NextGen Preview Camp Team 6 Breakdown
SUWANEE, Ga—To close out our coverage of the NextGen camp from this past Sunday, here are the evaluations for the guys who made up team six.
Charles Minor had several nice moments at the guard spot at camp on Sunday. He’s a shooter with a good-looking shot that will continue to get better with more physical development. In a camp setting, it’s impressive when a player shows when they know whether it’s best to pull the trigger on a shot or make the extra pass to a teammate. Minor proved to have great feel in that regard.
Viewing things from a long-term perspective, there weren’t many players with a higher upside than Fortune Hicks. He’s a long, wiry guard that looks like he can develop into a versatile perimeter player down the line. Hicks was the go-to guy on his team for stretches of play and routinely served at the primary initiator. He has tremendous vision and dished out some nice passes. He also rebounds well for his position.
Rogers was tough on Sunday. He’s a gritty, two-way guard. Rogers can get by his man whenever he wants and have a clear path to the rack. He’s a nice finisher at the rim, and he made some terrific passes on drives. On the other side of the floor, he’s a great defender that keeps his man in front and causes chaos to disrupt the offense’s flow.
Is it just me, or does it seem like West Forsyth always has versatile forwards who operate more like guards than bigs or wings? Spaulding could be the next one in line. He’s a forward that moves well and makes plays with the ball in his hands. It looks like the skill areas of the game are coming together for him, and as he continues to refine those parts of his bag, he could be a dangerous player down the line. I love his versatility and ability to defend and play multiple positions.
A star at last year’s NextGen camp, Kaleb Sanders was back for another year and looked tremendous again. He has good guard size and length which makes him a mismatch and a bit of a utility player. Sanders can defend multiple positions at this level. He’s tough at the rim and finishes everything. He’s especially dangerous in transition.
Schmoeckel has pretty good size at the wing. At 6-foot-1, he was on the taller end of the spectrum on Sunday and showed that he’s capable of playing inside and out. On the perimeter, Schmoeckel is a solid, reliable shooting threat. He’s also a good passer from the post or while making plays on drives. Down low, he’s a physical rebounder who showed serious toughness on the glass. Overall, he proved to be one of the more versatile weapons in the gym.
On the younger side of campers, Dudley had several great moments and showed flashes of potential. Where his coach was especially impressed was in his passing. Dudley routinely found open teammates and delivered on-target passes. When talking to his coach after camp, he made a point to bring up how well Dudley took to instruction and how good of a teammate he was.
Lawton was one of the more physical guards. He has nice size for this level and showed a lot in terms of toughness according to coach evaluations. When I got to see Lawton, I was impressed with how he moved without the ball. Lawton freed himself up for open looks regularly. As he continues to develop, he could be someone we hear more from in the future.
