Tennessee Phenom 150 Team Evaluation
Saturday, September 16, 2017
TNT Sportsplex
Kingsport, Tennessee
Team 7 (Coach Joe Cassell)
No. 7 5’7 ’21 Alex Rasnick (Union HS, Big Stone Gap, VA)
What Alex lacks in size, he more than makes up for it in heart and hustle. Coach Joe Cassell stated it best, “Alex hustled the entire time he was on the floor. He took every opportunity to make his teammates better. Alex did everything I asked of him each time.” It’s refreshing to see young players like Alex demonstrate such a strong work ethic and understand basketball is a team game. He understands the big picture and does all the little things to help his team win.
No. 14 5’9 ’18 McKyan Jones (Independence HS, Springhill, TN)
McKyan is your consummate point guard. We were impressed with his basketball IQ and fearless approach to the game. He has a nice blend of athleticism and unique feel that makes him such an effective playmaker. Coach Cassell stated, “McKyan was a pleasure to coach and was one of the team’s best defenders. He took the role as my PG and made the right decision almost every single time. McKyan did everything a PG is supposed to do to successfully run a team. He was able to get by defenders and finish as well as hit the pull up jumper.”Although McKyan only averaged 4 PPG, he received a game MVP vote showing it’s not always about scoring that matters.
No. 27 5’11 Cole McBrayer (Tennessee HS, Bristol, TN)
Cole was rock steady throughout the camp. He averaged 8 PPG, but it was his attitude and work ethic that made strongest impressions. Coach Cassesll stated, “Cole was a great teammate who continually cheered his team on. He took on every play with great effort. Offensively, he did a great job of penetrating and finding his open teammate.” We were also impressed with his decision-making and often passed up a good shot and made an extra pass for even a better shot.
No. 35 6’0 ’18 Hayden Hatcher (Dobyns Bennett HS, Kingsport, TN)
Hayden is such a fundamentally sound player. He has an excellent understanding of the game and his high basketball IQ stood out. Coach Cassell stated, “Hayden was a joy to coach. He is a crafty lefty who really enjoys getting to the rim. Hayden ran the floor extremely well and defended his position and was quite effective stepping into the passing lane for steals. He was a great teammate and congratulated everyone.” Hayden averaged 8 PPG and was voted game MVP once based upon his stellar play.
No. 48 6’1 ’20 Evan Winchester (Clinton HS, Powell, TN)
Evan is the total package! He’s the type of player who is easy to pull for. He combines a solid skill accompanied with the heart and hustle that becomes contagious to his teammates. Coach Cassell statements dovetail exactly with our evaluation. “Evan did it all. He was an absolute warrior and pleasure to coach. He gave 110% every minute on the floor. He defended well and played great team ball. He was able to hit the open shot.” Evan averaged 10.3 PPG and was voted game MVP once and showcased why he is such a good all around player.
No 55 6’2 ’18 Hayden Cassell (Dobyns Bennett, Kingsport, TN)
When it comes to leadership, Hayden Cassell leads by example and is one of the more vocal leaders on the court. Hayden averaged 9 PPG and was voted game MVP once. Overall, he demonstrated a terrific work ethic and was the team’s best defenders. Each game, he demonstrated great tenacity and was making one winning play after another. Hayden understands team defensive principles and was terrific in stepping in the passing lanes for steals. In addition, he was able to knock down shots and make nice passes to teammates for easy buckets.
No. 69 6’3 ’20 Noah Harris (FBA, Knoxville, TN)
We really liked the attitude and workmanlike approach demonstrated by Noah Harris. He averaged 7.7 PPG and showcased a solid skill set along with a terrific work ethic. Coach Cassell stated, “Noah was a great kid to coach and did everything that was asked of him. He had some good finishes on the break and ran the floor well.” Noah attacked the glass often and had really good anticipation for rebounds. In addition, Noah has a really good understanding of the game and does a lot of little things well, things that often don’t always show up in the box score, not to mention he’s only a sophomore.
No. 76 6’4 ’20 John Rogers (T.L. Hanna HS, Anderson, SC)
John enjoyed a solid all around camp. He averaged 9.7 PPG and did equally as well on the boards. We were impressed with footwork in the paint and his passer friendly hands. He had a soft shooting touch that extended out to 15 feet. Coach Cassell stated, “John played extremely hard and ran the floor extremely well.” In addition, John had several nice moves with this back to the basket. The next step for John is to expand and diversity his game to become a more rounded player on the perimeter which will on enhance his stock.
No. 90 6’7 ’18 Jacob Deal (Volunteer HS, Church Hill, TN)
What’s not to like about a 6’7 workhorse of a player. One thing is for certain; Jacob exerted maximum effort and energy on both ends of the court. We were most impressed with his passing ability and willingness to pass out of the post and rarely forced the issue. Jacob averaged 8.0 PPG and his workmanlike approach earned him one game MVP vote. Coach Cassell stated, “Jacob was a joy to coach. He was very attentive at all times and showed great respect to all the players. He was able to finish at the rim and had a nice fade away post jumper. Jacob also made several nice passes to cutting players. Great effort all day!”