Dr1ven MidSummer Classic Senior Standouts
At Vantage Hoops, we are dedicated to not only getting the kids the right amount of exposure to help them get to the next level, but also preparing the kids for what it takes to the get the next level. With that being said, we decided to partner with Damin Altizer of Dr1ven Training to bring the MidSummer Classic to St. Anne’s Belfield in Charlottesville. 31 kids showed up for a day of intense skill development, and they all left with more of an understanding of what it takes to make it to the next level. Here’s some of the senior standouts from the event.
Chris Rogers | 5’11” PG | East Rockingham 2018
Rogers, who lives about 30 minutes away from Charlottesville, works with Altizer on the regular, but you couldn’t tell the way that he was in stations. This kid loves to work! He was one of the first in and definitely the last out of the gym, and he gave 100% in every station. In games, he showed good vision and shot making ability, and he used what he learned in workouts to make him better on the court.
Cartier Key | 6’0” WG | Albemarle 2018
Key is a local of Charlottesville and took advantage of the opportunity in his backyard. He showed good ability to move without the ball, knock down open shots and rebounded well for his size. He showed a blue collar mentality, getting after it in drills and even competing for loose balls throughout the event.
D’Angelo Ruff | 5’9” PG | Christiansburg 2018
Ruff wasn’t the biggest guy on the court, but boy did he come ready to play. From the jump he was one of the hardest working guys in skill development, especially in the ball handling drills where he showed great improvement. He showed his biggest strength in the scrimmages, where he shot the basketball extremely well from deep. If he plays the way he did Sunday he should have a big senior season at Christiansburg.
Josh Thomas | 6’4” WF | Staunton River 2018
Thomas was one of the guys I was looking forward to see, and I could tell very early why many small school coaches are looking at him. He has good size on the wing at 6’4”, he can shoot it from deep and is a crafty finisher in the middle. His stock will continue to rise if he works on improving his lateral quickness and ball handling.
Kalip Jones | 6’1” PG | Staunton River 2018
Jones was one of many players that made the short trip from Lynchburg to Charlottesville for the event, and he showed a ton of savvy in both the drills and in the live scrimmages. In one-on-one drills, he showed crafty finishing ability and the ability to create space off the bounce. He plays with pace, can score from multiple levels and was one of the better passers at the event too.
Antony Williams | 6’4” PF | EC Glass 2018
Williams has a ton of potential, and his work ethic in the drills sessions shows that he’s one of the kids that wants to get better. He has great length, can run the floor and finish in transition and he’s a big time rebounder on both ends of the floor. He has a good good frame and showed the ability to score from 15 feet and in in a number of ways.
Bert Davis | 5’8” PG | EC Glass 2018
Talk about a kid who came ready to play, Davis was all over the place both in drills and in the scrimmage. He defended the basketball hard, showed a lightning quick first step and great end-to-end speed. In transition and in isolation situations he got to the rim with ease, and showed the ability to create space and finish among much bigger players.
Austin Brown | 6’2” WF | Christiansburg 2018
Brown was impressive in his first live scrimmage, as he showed toughness we didn’t know he had. He took a tough shot that almost lodged a tooth loose, then he got back up and hit three straight triples. He’s a shooter specialist that can really shoot it from deep, and when he plays within himself he can be very effective doing so.