OTR #Elite32 – Interior Gems Pt 2

MARIETTA, GA – After a busy June for high-schoolers back on their homefronts, OTR was back at it with its 4-day long basketball extravaganza and once again teaming with Recruit Look Hoops for another incredibly diverse field of teams from all regions.

For the first of two July live periods for prospects, our crack team had main venue Next Play 360 covered with multiple evaluators canvassing the 4 courts, I took to outer venues Kell HS and Sequoyah HS to see if we could uncover some gems.

Some willing and skilled interior guys who impressed, Part 2:

Jacob Barker | 2024 | Mountain West Premier

Teamed with 6-9 Eli Michaelis for a formidable twosome to deal with for a solid all-around 17U Premier group, personified the willing post player as he didn’t spend all his time meandering around the arc or elbow but went to work with his back to the basket, intermediate shooting and baby hooks are there and he’s a good enough mover and has enough push to get some separation from guys his size at 6-11.

Cole Buker | 2024 | GA Legacy (pictured at top)

Legacy has been so solid all spring and asked for and received a highly competitive schedule at Elite 32 and Buker was more than up to the task, Legacy guys like Cam James and Sam Maynard have been gobbling up the attention most notably of late but it’s been the consistency of Buker and his clear and obvious improvements over the last year that landed him on this list with ease, time in the weight room has afforded him the extra power and he’s put in the work on the footwork and finishing.

Odaine Clahar | 2024 | CCTG

Was part of yet another imposing duo on the interior at Elite 32 along with Kemauny “Ralph” Welch, both are Jamaican imports who cut quite the figure out there with Welch being more power-driven and Clahar more finesse, Clahar has a bit more size hovering around what looks like the 6-8 mark and can really get up and down the floor and off the deck, those components might immediately translate to a few more looks as his name circulates more and more but both he and Welch are guys to know down in the Jacksonville FL area.

Blake Wilson | 2024 | ATL Pivot

I don’t subscribe in Wilson’s case to the undersized post argument simply because of much he gets accomplished around the basket with such consistency for a guy built like a truck and still standing 6-6, the IQ and effort-level are college-ready and have been for some time and the body is greek-sculpted, he has been a double-double type machine for Pivot for 3 months and is primed to go on a tear I think for Hebron Christian this fall after transferring from Dacula.

James Deloach | 2024 | Grind Don’t Stop

The name came up several times over the weekend most prominently from OTR’s eagle-eye unofficial talent scout Kenny Alston who is a content machine carrying his camera like a boss but knows his ball as well, the level of fierce play especially when matched with bigger guys was on display and while the work away from the basket is still ongoing it’s filled with high energy potential as this uber-athletic mover is a name to know out of Arkansas.

Alex Lowry | 2025 | AOT

A long 6-8 or so with a definite propensity for knocking down the deep J with a built-for-distance stroke, some added weight over the next year should take him up a notch in recruiting circles as adding a tinge of nastiness too on the catch and finish would be add flavor, I think he’s got the wherewithal to play more in the post now and showed it in spots when I saw him but we see so much uninspired face-up work from young guys his size these days I’m eager to see him next spring after a high school season where I’m sure he’ll see progression in his overall game.

Keith Agran has lived in Georgia since 2011 and joined OTR as a National Evaluator in 2021. He previously scouted for Prep Hoops dating back to 2019, and also spent 3 years as a sports writer at two newspapers in New Jersey. After a championship-coaching background on the HS-level also in NJ, he accepted the Girl’s Basketball Head Coaching position in May 2022 at Mt Bethel Christian Academy and now balances scouting and coaching still with a keen eye on talent around the region. You can reach him at keithagran1@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @BracketSage.