Scouting Report: Watauga vs. East Burke

Scouting report from Justin Shockley:

On Tuesday January 13 two 4A conference rivals took the court in Boone, NC and featured some stellar play from both teams. Watauga came out on top with an 80-74 win at home.

Cody Shuffler– (SF, 6’6’’, 2009) Kept East Burke in the game with his solid post play. Shuffler has the height of a SF but has the overall body mass and strength of a PF. Very strong, powerful lower body. He was forced to play C or PF the entire game because the lack of interior size that East Burke possessed but still demonstrated his skill set well. On a night when Shuffler’s mid range shot was off, he still showed great touch around the basket as well as good form and lift on his jumpshot. Shuffler has a definitive go to move to get around defenders on the low block, spinning baseline on the right side several times to score. He showed good defensive presence by blocking or changing many shots in the paint. Shuffler was able to score 29 points even on an off shooting night to lead his team. To play his true position of SF Shuffler needs to improve his ability to guard on the perimeter as well as his ball handling.

Josh Debro– (SG, 6’4’’, 2010) A rangy, athletic defender for East Burke caused havoc for Watauga’s players all night. In a press defensive scheme Debro shined; usually playing the middle in the defensive setup and came up with four steals in the second half alone. Debro showed great recovery speed and covered the whole floor on defense coming up with several come from behind blocks and deflections. A great offensive rebounder coming from the weak side. Debro finished with 7 points, 5 steals, and 8 or 9 rebounds. Debro still has another year to improve his shooting ability but has some great potential as a shooting guard.

Jeff Newell– (PF, 6’6’’, 2009) was the driving force for Watauga. The undersized PF/C showcased that he may have the ability to play SF on the next level with his bevy of finesse post moves and overall range on his shot. At one point Newell hit back-to-back three pointers and a one dribble pull up from 15 feet to demonstrating his shooting touch. Has good timing on his jumps, which helps make up for his lack of size (weighs 185) on rebounding. Had some trouble guarding the much heftier Shuffler on the low block but did show good footwork and quick hands on defense. Newell is calm when handling the ball some on the perimeter but seems uncomfortable when forced to defend on the perimeter. Shot very well for the entire game and finished with 31 points. Needs to bulk up and work on perimeter defense.

Cody Shuffler Gets More Looks

We mentioned Cody Shuffler (SF/PF, 6’7″, 2009), a player with interest from NC State a few weeks ago, and now it seems Shuffler also has interest from Virginia Tech as well. A bevy of schools are recruiting Shuffler, including Davidson, Cornell, and West Virginia.

Shuffler apparently is high on Davidson’s list, and it would not be surprising to see him end up there.

The same article mentions that Mike Grace (PG, 6’0″, 2009), a high school teammate of Wake Forest commit C.J. Harris (SG,6’3″,2009) has received an offer from Penn.

Meanwhile, Tobias Harris (PF, 6’8″, 2010) recently visited Virginia with his family to see what the school has to offer:

“Coach Leitao and his coaching staff broke down Virginia’s offense and defense on film. Tobias had the opportunity to watch the team practice while coach Leitao was able to show how effective his offense works when done correctly. Coach Leitao stressed the importance of strong team, individual defense and positions on defense.

Harris reportedly also visited Maryland and Georgetown as well.

ACC Basketball Recruiting Roundup

Lots and lots of news today…

Earnest Ross video

Several ACC teams are watching NC player Earnest Ross (PG/SG, 6’4″, 2009), including Boston College and Clemson. Here’s some video of the player from Panther Creek:

Meyers Leonard commits

Just a couple of days ago we added Meyers Leonard (PF/C,6’11”,2010) to our ACC Targets list, and now he’s already committed to Illinois.

Michael Snaer: down to two?

Rumors abound that west coast guard Michael Snaer (SG, 6’5″ ,2009) is no longer considering UCLA, and that Mizzou and FSU are the two contenders.

John Langford commits

Josh Langford (SG, 6’6″, 2010) also has decided not to play in the ACC and committed to Louisville. I’m not sure how seriously Langford was considering any ACC schools.

Doron Lamb

By all accounts, Doron Lamb (SG, 6’4″, 2010) is going to be one of the best players in the class of 2010 and will get a whole bevy of offers. However, Alex is reporting that at this time, only Duke has not offered. (Updated: corrected)

Cody Shuffler

While Meyers Leonard is being taken off the board, we’re adding Cody Shuffler (SF/PF, 6’7″, 2009) to the list, as NC State has expressed interest. Shuffler is somewhat under-the-radar for ACC fans, but he’s one to keep an eye on.

Kenny Boynton

Duke fans are in a holding pattern on Boynton, where Florida and Duke seem to be the only two Boynton is considering

Aaron Dotson with Miami offer

USA Today is reporting that Aaron Dotson (SG/SF, 6’4″, 2009) has an offer from Miami. (It’s at the bottom of the Derrick Favors article, which is also a good read.)