| Name: Tyler Maye Class: Junior “2017” Height: 6’1” Weight: 170 High School: Farmville Central HS (Farmville, NC) Position: Point Guard AAU Team: Carolina Raptors Video Link: http://bit.ly/1Lqtah7 Projected Level: Mid Major Division 1 |
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Tyler Maye is an elite scoring point guard that plays somewhat under the radar for Farmville Central High School in Farmville, NC. He previously played his first two seasons for the Greenfield Knights in Wilson, NC and was one of the team leading scorers as a sophomore. Now that he’s moved back to his hometown, he is dominating all opposition while averaging 24 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals per game for his Farmville Central HS Jags while playing in a loaded NC 2A classification.
Strengths:
Defense – Very good defender at the high school level. Whether it’s playing defense on the ball or off the ball, Tyler has exhibited a natural feel for the defensive end that makes him a nightmare for opposing guards that don’t possess a tight handle. He communicates very well in a team defensive setting and has good instincts in regards to knowing when to gamble for steals and when to stay put. Doesn’t foul much because he doesn’t do much reaching. He does possess very quick hands defensively however. Moves his feet very well.
Scoring Ability – This kid can flat out score with minimal effort. He has an array of dribble moves, pull-up jumpers, reverse layups, spin moves and crossovers that he uses. Very laid back demeanor on the floor, but quietly competitive. Changes speeds well and has a beautiful release on his jump-shot. Countless times you will see him get extremely easy layups and mid-range shot opportunities, simply because he knows where to be and picks his spots extremely well. He never looks to be sped up, out of control, nor does he look rattled, even during some of the tougher stretches of games and has proven to be a clutch performer as well. Even with his elite scoring ability, he’s very unselfish and creates often for others as well.
Leadership – It’s very obvious that his teammates love to play with him, he’s unselfish and he’s very coachable. He exhibits very good body language and let’s his game speak for him. It rubs off on his teammates as they all look for one another and share the ball extremely well, despite Tyler being the elite scorer that he is. Has all of the qualities that coaches look for and want out of their guards and has proven to be a clutch performer. (Great Communicator, Sound Work Ethic, Positive Demeanor)
Areas for Improvement:
Core Strength – Even though his defensive instincts are very good, he can tend to stand more and more upright deeper into defensive possessions and late into close games. Offensively, he has enough skill and creativity to get to the rim at will, but will need to gain more explosiveness and lower body strength to continue finishing efficiently over bigger and taller defenders at the next level. Increasing his core strength and transforming his body even more will make him even harder to guard offensively. It will also make him even better of a defender, improving his lateral movement and preventing bigger guards from overpowering him.
Size – While he isn’t necessarily small, he isn’t a dominating physical presence either. I must note that not many point guards are elite physically as high school juniors. His somewhat slender frame doesn’t matter much at this level, but he could stand to put on about 10 – 15 lbs of muscle for the future. Doing so would enable him to absorb more contact (as stated earlier), maintain balance on tough drives, fight through more screens defensively, dribble or pass out of traps, hold position on post-ups and corral more rebounds at his position.
Only a junior. If he continues to improve, don’t be surprised to see his recruitment soar.
Photo Credits: Charles Clark (BasketballElite)
Video Credits: The Hoops Column (YouTube)