Watching the Watchers: April AAU Takeaways
April is generally a dynamic month of initial college recruiter evaluations nationwide. College coaches are beginning to evaluate the junior class and sometimes extend offers. Much occurred, but these are some observations and notable evaluations from the turbulent, exciting month…
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Continue ReadingApril is generally a dynamic month of initial college recruiter evaluations nationwide. College coaches are beginning to evaluate the junior class and sometimes extend offers.
Much occurred, but these are some observations and notable evaluations from the turbulent, exciting month on the road.
Lipscomb Looks
Japheth Richmond Japheth Richmond 6'6" | PF White County | 2023 State TN (White County) mentioned he was receiving some phone contact from Lipscomb’s coaching staff and Trevecca Nazarene. Richmond was an All-Star at the 2021 PrepHoopsTN Combine and actually earned Mr. Unorthodox for his versatile, uncommon yet consistent scoring style. The lefty was and is able to operate rather well within 8′. During the second LIVE Period of April, Richmond was evaluated multiple times by Lipscomb Assistant Coach Kevin Carroll. Trevecca Nazarene Assistant Coach Tyde Coffey maintains consistent communication with Richmond.
Lipscomb Assistant Coach Carroll also spent time watching Team Brandan Wright 17u at the same venue in Louisville, Kentucky mid-April. TBW is playing their first 17u season, after primarily competing as an elite girls basketball program for years. The program featured some nice, young age groups, but this is the big boy’s world and TBW put together a decent roster of players.
Team Brandan Wright 17u Roster (Likely Evaluated)
Jayson Nixon
Jayson
Nixon
6'1" | PG
Brentwood Academy | 2023
State
TN
(Brentwood Academy)
Drey Moss (Brentwood Academy)
Calvin Goliday
Calvin
Goliday
6'3" | PG
Hillwood | 2023
State
TN
(Hillwood)
Jack Medalie
Jack
Medalie
6'6" | SG
Franklin | 2023
State
TN
(Franklin)
Most likely, Jack Medlie and Calvin Goliday Calvin Goliday 6'3" | PG Hillwood | 2023 State TN are the guys Lipscomb would spend time checking out. Drey and Jayson are much less likely to strike the fancy of a D1 program, though they are certainly worth watching for a smaller college.
Coach Carroll also put some time into watching Stars Basketball 16u, a team with Dominic Reed (Centennial) and Oliver Sellers (Battle Ground Academy).
Lipscomb is ‘all over’ Alex Hyder Alex Hyder 6'3" | SG Cleveland | 2023 State TN , the Tennessee Tiger 17u starter and the Cleveland High School leader. Hyder does not have an offer, but the program continues to reach out to his family and AAU Coach Chip Smith. Hyder is also getting strong interest from Chattanooga.
Broad Searches
Courtney Smith reported on T.J. Thomas T.J. Thomas 6'1" | SG FACS | 2022 State TN in April. T.J. Thomas, FACS: The senior point guard has committed to Collin College out of McKinney, Texas.
Doyel Cockrill III Doyel Cockrill III 6'2" | PG Pearl-Cohn | 2023 State TN (Pearl-Cohn) added an offer from Fisk University.
2023 6’1 PG @GabeLeeper was inquired this week by Willamette University – D3
U.S. Coast Guard Academy – D3
Spring Hill – D2
Citadel – D1
Tabor College – NAIA
Marietta College – D3 @CBR_Basketball @PrepHoopsTN @dessculpepper23— FastBreakAAU (@FastBreakAAU) May 4, 2022
Jaye Nash Jaye Nash 6'2" | PG McEachern | 2024 State GA earned an offer from Missouri and picked up interest from powers Baylor, Kentucky, Kansas, USC, Duke, and the new LSU coaching staff, per esteemed writer Courtney Asher Smith.
Belmont Searching
Belmont is a program with a very, clearly-defined identity. They are quite insular, friendly, hard-working, Christian-centered, academically-committed, shooter-driven. Possibly because their identity and program stability is baked into the recruitment, the Belmont program, unlike many in the country, almost entirely avoided the transfer portal or losing players to transfer until this off-season.
JaCobi Wood (Cleveland ’20) elected to leave and he will now attend Murray State. Despite bringing in Jakobi Gillespie Jakobi Gillespie 6'0" | PG Greeneville | 2022 State TN , two-time State Champion, Belmont needs to look for 2023 targets. To that end Belmont Assistant Coach Tyler Holloway put time in watching the Tennessee Tigers 17u program twice on a mid-April Saturday.
Other programs that invested coach’s time evaluating the Tennessee Tigers 17u team were: Albion College, Mercer, Denison, IUPUI.
Denison is a d3 in Ohio and Albion is a D3 in Michigan. Mercer and IUPUI are both D1. The IUPUI staff was on Alex Hyder Alex Hyder 6'3" | SG Cleveland | 2023 State TN very early, dating back to last spring and summer.
Junior colleges spent a few moment watching Chattanooga Elite 17u, while Furman and a couple of coaches watched a game within which Jairus Terry (Fayette-Ware) played. The coaches were not necessarily tracking Jairus.
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