Top left: Arizona Assistant Russ Pennell & Coach Max
Top right: Daniel Alexander @ Drippings Springs
Bottom left: Daniel Alexander @ Max Ivany's All American Prodigy Camp.
I spent Thursday at Dripping Springs HS and had the opportunity to meet new Head Coach Louis Jenkins. I was really impressed with his demeanor. After last year's shall we say, "difficult" season there is hopes of bigger things for the Tigers. In speaking to Coach Jenkins he is shooting for 20 wins, up from 13 last year.
He has a lot to work with too, and should vie for a playoff spot. Senior Guards 6'1" Mason Beyer and 6'1" Travis Poole will be key in any success that Drip will have. They must protect the ball and make good decisions.
They've got a nice looking 2011 G in 5'9" Jalen Jury probably the most athletic of the guards despite being only a soph. 2010 6'4" Dusty Rice can bang and has a decent touch around the goal.
The gem though is 2010 6'8" Daniel Alexander. Alexander will be a GREAT college 3. However, he'll likely have to play a certain amount down low to meet the needs of his high school team. Daniel is an above average shot blocker and a long defender. Offensively the kid has NBA range and a lightning quick release. He can definitely light it up from the perimeter. We had great success this summer on the circuit with the Texas D-1 Ambassadors where we routinely ran the pick and pop from beyond the 3 point line and Alexander drained three after three. The big highlight was the matchup against the Atlanta Celtics and Top 3 player in the country in the Class of 2009 in 6'9" Derrick Favors. On center court in Las Vegas, Favors was a load inside but Daniel took him to the perimeter and dropped 7 long range bombs to wow the crowd. Anyone who was anyone in basketball was in the gym. Pac-10, Big X11, Big East etc. Daniel really put himself on the map this summer.
He now has offers in the bag from more schools than he can count. Marquette, Texas A&M, TCU, Utah, Cal, and many others. USC and Texas were at DS watching his open gym last week. While I was there Thursday, Arizona was in the house. Coach Olson and Recruiting Coordinator Russ Pennell think Daniel can be a great fit in the Pac-10. Stay tuned and if you get a chance go see who I think is the #1 Wing prospect in Texas in the Class of 2010 then you can decide for yourself. DS is in 26-4A with the Austin schools and outside of extremely tough matchups with LBJ and Mccallum, should compete favorably with the rest.
