Phenom Hoops travels down to Arkansas for their next freshman spotlight and this one has certainly earned some impressive attention early on.
2023 6'0 Layden Blocker is a name that has quickly risen up the rankings in the state of Arkansas and now becoming more of a national name. As a freshman, Blocker averaged 15 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals, also securing All-State and All-Conference honors as well as being named to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazzette All-AR Prep Boys Underclassman team.
All the hard work has really been paying off early on but he would also say it was a challenging process at such a young age.
'Making my mark this season as a freshman was good but challenging,' he told Phenom Hoops. 'The coaching staff pushed me and kind of forced me to grow up fast but I accepted the challenge. I feel like I really made an impact for my team and teammates by being more of a vocal leader. My mindset coming into the season was a winning and growth mindset.'
As a relatively young team, the Warriors face an uphill battle to start the season but it started to come all together led by Blocker, finishing the season with a 16-11 record and a 10-4 record in conference play; it was certainly a season to build upon for Blocker and the Warriors.
With an impressive year behind him, it didn't take long for college programs to make it known that they were impressed with what they saw. TCU was the first to offer the 2023 prospect, followed by Oral Roberts; two offers he is really excited about.
'When I received the news that I got offered by TCU, I was just happy that my hard work is paying off,' he said. 'It's good news that schools are already taking notice and seeing my potential… TCU is a great school to earn a college degree. It is a private Christian university with high standards and expectations and I got a chance to see the team play. Coach Miller told my dad that my skill set fits their style of play.”
“Oral Roberts is also a great school to earn a college degree. It's another private Christian university with standards and expectations. Coach Bozeman had a chance to watch workouts before the season started and he followed out season, staying in touch with my high school coach. I was happy to get an offer from coach.'
It is incredibly impressive for a young freshman to earn big-time offers early on but they may have just started the trend with Blocker, as several other schools have expressed interest about him.
'Arkansas, Auburn, Southern Miss, Texas A&M, and Eastern Illinois are some schools my dad has talked to. Our program director also shared that Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Indiana, and Oklahoma State have some interest as well.'
Blocker certainly accepted the challenge this season and now has given himself the tools to become an even bigger name nationally. With his strengths being his court vision, a facilitator/creator, and a scorer on all three levels, this may only just be the start as he continues to develop and build off an impressive season.
