Newcomers in Class of 2020: Part VI
Check out newly ranked members of the junior class below. If you want to look at the complete rankings, smash here. Newcomers are either players previously undervalued or possibly players that developed their game in the last few months. For most…
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Continue ReadingCheck out newly ranked members of the junior class below.
If you want to look at the complete rankings, smash here.
Newcomers are either players previously undervalued or possibly players that developed their game in the last few months. For most of the newcomers we ranked it simply comes down to exposure. They didn’t advance as far in the playoffs as other players or their AAU team was playing on a forgettable circuit.
For whatever reason these players escaped the @PrepHoopsTN gaze until now. Read about why they earned their way into the latest 2020 rankings.
These players represent two newly ranked Class of 2020 hoopers (ranking listed left of their name).
#111 Trent Lovelace (Morristown East)
Classic off-guard, Trent Lovelace scores in a variety of ways. Helped by his post buddies, Lovelace gets into the seams of the defense constantly. He is not jet quick, but he is quick enough for 2AAA where he gets that first dribble and first step ahead of the slide. Lovelace thrives as a mid-range threat and can finish at the rim.
Projecting him two years out, Lovelace is a small college scoring threat. Again, he scores from multiple points on the floor and cares more about winning than stats. Always lean on scorers that understand how to get theirs, but don’t NEED to score to be satisfied. Lovelace’s outside shooting is fine. It can improve, as can any developing player’s.
#114 Gary Smith Jr. (Columbia Academy)
Height is the one commodity that generally does not commonly exist throughout most of the high school hoopers in Tennessee with college ambitions. If skill and drive were the only necessary qualifications thousands more undersized stars would advance to college basketball. Smith Jr. gets this lofty ranking because he handles like a wing and stands 6-foot-6. One extra contributing asset from Smith Jr. might be rebounding. He certainly puts up impressive rebounding numbers for Columbia Academy though his competitors on the glass are light on college potential. This might be a difficult stat to extrapolate out.
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