After an impressive season at Hoggard last season, 2021 6'2 Brady Rankin is continuing to prove that he is a player to be known about in North Carolina. Averaging 16.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.5 steals per game, Rankin has steadily improved his game, showing he can be a consistent scorer and be a threat from deep, knocking down 80 3-pointers this past season.
Phenom Hoops broke it down more with Rankin, to get the latest around the rising senior.
1-on-1 with Rankin:
Phenom: How did this season go for you' You had a tremendous season. What was your mindset and what did you want to show with your game'
Rankin: I think it went really well, it was a learning experience as I went through sort of a shooting slump for a period of games and was able to break myself out of it and finish the season strong. But I wanted to try and prove that I can do other things when I'm being face guarded and still distribute and make plays when teams are stopping me from shooting.
Phenom: How would you best describe your game and your strengths on the court'
Rankin: I love to run in transition, can shoot the ball really well and I feel like I'm pretty athletic.
Phenom: What are your focuses this summer on with your game' Where are you looking to improve'
Rankin: This summer, I'm really focusing on becoming stronger/ more athletic and being able to put the ball on the floor a lot more and being able to create my own shot. So, I've been studying and watching a lot of basketball over this time. I'm also taking defense and conditioning a lot more seriously. Just basically being an all-around player is what I'm focusing on strongly.
Phenom: Have you been hearing from any college programs'
Rankin: I've heard from VMI a lot, went on a visit and have been offered by Young Harris and have gotten some feedback form some other schools. That is pretty much it right now.
Phenom: What has your relationship been like with Young Harris'
Rankin: It's been really good, their assistant I've been really close with for a while now and they wanted me to go up there and visit but with everything going on, I couldn't.
Coach's Thoughts:
'Brady is incredibly hard-working and passionate about basketball. He has improved tremendously each season here at Hoggard and I expect major growth in his game as he approaches his senior year. He is a gifted shooter and scorer but is never satisfied with where he is as a player. He studies film religiously and is able to identify areas that he needs to improve on and then puts in the time and energy necessary to make those improvements. He can score at all 3 levels and is pretty athletic (multiple dunks this past season). He has lofty goals both for his team and himself and I admire how hard he works to make sure those goals are attainable. Another quality that he has is that the moment is never too big for him. For example, this past season he scored 28 points at Greensboro Day and had 26 and 22 in our 3rd and 4th round NCHSAA playoff games. As a coach, it is a lot of fun to have “coachable gym rats” and Brady certainly fits that description.' – Coach Brett Queen
