Andrew Force:
Future150 National Analyst. Covering High and Middle School basketball.
NASHVILLE, TN (Future150) -- The three Eaglets of Brentwood Academy are justifiably the buzz of Nashville's budding hoops scene. Not to be overlooked Ensworth School has an excellent, relatively unknown guard with college potential.
Desmond Cambridge grew into a more prominent role this winter.
"When Jordan (Bone) didn't score they looked to me to screen and flash to the short corner," said Cambridge. "I would just score along with Jordan."
Bone is a jet-quick scorer. He understands his strengths and routinely leads his high school team in scoring and assists. Teammate Cambridge offers a different array of skills.
Cambridge (6'3") ruthlessly hits the offensive glass, and confidently scores in traffic. Outside shooting needs to improve. The mechanics are a little inconsistent, but Cambridge's athletic attributes are impressive.
With some refinement Cambridge can become a shooting guard stopper like Tony Allen.
When it comes down to simple athleticism Cambridge wins almost every time. He has quick leaping ability and huge strides. Added upper body strength would make him even more daunting.
Showcase
April represents his first major chance to attract regional college attention. Cambridge will compete with Music City Heat AAU.
When Bone rattled off the top players in Nashville he quickly added Cambridge.
"Desmond Cambridge," said Bone back in January. "He is a young junior. He just turned 16."
In fact, Cambridge will only be 17.5 when he graduates from high school. Many basketball prospects reclass and enter college at 19 years of age.
"I turn 17 in December," said Cambridge. "My mom put me in school a year early, so I should be in tenth grade. That is how things worked out."
The trend lately has been to reclass early in high school and consider undoing that age manipulation after signing in the fall.
Of all the hoopers in Music City, only Braxton Blackwell is assured of signing with a high major program. The Class of 2018 has several stars and Tyger Campbell (2019) has Ole Miss and Western Kentucky offers.
Still Nashville has historically lacked the star power of neighboring Memphis or even Louisville. Maybe that is slowly changing.
En garde
Nashville is now en garde (on guard), ready to release D1 perimeter players to the recruiting world.
Darius Garland, Campbell, Jordan Bone, and Camron Johnson have the skills to break from the local scene into regional stars. One or two of these guys might finish as top 25 in their class, making them a national recruiting target.
It all begins with dominating locally, making noise, and earning ink.
Bone and Ensworth School dropped two games to Brentwood Academy this past season. With Brentwood's strong core so young, Cambridge will be tasked with leading a 2016 retaliation.
First, he must announce his presence to the recruiters. April LIVE periods are near.
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