PrepHoopsKY

2016 Newport Central Catholic forward Ben Weyer is having a tremendous junior season so far for one of the top teams in the state. Ben is a very versatile forward that can play both inside and outside. He’s a good perimeter shooter and can take slower defenders off the dribble and score at the rim. He’s a good rebounder and a very good finisher around the rim. He does need to get stronger, but that should come as he continues to develop. Right now Furman and South Carolina Upstate are the two schools recruiting Ben. He mentioned that he may make a visit to Furman and that both Furman and South Carolina Upstate are planning to watch him play this season. He’s receiving relatively little contact right now but I expect that will pick up as he plays his last season of AAU this summer. Ben mentioned ball-handling and getting stronger in the offseason as two of the main things he’d like to work on. However, he also mentioned wanting to improve his post moves so that he can score over the usually smaller defenders that guard him. Newport Central Catholic is off to a 9-2 start and Ben has been a big part of that. He mentioned that their expectations for the rest of the year are to really focus on winning their region and making it to the state tournament. After that Ben said he thinks they have a good shot, “Make it out of region, and if we can do that I think we have a chance at state. We just have to play together and play well.” Recruiting Report: Ben Weyer (2016)

Swindall had 26 Carson had 19 James Boone had 17 and 7 Skyler Geralds 15 Dillon Geralds 15 and 12 Corey Shelton 25 Cody Woolridge 22 and 10

2016 Newport Guard Ethan Snapp may be the most entertaining player to watch in the state. He’s a good ball-handler with a lot of shiftiness in the way he creates separation to get off his shot. He’s a good shooter that can pull-up from anywhere on the court and knock down shots. He gets into the lane well and usually finishes, although his thin frame does make it hard when he draws contact. Right now Lipscomb, Belmont, UNC-Greensboro, Wofford and the University of Charleston are the schools Ethan is hearing from. He has received an offer already from Charleston. He also has two visits currently set up, he’ll visit Charleston January 31st to see them play West Liberty. He will also be at the Lipscomb-Northern Kentucky game at Northern Kentucky on February 6th. I also talked to Ethan about some of the things he’s working on to get better. “Definitely getting stronger and bigger, and getting quicker to help my defense.” He also mentioned that he’s done a much better job of getting to the foul line this season and he wants to keep that up along with keeping his free throw shooting percentage above 85%. Ethan describe the season his team has had so far as good, but mentioned they’ve lost a lot of close games in what may be the most difficult schedule in Newport history. But he did seem upbeat about that because he knows it’s all about getting better for the postseason. “It’s all in preparation for when district and region come around.” He told me that closing out the year he wants to help get the team record above .500 and they want to make the 9th region tournament as well. Prep Hoops Kentucky Link

2015 Campbell County guard Dre Jackson committed to Kentucky State a little over a week ago shortly after he picked up an offer from the Thoroughbreds. Dre had other offers from Ohio Valley (WV), Wheeling Jesuit (WV) and Urbana (OH) and St. Leo (FL) was close to offering as well. Dre opened up a bit and said that his visit to the Kentucky State campus really swayed him. “I chose Kentucky State because when I went up there to visit it felt like home. Everything just seemed right and the atmosphere down there was crazy.” He also really liked the coaching staff at Kentucky State, and said that his main recruiter, Coach Darnell Williams, did a good job of keeping in touch and checking on him. “He checked up with me everyday… Every time we talked it wasn’t always about basketball. He asked about me, my mom, grades and everything else.” Staying close to home, their style of play and he thinks he has the chance to make an impact early in his career. Dre told me that his game is perfect for the Kentucky State system. However, Dre knows in order for him to make the biggest impact possible at Kentucky State he needs to continue improving. He mentioned getting stronger, becoming a better ball-handler and improving defensively as some of the things he’s focusing on right now. Dre ended our conversation by thanking some of the people who have helped him reach this point. “I am extremely proud to be a Thoroughbred next year. I want to thank my coaches for this opportunity and also my AAU coach because without him none of this would be possible.” Prep Hoops Kentucky Link