, but can explode quicker out of the changes. To use a track phrase, Allen needs to ‘minimize lag time’ during his cuts. He doesn’t lack the athletic ability to be really elusive. The technique could use some work with a sprint coach or a running specialist. Plyometrics helps with this too.
For Allen the basketball I.Q. is strong and looks to be fantastic with continued coaching from Upperman High. Like Colin Gore, Allen makes good decisions with most opportunities. He doesn’t turn the ball over much or over-dribble. Camps and combines aren’t ideal settings for team players, but Isaiah Allen is that. The basketball program at Upperman emphasizes discipline and devotion to teammates. Those qualities show in Allen’s game.
Hunter Scurlock 2019 Goodpasture Wing
Goodpasture senior Hunter Scurlock is a mid-range weapon. Last season, a member of Tripp McEachern’s traveling band, Scurlock also scored double figures five times.
Strengths for Scurlock are shooting form and consistency.
When the senior has his feet set he can knock down shots very well. Hunter Scurlock is a strong 15-18′ shooter. Dribbling into his shots he drops a little efficiency.
He has a below average to average handle in the open floor. Scurlock projects as a wing/wing forward.
The biggest weakness is speed of play. In a frenzied setting Scurlock lacks the same effectiveness. Adjusting to speedy guard defenders takes time and experience. In order to develop this aspect of his game Hunter will have to step outside the comfort zone of high school basketball. During the hoop season it is difficult to pick up extra games or practices. Maybe when Goodpasture’s campaign wraps Scurlock can get into some open runs with older, much faster opponents.
Speeding up while maintaining the quality requires players like Hunter to get both faster feet and a faster basketball mind.
It will really help him get off that dangerous shot of which he can market himself going forward.
Read even more about Hunter Scurlock here.