OK un-offered: Skipper and Barnes
It has been a weird summer for every person involved with grassroots basketball — coaches, evaluators and prospects alike. Forfeiting a significant portion of their senior summers, a few Oklahoma ’21 prospects may be left feeling slighted by the effects…
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Continue ReadingIt has been a weird summer for every person involved with grassroots basketball — coaches, evaluators and prospects alike.
Forfeiting a significant portion of their senior summers, a few Oklahoma ’21 prospects may be left feeling slighted by the effects of Coronavirus. Ahead of the first NCAA period of evaluation, Prep Hoops Oklahoma has worked diligently to gather information on college hopefuls without offers. The following text will include brief evaluations on a few of the players from that category with the most to offer a college program including projected levels of play.
Devon Barnes | Lawton Christian |
6’1″ PG | N/A |
Receiving a top-thirty national positional ranking, Barnes’ position on Division-I radars is only a matter of when, not if.
Barnes’ most salient D-I trait is his stop-and-go speed, and in its application to his game it becomes clear why he should be a candidate for D-I programs; the 6-foot-1-inch point guard can do everything you want from a primary guard at high-level speed — and high-level control. One of the most talented passers in the state, Barnes can zip top-quality passes within the perimeter to his teammates with elite precision. As a scorer, Barnes does everything within his talents to perfection; he sees the correct play, twists his body with the correct motion and finishes with the correct hand almost every time. Barnes can also shoot the ball well from beyond the arch, and he can convert on shots in movement, as well.
As humdrum as it may read, Barnes is an essential play-maker who does everything the right way. The tape does not lie when it comes to this point guard.
Jackson Skipper | Sapulpa |
6’7″ PF | BTR/PWP |
Skipper is bound to blow up any day now.
The 6-foot-7-inch stretch from Sapulpa has seen his game transform in some big ways. Hitting a growth-spurt during his sophomore summer lent him with an obvious advantage, but it was his skill that carried him through his career to becoming the player he is now. He has developed a nice shot with a clean technique, and; though moderate in that department, he will be more than capable of hitting spot-ups at the next level. With that has come his mid-range improvements which cannot be undervalued. His skill to find and sink intuitive shots from the high interior — the catch-and-gather, returning boards, finishing through contact — may be his bread-and-butter at the next level.
Defensively, he puts a lot of stock into being able to block shots around the rim, another integral skill to his game. The same hand-work that allows him such liberty around the basket translates to his ability to handle opposing shots and send them back towards the perimeter. Film.