Luke Maye BJ Gladden basketball
B.J. Gladden and Luke Maye were matched up often in this 4-A Regional game.

By Marcus Shockley

Scouting notes from the North Carolina High School basketball 4-A regional matchups, March 7, 2013:

Olympic HS

B.J. Gladden (SF/PF, 6’5″, 2013) Gladden is a strong, powerful forward who has a good first step and can finish with contact. But he was the best player on the floor in his game tonight; after Hough big man Luke Maye got into early foul trouble and had to sit for an extended period, nobody on Hough was able to effectively slow Gladden down. Quick and physical, he was either able to blow by his defender and get inside, or pull up and shoot over them if the defender sagged. Scored 16 points in the first half and finished with 21 points, 9 rebounds. Will need to improve his off hand dribble. I have tracked Gladden as a very solid MM because he is an undersized 3/4, but he looked like he could get playing time at some high majors in this game. Missed quite a bit of time earlier because of eligibility issues, but Gladden is a high character guy – when he was eligible to play in December, the coach told him the issue was trying to figure out who they would take out of an existing starting lineup. Gladden replied “Coach, I don’t care if I start. I know I’m going to play. I just want to win.” Committed to Akron.

Jevon Patton (PG, 5’8″, 2013) Patton is a very elusive and aware guard who has a consistent ability to score from both the perimeter and consistently uses floater shots to score over bigger players in the lane. His handle is solid, good enough for the collegiate point guard level and he can go right or left with ease. Patton has always had a slingshot-style release which has improved a bit but will still need to be worked on. Issue is size; Scored 18 points. Currently tracking as a Division II/NAIA-D1 player.

Dereice Parks (SG/SF, 6’5″, 2013) Parks has had a great shooting stroke for some time and he showed it again in this game. Good extension, high release, and consistently solid elevation, he has good size for a collegiate shooting guard. Active with really good length, he works hard to get his hands on loose balls. had 3 steals in this game. Has good hands and can catch and finish at full speed. Needs to add strength but I have had Parks as an underrated LM/MM Division I prospect for some time and I’ve seen nothing to change that. Would be a very solid get for a Division II or NAIA- Division I.

Trey Mitchell (SG/SF, 6’5″, 2013) Mitchell is one of the more underrated players in the state, with an ability to slash, score and shoot from deep. Can play the 2 or 3 at the college level. Had a very tough defensive assignment for much of this game, defending against Luke Maye, Mitchell used good defensive footwork and technique to defend. Shot 6-8 from the field and finished with 14 points. The biggest thing I have always liked about Mitchell is his mental toughness and calm presence on the court. Still needs to add quite a bit of bulk, but with that added, Mitchell is a sleeper. I am tracking Trey as a MM Division I player. Would be considered a very solid get at the Division II level.

CJ Jackson (G, 5’11”, 2014) Active guard who has to find ways to contribute among so many older, talented teammates but consistently makes good plays and finds a lot of ways to make things happen. As an example in this game, he dished 5 assists, grabbed 3 steals, 3 rebounds and added 6 points. One to keep an eye on as he takes more of the burden over the next season.

Hough HS

Luke Maye (PF, 6’7″, 2015) Maye is very strong already as a sophomore and has extremely good hands. Very soft touch around the basket. Not really an explosive player, his best assets are strength, great hands, and a solid shooting touch from very deep. His release is very high and he squares up extremely well. He’s not really a jump shooter, more of a set shooter, and his release is still a bit slow. I haven’t seen enough of Maye to make a confident collegiate projection, but he is definitely a Division I athlete. Issues are that he is a 6’7″ power forward at this point – a little undersized for most HM programs – and his overall quickness could be improved. He is a fairly agile player and he was the only player on Hough who was strong enough to be able to slow down B.J. Gladden at all. He is also has two more years to work on his game, being in the 2015 class, so definitely one to be tracking. After sitting for an extended period in the first due to foul trouble, produced a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Theo Mack (G, 6’1″, 2014) Mack impressed me with his defensive technique and high shot release. He plays eyes-up and understands where he is supposed to be, and looks like a true combo guard who may be a primary ballhandler in the future.

Drexler Clark (PG, 5’11”, 2013) Clark is the kind of guard who is always looking to attack, either with the dribble or the pass, and he has excellent speed. His best asset may be his extremely quick hands; he can swipe the ball away in a blur and aggressively looks for those opportunities. Sure handed with the dribble and purposeful in his actions, he’s explosive as a small guard.

Tucker Thompson (C, 6’10”, 2014) Thompson has height and length but only really saw action spelling Luke Maye when Maye sat with early foul trouble. That said, Thompson is a 6’10” center who could be a major factor with more size. He has decent hands and works to front the post. Thompson is a true center, and will be most effective with his back to the basket. Not super explosive but most of Thompson’s work involves adding muscle. He already understands how to play the post, he just needs the bulk to effectively do it.

Want to know more? You can follow Marcus Shockley on Twitter, right this second.