Scouting Brandon Huntley-Hatfield's Tipoff Classic
Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (Courtesy of Jaron-Pierre Mathurine) (https://twitter.com)
David Sisk • CatsIllustrated
Staff Writer
A small number of high school prospects were on this display this past weekend thanks to select AAU events across the country.
One of the get-togethers was the Hoop Hustlers Tipoff Classic in the Atlanta area. This was the second-straight weekend of play that featured the BMaze Elite organization. That meant
Brandon Huntley-Hatfield was on display.
BMaze played one game Friday night, two Saturday, and one more on Sunday. The games are accessible for film review so Cats Illustrated was able to watch Huntley-Hatfield in the first two games, a loss to Team Dickerson and a win over the Atlanta Xpress.
On Friday night BHH put together a stat line of 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Keep in mind that AAU affairs can be up and down affair with teams playing four games in a 36-hour period. Players' roles aren't as defined, nor is play as structured as in college or even sometimes in high school.
Taking that into account, here is what my partner noticed after the watching his performances via live stream.
Travis Graf - "Brandon Huntley-Hatfield has a smooth stroke from the mid-range and from beyond the arc, but doesn’t get much lift on his jumper. He’s also a very good playmaker for a player with his size. The 6-foot-10 forward almost always hits players in stride with his passes. Good exit passer out of the post. The rising junior has an above average handle for his size and can read defenses well. His handle won’t always get him to the rim, but he uses it to set himself up for pull-up jump shots. Brandon will also willingly run the court all game long on the fast break.
Overall, Huntley-Hatfield has a good feel for the game. While he can hit an outside jumper, he settles for them too easily and will float on the perimeter. With his size and strength, the 2022 prospect could dominate inside. He’s not an above-the-rim, high rising player, but he shows flashes of athleticism. He’s not the most explosive player but he’s pretty fluid. Brandon has active hands when playing off-ball defense. He's not afraid to step out and match up with guards at the high school level. He’s not an elite rim protector, but makes offensive players think twice before going up with a shot near him. His defensive energy and motor must improve.
As many have noted his lofty ranking is based on his potential and his dynamic skill set at his size. Huntley-Hatfield is now 6-foot-10, 230 pounds according to his mother. With his versatility and fluidity at that size, he has a high floor at the college level. It’s hard to pinpoint his ceiling at this time due to his average athleticism and as who doesn’t get much lift on his jumper. At the college level, if he plays inside-out more than he currently plays outside-in, he can take his game to the next level and open up more perimeter shots in pick and roll situations as well as a trailer on the break. His strength will translate to the college game and he has the frame to put on even more muscle. Overall, he’ll be a solid addition to whichever college lands his services."
Here is what I wrote in the House of Blue after watching the game.
"BHH ended up with 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks. That sounds like good numbers, but he cleaned up with 6 late points when he finally got under the rim and banged. He took a ton of shots, and like last week, many of them were ill-advised three-pointers.
He started out the game at the elbow area in a Horns set. In that look it generally a feed to him there and the floor is cleared for an isolation drive. That didn't happen much, but he has a nice crossover to get him to his left side, which is where he likes to go. He's not a big blow-by guy, but can set hs defender up with that crafty crossover. When he gets deep he needs to use his strength more. He doesn't seem to me that he plays over the rim, or has a lot of lift. But that is where I would like to see him in person.
I think he is a good shooter. He made his first three-point attempt and probably missed his next ten. I think he has good shot form. He holds his follow through and finishes high. BHH was 6 of 8 from the line, so that is a pretty good indicator of his shot. He just shoots contested shots out of rhythm and doesn't understand what a good shot is. It appears to me that he has trouble getting by good defenders, so he settles by chopping his feet off the dribble into a contested three. That is something a college coach should remedy pretty quickly.
He also played some point guard. He was actually pretty good off the ball screen. He had two memorable plays. One was a nice pass to the roll man. The other. was a split of the double team with his crossover.
In a nutshell, he is going through the AAU experience right now that most really good players his size do in the modern day game. He is trying to prove he can play on the perimeter, and it is an evolving process. He has a great body. On tape, he looks ripped and is not heavy. I do think once he makes up his mind to play a physical game he could move some people. He runs well and looks to have good agility for a player his size. Like I said, I'm not sure about explosiveness yet. But he is a rarity. His skill actually surpasses his athleticism in my opinion. The big challenge for him will be to okay physically inside the arc and not a finesse game behind it."
Saturday morning, social media and Twtter was ablaze in regards to Huntley-Hatfield's showing against the Atlanta Xpress. Much talk surrounded him showing glimpses of why he could be a top five prospect. He ended up with 15 points on 6 of 9 shooting, which included 2 of 4 from deep. Huntley-Hatfield was also 3 of 4 from the line.
One big improvement revolved around him being under control. I think much of that came from the bench, and it as evident on the first possession. BMaze Elite ran a four-out, one in around BHH, with much more movement. If he rolled off the ball-screen, then he would seal in the post. He was much more into it in this role and more under control.
This immediately led to the second thing that was noticeably better. He really had explosion on his mid-range jumpers. His first shot was a tough pull-up jumper at the foul line over and outstretched defender. It was a big time play; good touch off athletic lift. He also scored with his back to the bucket on a nice mid-range turnaround jumper over this right shoulder. Keep in mind that right now in his development, he always wants to get to that left side.
That brings us to his outside shooting. He has good lift, good form, and a nice follow through. His most impressive make was from the point guard spot going into a left to right high ball-screen. His man went under the screen and he pulled up and nailed it off the dribble. It was a confident looking stroke with good form.
Huntley-Hatfield runs the floor really well, and is light on his feet. He performed a clever Euro-step finish on the break over a defender. One thing he needs to improve on is his footwork when he catches the ball on the move. He walked a couple of times because he didn't appear to know what he wanted to do with the ball. I would like to see him catch the ball with his feet off the ground in a jump stop. Then he can take off with a strong first step.
Late in the game he went to the post with the lead. He drew pseudo-double teams and did a nice job of passing out of the post to a plethora of three-point shooters. I would have liked to seen him attack the rim some with his back to the bucket. His total package of size, athleticism, and skill is not in question. It is elite. What is still in doubt is his willingness to consistently kick butt and take names. To me, he has the frame and athleticism of a to be special. His killer instinct will tell how close he can get to that ceiling.
Below is a video from the weekend before at The Opening. Huntley-Hatfield is No. 2 in the light uniform.
Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (Courtesy of Jaron-Pierre Mathurine) (https://twitter.com)
David Sisk • CatsIllustrated
Staff Writer
A small number of high school prospects were on this display this past weekend thanks to select AAU events across the country.
One of the get-togethers was the Hoop Hustlers Tipoff Classic in the Atlanta area. This was the second-straight weekend of play that featured the BMaze Elite organization. That meant
Brandon Huntley-Hatfield was on display.
BMaze played one game Friday night, two Saturday, and one more on Sunday. The games are accessible for film review so Cats Illustrated was able to watch Huntley-Hatfield in the first two games, a loss to Team Dickerson and a win over the Atlanta Xpress.
On Friday night BHH put together a stat line of 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Keep in mind that AAU affairs can be up and down affair with teams playing four games in a 36-hour period. Players' roles aren't as defined, nor is play as structured as in college or even sometimes in high school.
Taking that into account, here is what my partner noticed after the watching his performances via live stream.
Travis Graf - "Brandon Huntley-Hatfield has a smooth stroke from the mid-range and from beyond the arc, but doesn’t get much lift on his jumper. He’s also a very good playmaker for a player with his size. The 6-foot-10 forward almost always hits players in stride with his passes. Good exit passer out of the post. The rising junior has an above average handle for his size and can read defenses well. His handle won’t always get him to the rim, but he uses it to set himself up for pull-up jump shots. Brandon will also willingly run the court all game long on the fast break.
Overall, Huntley-Hatfield has a good feel for the game. While he can hit an outside jumper, he settles for them too easily and will float on the perimeter. With his size and strength, the 2022 prospect could dominate inside. He’s not an above-the-rim, high rising player, but he shows flashes of athleticism. He’s not the most explosive player but he’s pretty fluid. Brandon has active hands when playing off-ball defense. He's not afraid to step out and match up with guards at the high school level. He’s not an elite rim protector, but makes offensive players think twice before going up with a shot near him. His defensive energy and motor must improve.
As many have noted his lofty ranking is based on his potential and his dynamic skill set at his size. Huntley-Hatfield is now 6-foot-10, 230 pounds according to his mother. With his versatility and fluidity at that size, he has a high floor at the college level. It’s hard to pinpoint his ceiling at this time due to his average athleticism and as who doesn’t get much lift on his jumper. At the college level, if he plays inside-out more than he currently plays outside-in, he can take his game to the next level and open up more perimeter shots in pick and roll situations as well as a trailer on the break. His strength will translate to the college game and he has the frame to put on even more muscle. Overall, he’ll be a solid addition to whichever college lands his services."
Here is what I wrote in the House of Blue after watching the game.
"BHH ended up with 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks. That sounds like good numbers, but he cleaned up with 6 late points when he finally got under the rim and banged. He took a ton of shots, and like last week, many of them were ill-advised three-pointers.
He started out the game at the elbow area in a Horns set. In that look it generally a feed to him there and the floor is cleared for an isolation drive. That didn't happen much, but he has a nice crossover to get him to his left side, which is where he likes to go. He's not a big blow-by guy, but can set hs defender up with that crafty crossover. When he gets deep he needs to use his strength more. He doesn't seem to me that he plays over the rim, or has a lot of lift. But that is where I would like to see him in person.
I think he is a good shooter. He made his first three-point attempt and probably missed his next ten. I think he has good shot form. He holds his follow through and finishes high. BHH was 6 of 8 from the line, so that is a pretty good indicator of his shot. He just shoots contested shots out of rhythm and doesn't understand what a good shot is. It appears to me that he has trouble getting by good defenders, so he settles by chopping his feet off the dribble into a contested three. That is something a college coach should remedy pretty quickly.
He also played some point guard. He was actually pretty good off the ball screen. He had two memorable plays. One was a nice pass to the roll man. The other. was a split of the double team with his crossover.
In a nutshell, he is going through the AAU experience right now that most really good players his size do in the modern day game. He is trying to prove he can play on the perimeter, and it is an evolving process. He has a great body. On tape, he looks ripped and is not heavy. I do think once he makes up his mind to play a physical game he could move some people. He runs well and looks to have good agility for a player his size. Like I said, I'm not sure about explosiveness yet. But he is a rarity. His skill actually surpasses his athleticism in my opinion. The big challenge for him will be to okay physically inside the arc and not a finesse game behind it."
Saturday morning, social media and Twtter was ablaze in regards to Huntley-Hatfield's showing against the Atlanta Xpress. Much talk surrounded him showing glimpses of why he could be a top five prospect. He ended up with 15 points on 6 of 9 shooting, which included 2 of 4 from deep. Huntley-Hatfield was also 3 of 4 from the line.
One big improvement revolved around him being under control. I think much of that came from the bench, and it as evident on the first possession. BMaze Elite ran a four-out, one in around BHH, with much more movement. If he rolled off the ball-screen, then he would seal in the post. He was much more into it in this role and more under control.
This immediately led to the second thing that was noticeably better. He really had explosion on his mid-range jumpers. His first shot was a tough pull-up jumper at the foul line over and outstretched defender. It was a big time play; good touch off athletic lift. He also scored with his back to the bucket on a nice mid-range turnaround jumper over this right shoulder. Keep in mind that right now in his development, he always wants to get to that left side.
That brings us to his outside shooting. He has good lift, good form, and a nice follow through. His most impressive make was from the point guard spot going into a left to right high ball-screen. His man went under the screen and he pulled up and nailed it off the dribble. It was a confident looking stroke with good form.
Huntley-Hatfield runs the floor really well, and is light on his feet. He performed a clever Euro-step finish on the break over a defender. One thing he needs to improve on is his footwork when he catches the ball on the move. He walked a couple of times because he didn't appear to know what he wanted to do with the ball. I would like to see him catch the ball with his feet off the ground in a jump stop. Then he can take off with a strong first step.
Late in the game he went to the post with the lead. He drew pseudo-double teams and did a nice job of passing out of the post to a plethora of three-point shooters. I would have liked to seen him attack the rim some with his back to the bucket. His total package of size, athleticism, and skill is not in question. It is elite. What is still in doubt is his willingness to consistently kick butt and take names. To me, he has the frame and athleticism of a to be special. His killer instinct will tell how close he can get to that ceiling.
Below is a video from the weekend before at The Opening. Huntley-Hatfield is No. 2 in the light uniform.
