Spring Preview: TexasHoops Talking Points pt.1

Grassroots season is now fully underway with teams shaping up for the April Live Period in events across the state. TexasHoops analyst Lyndon Cook travelled to Houston over the weekend to take in some high level games at the University Sports Spring Preview, and reports back with part 1 of his observations.

First off let me start by saying that Houston Defenders 17u may have the most dominant front line of bigs in the South. When you can start Eddie Lampkin and Valentin Catt and then bring someone like Nate Clover off the bench, very few teams can compete with that amount of sheer size and strength on the block. The high-low look was a tried and tested method to get scores for Defenders on Saturday, with Lampkin shining in both spots.

While size is the first thing that stands out about Lampkin, it’s clear to see how much he has improved as a post passer and with his touch around the rim. He’s still a force on the glass and running the floor well, but the addition of some finesse and improved footwork makes him all the more dangerous. In their matchup with Urban ASAK on Saturday, Lampkin showed excellent understanding of both high post and low post in the high-low look, feeding it down to his partner for easy points and sealing hard when the roles were reversed. This won’t be the last weekend that teams get abused from that look by Defenders.

Jordan Teal had a huge Saturday not only on the stat sheet but in our evaluations as well. The Austin LBJ standout showed us some flashes last year with the Urban ASAK 16’s, but on this weekend’s evidence looks like a much more complete product. Teal’s versatility gives him the ability to do pretty much whatever his team needs; and whether that’s forcing steals, hitting the boards or creating a bucket out of nothing, he got it done on Saturday.

Teal’s offensive game has really come alive as he was hitting the pull up jumper and playing well in tandem with Caleb Golden. In ASAK’s first game against Texas Elite he must have achieved a double-double, such was his activity level on the glass and in transition. As a guard with good size who can do a lot of things well, Teal will certainly be one to watch in the weeks leading up to the April Live Period.

One dynamic I really enjoy about summer ball is that every now and then players are given a chance to get one over on their high school teammates. That was the case for Kobe Haynes as his Team Harden 16u bunch survived Houston Christian teammate Noah Kon and Houston Defenders 16u in overtime in the best game I saw all weekend.

Haynes was a standout at the SPC Tourney that Houston Christian won in February, and he played a significant part in Team Harden’s win with 13 points and several assists. Kon tallied 15 and showed the athleticism that has made him one of the city's top 2021 prospects, making some big plays late to force OT. While we’ll get into another individual matchup that happened in this game more tomorrow, this guard duel was still a fun one to take in between two guys normally on the same team.

-Trey Hartfield showed me lots of positives from Hyperfuse’s game against FAM Elite. When Elijah Elliott commanded extra attention from defenders, Hartfield stepped up with some timely buckets and showed off a nice shot from the outside. The Shadow Creek product is definitely on our 2020 radar for the next few weeks.

-Although I mainly took in showcase games on Saturday, one player who had a big weekend in bracket play was 2020 Nick Hale of D1 Houston. Hale has nice size as a stretch forward and was lighting it up from outside all weekend, including a four-3PT game Saturday evening. D1 Houston came away with the 17u championship, just as Hale came away with an enhanced reputation moving forward.