TexasHoops Rewind: 5 Takeaways from Pflugerville Classic

Pflugerville High School - TexasHoops.com/GASO Recruiting Analyst Blue Zertuche takes a look back at his day in Austin over the weekend and shares his Five Takeaways.

It’s been 11 months since TexasHoops/GASO first traveled to Austin to watch Lake Travis’ post player Daniel Thorpe, and the current No.13 ranked player in the class of 2019 left another great impression over the weekend.

It needs to be noted (yes, again) that Daniel is the son of former 16-year NBA veteran, Otis Thorpe. Now, with that out of the way, the younger Thorpe is making strides in his development, and having the NBA gene doesn’t hurt. The body of Thorpe is starting to take shape with his sturdy frame and big upper body. When he gets to the offensive end, he becomes a fixture in the paint, waiting patiently for the ball to travel inside out (he is a good passer off the block). Thorpe is given plenty of opportunities to work his way to an easy bucket, and he moves his body around while using a sharp pin technique to bury his defender under the basket.

For now, Thorpe isn’t a springy post player, but he is crafty scoring the ball. Old school up and under moves, backing his opponent down and sensing when to make a power move, and simple soft hooks are his weapons. Thorpe runs the floor, has the know-how when it comes to positioning, moves his feet well for his size and grabs rebounds.

Thorpe isn’t a finished product, and his body isn’t done developing, but the progression is noticeable now, and if he continues to mature (height wise), Thorpe will have the pick of his school. Hard to project a year from now, but the possibilities are there.

Virgina and Stanford were in attendance watching Thorpe.

Pflugerville Hendrickson’s forward Dylan Disu has taken up some if not most of the spotlight, but Isaac Bullard is due for his own recognition. It’s enjoyable to see the strength and size that Bullard packs as a 6-foot-3 guard. The lefty is physical and has a burst to the the basket that is hard to step in front of. Once he starts toward the basket he will fight through contact and finish. Not a pure point guard, but Bullard will distribute the ball when he finds his open teammates and will run through options in the offense.

Only a freshman, Cibolo Steele’s guard, Langston Love plays like a veteran on the varsity level. The body is college ready, and he can stroke the three, but what I took away from his 19 point performance versus Pflugerville was his willingness to step inside and be a rebounder. Love was tough, physical and fought through defenders not just to score but to get the ball. It seemed that the 6-foot-4 guard was always in the mix to produce once the ball came off the rim. This is still a Gerald Liddell ran team, but we are a few months away from the torch being handed over to Love, who is easily among the top players in the state in the class of 2021.

It’s time to stop counting out Casey Armour of Killeen Ellison. Every time a member of the TexasHoops/GASO staff has seen the 6-foot-4 wing, he has been productive.

Whether it’s on the offensive side of the ball, or as a defender, a rebounder or a primary ball handler, Armour has produced. The one hold up might have been where he stacks up as a “next level” prospect, and I will say that he is underrated. There hasn’t been a time when I have walked away from a Killeen Ellison game this season questioning if Armour was the best player on his team or in the game. When the game is on the line, Armour has nailed a mid-range jumper, a three-pointer, or coming up with a big rebound for his team.

Caleb Asberry is a thin-framed guard from Pflugerville who can get hot in a hurry and drill the three-pointer. Asberry who is a rising senior gave us something to think about when he went after Texas-signee Gerald Liddell a few times as he attacked the paint and finished with a score. Asberry has always been able to get the ball in the basket, but he is also skilled and will race up the floor with the ball. What he showed most of all was confidence in his ability to accept a challenge and compete.