Proud of Hale for withstanding the pressure...
Shannon Hale withstood a lot of pressure from hometown friends and fans to sign with Tennessee and not Alabama. Hale made it clear from day one he intended to keep his promise to ink with 'Bama. Hale and Taylor both represent missing pieces for Anthony Grant. Grant has been successful in signing a lot of great prospects, but he needs to find great players at every position. He found two great ones on signing day.
Hale is a 6-8 power forward. He is another top 100 player that has signed with Grant. He weighs about 205 lbs. He is long and lanky with a nice perimeter game. Grant is going to have to help him with his insider game. He doesn't like to play with his back to the basket. He can run and score. He is a good inside defender because of the lenght and hops. Rivals.com lists him as a 4 star player and that seems right from what I've seen so far. He is one of those kids whose athleticism is head and shoulders above anyone he plays against. I haven't seen him play AAU ball so I can't really comment playing against competition equal to his. The best thing about him is that I think he has a big upside. He is just scratching the surface the of his game according to his coach and two other area high school coaches I spoke with recently. Hale transferred from Science High School in Tennessee to one of the top prep programs in America.- Christ School in Ashville, N.C.
Taylor is probably the most important player Grant has recently signed. He is a true inside post player who can knock you back to last week with his strength, power, and shot blocking expertise. He is a defensive machine in high school. He reminds me a little of Antonio McDyess (I'm not saying he is that good yet) in how physical he plays the game. He blocks a lot of shots and alters a lot of shots. Those alter shots are just as important as blocked shots. Jimmie's the answer to 'Bama's woeful inside game. He is 6-10 inches tall and is listed at 235 lbs. It is all muscle. He doesn't score a lot. Truthfully, he is on a team that doesn't need him to score a lot of points. I think he has the skills to become a more than average inside offensive player. He can run the floor. He gets the ball off the glass and hits the guards who start the fast break on his Greenville High School team. He is unselfish, relentless, and basically mean as a snake under the basket. He needs to improve his fundamental. Taylor is another top 100 player with four stars. He might get that fifth star before he graduates. Hale might as well.
The reason that I am so happy with this class is it meets the two biggest needs for Bama. Think about the next season - Releford, Lacey, Randolph,Pollard, and Jacobs on the floor along with Taylor and Hale. Both Jacobs and Hale are power forwards. Jacobs likes to play with his back to the basket. Hale is a more in your face type guy. He can go inside and outside. This is a great class in quality if not numbers. C.M. Newton once said that layering your recruiting classes are so important. He meant two things - first make sure you have a star waiting to replace a senior, and make sure you have one at every position. Next season might be the first time Grant has all the pieces on the floor together. Here's an example. Assume that Mitchell was back and had a great attitude. How much would his presence mean to the Tide? One player in basketball can make a huge differnce, particularly if it frees up other players to be in their best positions. Hale and Taylor can help the Tide do just that.
Tide shoot around at the
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| Jimmie Taylor is a great defensive player |
Hale is a 6-8 power forward. He is another top 100 player that has signed with Grant. He weighs about 205 lbs. He is long and lanky with a nice perimeter game. Grant is going to have to help him with his insider game. He doesn't like to play with his back to the basket. He can run and score. He is a good inside defender because of the lenght and hops. Rivals.com lists him as a 4 star player and that seems right from what I've seen so far. He is one of those kids whose athleticism is head and shoulders above anyone he plays against. I haven't seen him play AAU ball so I can't really comment playing against competition equal to his. The best thing about him is that I think he has a big upside. He is just scratching the surface the of his game according to his coach and two other area high school coaches I spoke with recently. Hale transferred from Science High School in Tennessee to one of the top prep programs in America.- Christ School in Ashville, N.C.
Taylor is probably the most important player Grant has recently signed. He is a true inside post player who can knock you back to last week with his strength, power, and shot blocking expertise. He is a defensive machine in high school. He reminds me a little of Antonio McDyess (I'm not saying he is that good yet) in how physical he plays the game. He blocks a lot of shots and alters a lot of shots. Those alter shots are just as important as blocked shots. Jimmie's the answer to 'Bama's woeful inside game. He is 6-10 inches tall and is listed at 235 lbs. It is all muscle. He doesn't score a lot. Truthfully, he is on a team that doesn't need him to score a lot of points. I think he has the skills to become a more than average inside offensive player. He can run the floor. He gets the ball off the glass and hits the guards who start the fast break on his Greenville High School team. He is unselfish, relentless, and basically mean as a snake under the basket. He needs to improve his fundamental. Taylor is another top 100 player with four stars. He might get that fifth star before he graduates. Hale might as well.
The reason that I am so happy with this class is it meets the two biggest needs for Bama. Think about the next season - Releford, Lacey, Randolph,Pollard, and Jacobs on the floor along with Taylor and Hale. Both Jacobs and Hale are power forwards. Jacobs likes to play with his back to the basket. Hale is a more in your face type guy. He can go inside and outside. This is a great class in quality if not numbers. C.M. Newton once said that layering your recruiting classes are so important. He meant two things - first make sure you have a star waiting to replace a senior, and make sure you have one at every position. Next season might be the first time Grant has all the pieces on the floor together. Here's an example. Assume that Mitchell was back and had a great attitude. How much would his presence mean to the Tide? One player in basketball can make a huge differnce, particularly if it frees up other players to be in their best positions. Hale and Taylor can help the Tide do just that.
Tide shoot around at the
Garden. Compliments of Jimmy Crawford - Facebook Friend who is in NYC.
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