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May 24, 2015
2:52:36pm
I saw five BYU recruits last night. My observations
I went to an AAU tournament in Long Beach last night and saw the Utah Prospects and an LA team (can't remember name) with Brenden Bailey on it. Before I talk about them individually, I will say that all five would be a defensive upgrade. As a group they have speed and quickness and the ability to stay in front of athletic opponents. I will give my one game observations on the five:

Frank Jackson--I was at this tournament last year and I think that I mentioned that Frank looked good, but did not "stand out" from everybody else. That is not true anymore. It is easy to see why everybody in the country is starting to look at him. I think he would be the most explosive BYU basketball player ever. At 6'3" he can stand flat-footed under the basket and dunk effortlessly. He is fast and quick. He gets to the basket easily and has a mid-range and three point game. He plays defense. I saw no real questions to his game.

Connor Harding (disclaimer--I am related, which is why I go to the games) Connor is a legit 6' 5" combo guard. He also looked much better than last year. He handles to the ball very well and scored with either hand going to the basket. He can get his own mid-range shot. He has a pure stroke but missed the only three point shot he took. He is very fast with good lateral quickness. He is an all around player who can score, pass and likes to play defense. He is skinny, but with shoulders and a frame to bulk up. Easy to see why BYU is so high on him.

Gavin Baxter--He looks to be a skinny 6'6" kid with a huge wingspan. He has broad shoulders and could bulk up. He looks VERY fast. He has very good lateral movement and really stays in front of his guy on defense. He scored on two dunks and took the ball to the basket once. He did not shoot an outside shot and was not overly aggressive in the half-court offense. His stroke looked good on two free throws. Questions--what is his position? Can he shoot well enough in Roses' offense to be a two or three? Probably not big enough to play the four. (I only saw one game, but you would think a great shooter would take at least one shot.)

Yoeli Childs--Looks to be about 6'7" with a barrel chest and broad shoulders. He plays very good post defense and gets off the ground quickly to block shots. He blocked two dunk attempts by very athletic 6'6" kids. He displays some decent post moves, but his shot looks a bit awkward and he did not make any outside shots (remember--one game sample). What is his position in college? Is he big enough to play the four, our can he develop some outside game to move to the three? I liked him because he has that attitude that many of our big men seem to lack.

Brenden Bailey--He was playing on a different team, but I was able to watch him. He looks to be 6'7". He is VERY skinny with a slender frame. His shoulders are very narrow, and he doesn't look very strong. He runs a little awkwardly, but seems to have good speed and lateral quickness. He has a very pure shot, and scores at all three levels (inside, mid-range and from the three). I could see him at a two in Roses' offense, but will he get strong enough to be a three?
scvcoug
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scvcoug
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