Andrew Force:
Future150 National Analyst. Covering High and Middle School basketball.
Greenville, SC (Future150) -- Division One is not for everybody. When Tucker Campbell (Class of 2015) started camping with Future150 he appeared to be a short, feisty power forward.
D3 tweener was a safe evaluation. Years later, Campbell has transformed his body and his game to suggest D1 is now a realistic goal.
After his senior year of high school, Campbell enrolled at 22 Ft. Academy (SC) to morph into a more traditional wing prospect.
"The main thing with me was to get me developed into the wing position," said Tucker Campbell. "Other prep schools wanted to use me as a four, stretch out the defense. Coming here was based on who was going to get me out on the wing to improve."
It came down to perimeter defense, and moving the feet laterally.
"Almost immediately, when I got here, they got me on leg workouts," said Campbell. "Box jumps. Rope ladders. Everything you can imagine. I was guarding the quickest players on the National Team (Darius Henderson, Clifton Powell Jr.)."
For college 2-guard to be realistic, Campbell needed and needs to prove he can stay in front of elite guards.
"I was guarding (Powell) very frequently," said Campbell. "He is very quick, very athletic. Trying to guard those guys off the pick'n'roll really helped me. I still have a long way to go, but that really helped."
Judging by his recent game against Legacy Charter that transformation is truly working.
Now registered as a Class of 2016 wing, Campbell performed very well for 22 Ft. Academy Select Team Saturday afternoon.
It took a few errant shots to settle in, but once Campbell found his range (mid first half)* the shots fell with remarkable consistency.
"Back in high school...after I missed a few I stopped shooting," said Campbell. "I stuck with the mindset that if i kept shooting they would start falling."
Game Report
Saturday, Campbell started off the ball. He floated around the arc and set screens early. His outside shot missed the first three times. The form appeared more refined, but the results did not show immediately.
Then, with 11:39 to play in the opening stanza, Campbell caught fire. Tucker's best stretch came on successive possessions. He caught the ball in the corner and buried a comfortable shot. Seconds later Campbell flared out to the wing on the break. As the ball arrived he raised and released. Splash.
A year ago, Campbell might have made two outside shots in an entire game. Now he is making two in a row.
Later in the opening half, Campbell buried a challenged triple from the opposite corner over a 6-foot-9 forward.
Campbell finished 7-16 from deep. This means he made 7-13 after he settled in. Unimaginable last year.
"I kind of took the individual workout and just added to it," said Campbell. "In the preseason we are going to get up shots. But I would come in the morning, work on getting up the same thing every time. I go game speed in practice. That is constantly in my mind."
Like the top shooter in the world, Steph Curry, Campbell is focused on practicing game speed. He didn't want to have to adjust his timing mechanisms when the speed of play ramped up. So, he just practiced faster.
"Extra time," said Campbell. "You can't really preach that enough."
Sunday the emerging wing followed it up with 8-16 from deep. His game is changing and ideally the recruitment will follow.
According to Campbell he has invested recruiting from Lenoir-Rhyne (D2), Lincoln Memorial (D2), and Newberry College (D2).
Bold Body Adjustments
Just a year ago Campbell was a strong forward. His upper body strength was impressive, daunting. Using his powerful body he rebounded at an elite level. Also, Campbell was great finishing around the rim.
A pure power forward. Just too short to be recruited by D1 operations. The most glaring weaknesses were outside shooting and lateral mobility on the perimeter. For these two reasons he did not appear to be a feasible option on the wing.
In the interim Campbell slimmed down a little bit. He looks a lot lighter on his feet. His feet are quicker and his change of direction now enables him to stay in front of the smaller guards. This seemingly minor alteration opens up many possibilities for the aspiring college hooper.
Additional Prospects
Legacy Charter nipped 22 Ft. Academy, 82-78.
Nicholas Claxton (SC) is the truth. The lanky 6-foot-9 lefty wing looks the part of a high major target. His handle and aggression are elite. He creates plays and absorbs contact like a veteran of this wonderful game. Often, players with his shooting touch and length are very, very timid. It is difficult to find players who shoot as well as he does off the dribble, that also welcome contact.
The height is what puts him over the top. Several colleges recently witnessed the same skill set.
Baylor, South Carolina, Murray State, Florida State, and Maryland are some of the more prestigious programs to offer Claxton.
Georgia and Ohio State are sniffing around. His ceiling depends upon adding upper body strength and defending the perimeter. He projects as a K.J. Lawson-type.
Max Hoekstra (Netherlands, 22 Ft. Academy) can shoot it a little.
The Class of 2017 guard competed with Future150 in the fall of 2014. His skills appear to be singular, but with his height (6-foot-6) and agility the recruitment is one to watch.
*All statistics were accumulated in a full college-length basketball game. There were 2 twenty-minute halves, not 4 eight-minute quarters.
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