Allow Me To Introduce Myself: Evin Caswell

Name: Evin Caswell
Class: Senior “2016”
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 180
High School: Ocracoke (Ocracoke, NC)
Position: Shooting Guard / Small Forward
AAU Team: Elizabeth City Blazers
Projected Level of Play: D2 / D3
GPA: 3.5
Video Link: https://youtu.be/nppRt7DTemk
Evin Caswell

Evin Caswell is a 6’4” athletic wing for Ocracoke High School in Hyde County, NC. He just recently surpassed the 1000 point mark in his high school career. To say that Evin has been playing “under the radar” is an understatement. His high school is located on the outer banks of North Carolina on Ocracoke Island. Despite attending a high school with a total enrollment of less than 60 students, Evin Caswell has managed to put up some impressive numbers and was named Coastal 10 Conference Player Of The Year. In this current season (2015-2016) he has averaged over 18 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1.6 blocks per game while competing against perennial powerhouse 1A opponents such as Camden County, Plymouth HS and Gates County HS in conference play.

Strengths:

Athleticism – Evin is a very impressive run and jump athlete that plays both below and above. He is very quick with the ball and has sneaky bounce. Can and will rise up and dunk over defenders before they have reached the top of their jump. (see video below) In the games I was able to watch him, he didn’t waste many movements. He uses his speed and leaping ability really well to fill lanes for easy layups and uncontested dunks. When he gets the ball at the high post, he turns quick and leaps up really high for jump-shots. On the defensive end he has quick hands and solid anticipation. He outleaps most of his opponents for rebounds and does a very solid job timing weak side layups for acrobatic blocks, despite only being around 6’3”- 6’4” tall.

Court Awareness – He has a very high motor and is seemingly always involved in plays, with or without the ball. He doesn’t need to have plays ran for him to be an effective ballplayer. Shows a great ability to move without the ball and doesn’t hold it very long once he does have it in his hands. Possesses a very unorthodox yet efficient face up game, consisting of a variety of pump fakes, jab steps, spin moves and hesitations. Doesn’t need but a split second to beat a defender using mostly 2 dribbles to get all the way to the rim. Seemingly always in a position to compete for a rebound on both ends. Very hard to keep off the glass because of his nose for the ball and quick leaping ability.

Fundamentals – He is very fundamentally sound on both ends of the basketball (boxing out, triple threat, pump fakes, post feeding, sealing defenders, forcing baseline drives) and gets the most out of his abilities. Not flashy. Just gets the job done. Doesn’t make a ton of mistakes, lets the game come to him and shows great patience. He uses the glass very well and communicates very well on both ends with his teammates.

Areas for Improvement:

Ball Handling – At this moment, ball handling isn’t a big strength of his. He has great instincts, so he’s able to get by at the high school level, but at the NCAA level his handle will have to become stronger or teams will eventually aim to pressure him to his off hand, limiting his athletic ability. He also tends to pick up his dribble too early at times on the perimeter, leading to him attempting to make long passes that are highly susceptible to being picked off. Adopting a successful dribbling regimen and staying consistent with it in training sessions could help him in this area. Developing a tighter handle will also enable him to capitalize on his already good offensive instincts, his athleticism and it will help him trim down on some of the turnovers he commits caused by intense pressure defense.

Physique – Evin has a wiry frame that makes him look smaller than he is. However, his body type looks very well equipped to handle another 15 – 20 lbs comfortably. Right now he out-leaps everyone and overwhelms his opponents with his athleticism. In college, players will be bigger and stronger at every position, so he’ll need to put on muscle to compensate for the increased intensity, speed and physicality of the college game on both ends of the floor. Adding muscle and strength to his upper and lower body should enable him to take bumps better on drives to the basket, keep his position for rebounds and improve on his lateral movement so that he won’t become a target for opposing guards defensively. If he transforms his body combined with his leaping ability, don’t be surprised to see him become a double-double threat in college, despite being just 6’4″ tall.

Shot Consistency – He has good form on his jump-shot, but can be extremely streaky, even at the free throw line. Simple repetition and working on building a habit patience and following through on his shot will correct the issues with his jumper and free throw shooting.

Overall Outlook:

As noted earlier, he goes to high school on an island in Hyde County, so experience early on competing against similar athletes and similar players will be key to his development, as well as getting acclimated to the college life. In the right program and with some patience, Evin could develop into a very solid, do it all type NCAA level basketball player. Bigtime sleeper prospect with a high motor, great athleticism and tons of potential for a D2 or D3 school.

Game Film: Courtesy of HoopFarm Mixtapes (Plymouth, NC) & Ocracoke Dolphins

Photo Credits: Peter Vankevich

 

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