Tristen Smullen 6’0 150 2022 Tallwood High School, Virginia Beach VA
Tristen is a gifted shooter with effortless mechanics, a smooth release and consistent follow-through. He is a threat to knock down shots from anywhere on the floor both on spot-ups and off one and two dribble pull-ups. He is a skilled and athletic guard with good length and court awareness. Tristen’s game is predicated on his shot-making prowess as he is quickly establishing himself as one of the better shooters in his class in the 757. He moves well off the ball to get open and catches the ball shot ready. He has nice length and wingspan in addition to a high and quick release allowing him to get his shot off with little effort. Tristen attacks hard closeouts with rangy strides and a nice first step. He can get to the rim demonstrating great body control using side steps and creativity to finish.
A very good finisher who can also draw contact and get to the line at a good rate. Tristen does a great job using head fakes and quick rips into the dribble pull up, a move that has been highly effective for him especially given the shot-making threat he poses from beyond the arc. He attacks space aggressively and brakes quickly into his pull up jumper with repeatable mechanics, balanced and with very good elevation. Tristen’s length, a lean, strong frame, and very good leaping ability allow him to defend multiple positions. He has excellent footwork, quick feet, and lateral quickness and contains the dribble nicely but also drops down where he can defend bigger players in the post and give his otherwise undersized team a scrappy and athletic rebounding presence.
Tristen continues to add to his already impressive skill set and even given his strong scoring instincts has proven he can run the offense and distribute the basketball effectively. He has the luxury of learning the position from a coach who enjoyed great success as a guard at the high school and collegiate level in Tallwood High School Head Coach Bryce Mitchell. Coach Mitchell starred at Tallwood and later at Shenandoah University. Coach Mitchell speaks highly of his sophomore shot maker pointing to his growing confidence as a shooter and willingness to take big shots with much success that has elevated Tristen as someone opponents need to account for.
What Coach Mitchell speaks so glowingly about also is Tristen’s high character and that he is a high academic student. “Tristen is a great young man with a great family. His Mom and Dad are very supportive and stay on him about his academics. He is a honor roll student!” Tristen has enjoyed a solid fall and I have no doubt he will establish himself as one of the 757 and perhaps one of the state’s most highly regarded prospects in a deep 2022 class.