Turn up the (3-point) Volume: Part IV
Shooting deserves recognition always. The following players make the skill look absurdly easy. Part II Auden Slaughter | Santa Fe High 2025 G | Auden is a dynamic, freshman scorer similar in motif to Grayson Burleson Grayson Burleson 6'4" | SF…
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Continue ReadingShooting deserves recognition always. The following players make the skill look absurdly easy.
Auden Slaughter | Santa Fe High 2025 G | |
Auden is a dynamic, freshman scorer similar in motif to Grayson Burleson Grayson Burleson 6'4" | SF Summertown | 2025 State TN , in that they are younger brothers with amazing scoring productivity early, early in their high school career. Down three points in the final 30 seconds of the Sectional Game, Auden found himself with the ball and the pressure. Like a veteran, the freshman hit a stout, clamping defender with a step-back three-pointer. Pure. Auden’s footwork was immaculate in that moment. It was too perfect to be an accident. Auden must put in countless hours of work on his game and he hit an enormous bucket with a grown-up move to equalize the tense game. Unfortunately, Santa Fe would go on to lose seconds later.
Macon Adkison | Santa Fe High 2025 G | |
Through no fault of their own, Santa Fe is a tough team to follow. Blame geography and lack of population density. Two freshmen performed wonderfully for the Santa Fe Wildcats this past winter: Macon Adkison, Auden Slaughter. Macon was very, very thin with a quick release. The entire Wildcat team created a world where five second possessions rarely existed. It was catch and chuck. Quick. Quick. Quick. Auden’s potential as a player is interesting though unclear, but the season was definitely successful overall.
Andy Slaughter | Santa Fe 2022 PG | |
Santa Fe’s Andy Slaughter buried a deep, deep three-pointer late in the third quarter of the Sectional Championship against West Carroll. Andy shot that shot and truly all of his shots with a frenzied, almost desperate quickness. After a game of viewing him, it became clear that Andy is simply that kind of player. Everything is fast, fast, fast. He pulls up in the face of a defender without a moment’s hesitation. He raises up to hit a three-pointer without fear or second-guessing. Slaughter’s game was apparently not rare for him, but it was the first time I was able to watch him beyond a short highlight clip.
Gary Bair Gary Bair 6'3" | SG St. Benedict At Auburndale | 2022 State TN Jr. | St. Benedict’s of Auburndale 2022 G | |
For senior Gary Bair Gary Bair 6'3" | SG St. Benedict At Auburndale | 2022 State TN Jr. the outside shooting is not his lone skill. He scored throughout his high school career in a variety of ways: slashing, free throws, posting up, three-pointers. Still, his outside shot was beautiful in form and function. The fluidity stood out as special. The “collection” phase of his shot was very smooth and sleek. No junk embedded. Bair’s collection phase was so often repeated and ironed out that his ‘I am about to shoot’ presentation and his ‘I am about to pass/dribble’ presentation looked identical. The guard used this sneaky, little hesitation moment right before entering into either the shooting or passing phase, allowing him to extend the evaluation a mere moment longer. Cerebral player. Skilled shooter.
Nicolas Smith | York Institute 2022 G | |
A muscular lefty, Nicolas Smith takes a little longer to get into his shot release than most elite shooters. He does get a high release. Smith knows how to use screens to find his shot. Facing Jackson County, Smith used his screens to create the needed space.
Rashaun Wise Rashaun Wise 6'6" | SG FACS | 2022 State TN | FACS 2022 SG | |
State Champion. It is important to give Wise credit for his greatest team accomplishment. The tall wing guard provided FACS with an unlikely (because of his height) three-point weapon during the State Tournament. Wise was helpful during the pummeling of Clarksville Academy, knocking down two three-pointers. Often, Wise was left unmarked in transition, possibly because he was not an adept ball-handler. FACS’ guards demanded much attention and Wise would slink to the arc and provide a scoring option for the team. Also, Wise’s existence outside the lane forced teams to pull a potential defender away from Daniel Egbuniwe Daniel Egbuniwe 6'6" | SF FACS | 2022 State TN ‘s playground.