Western Kentucky Team Camp: Top Performers
Friday I spent the day at Western Kentucky’s Diddle Arena watching some of Kentucky’s most talented players and teams. There were some high level games and some blowouts but it was good to see some of the Western Kentucky talent…
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Continue ReadingFriday I spent the day at Western Kentucky’s Diddle Arena watching some of Kentucky’s most talented players and teams. There were some high level games and some blowouts but it was good to see some of the Western Kentucky talent that we don’t get to see a lot of during the regular high school season. Here are some of the top players at WKU’s annual team camp. There were some teams that played Thursday and left but I didn’t see them since I was only at camp on Friday.
Dayvion McKnight, Collins – McKnight was the best player at camp on Friday. It may not have been very close either. Dayvion dominates games without scoring 25 and 30 points per game. He rebounds at a high rate and runs the Collins offense while setting his teammates up to score. Likely to be a front runner for Mr. Basketball in 2020, McKnight is one of the best prospects in the class and maybe the most valuable to his team.
JJ Traynor, Bardstown – Bardstown was pretty hard to watch as they lost 3 games by 20+ but Traynor was the lone bright spot for the Tigers. JJ has started relying on the mid range jumper a little too much right now but you just don’t see many 6’8 kids who can pull a rebound and lead the break. Traynor’s ceiling is way up there as a prospect.
Isaiah Mason, Bowling Green – Mason was solid all day Friday but needs to start being more consistent. Isaiah is prone to disappearing for minutes at a time. When he’s good, he’s one of the best in 2021 but when Mason isn’t aggressive on the offensive end, he doesn’t affect the game enough in other ways. Make no mistake, he’s a D1 kid in college. But if he wants to be the top dog in 2021 he’s going to have to keep that aggressive mentality he has flashed at times.
Kenny White, Madisonville – Another player who I love but needs to have that motor running more is Kenny. White has the skills and size to be a high major player as a 6’7 wing. But he plays a little slower than he should. Everyone saw Kenny become a star at Rupp Arena back in March. If he can be that player all the time, we could be talking about pro potential down the line.
Trey James, Martin County – Trey was the best I’ve seen him play on offense Friday night against Lincoln County. He was scoring with jumpers over both shoulders and rebounded at a high level as usual. The only problems Trey had when I watched was that he seemed to run out of gas in the second half. James already doesn’t run very well and when he got tired he started getting beat in transition by rim runners. It was good to see Trey play well but it looks like he won’t have much help again this year as Martin County got beat pretty handily both times I saw them Friday.
Rooster Woodard, Logan County – Woodard continues to improve and his motor never quits. The 16u MVP at the State Tournament, Rooster had the best dunk of the day on Friday and keeps getting better with the ball in his hands. Rooster could be the best Junior in Western Kentucky this season as he has started passing many of those who were ahead of him.
Ksuan Casey, Madisonville – Long one of my favorite players in the 2020 class, Ksuan was his typical self on Friday. He’s a force down low but doesn’t get enough post touches in my opinion. If Casey can stop power dribbling and just go score over the opposing big, he will greatly improve his field goal percentage and stop giving the defense time to collapse on him. If Ksuan can slim down a little more, he can be a mid major D1 big man at worst.
Marcellus Vail, Collins – Vail seems to be turning the corner as a prospect. He’s been a good scorer for a couple of years but now he’s effecting the game on both ends on the floor with improved rebounding and defense both on and off the ball. Marcellus shot the ball well all day Friday and is one of the few shooters in Kentucky who already shoots from very deep with accuracy.
Jaxon Smith, Lincoln County – Smith continues to see his stock rise. He’s shooting the ball well and creating offense for his teammates. The only concern with him right now is that Jaxon has been injured a few times lately and can’t seem to get back to 100%. Smith also looks to be growing right now and can be a big time college prospect if he keeps growing and developing his game.
Aden Nyken, Barren County – Aden is going to find his way into the next 2022 rankings update. Long and athletic, Nyken has a lot of potential and is a kid I hadn’t seen or heard of before Friday. He could be an impact player in the Sophomore class if he develops and reaches his ceiling.
Alex Matthews, John Hardin – When Bowling Green and John Hardin locked horns, John lost but Alex was the best player on the floor. The same could be said for their win over Madisonville earlier in the day. Matthews just outworks the opposition with a motor that never quits running. He averages a double double for a reason and was one of the better players at camp on Friday.