On Wednesdays we feature an in-state prospect who could be flying under the radar of college coaches. This week's UTR basketball prospect is Baptist Prep’s Hudson Likens.
Class: 2021
Position: Guard
Size: 6-2, 170 pounds
Academics: 3.5 GPA
Interest: Liberty
Stats: 14.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.8 steals per game while shooting 49.1 percent on 2-point attempts, 34.1 percent from 3-point range and 77 percent at the free throw line.
Coach Steve Miller:
“He came to our school as a sophomore and made an immediate impact. He just fit into the team. He came in as just a great shooter. It also helps when you have an Isaac McBride. That was his role as a sophomore, to spot up on that 3-point line when Isaac would draw two or three guys. Isaac did a great job of getting him the basketball. More times than not he’s going to knock that down.”
Great work ethic:
“Over the summer we really worked on his ballhandling. He just got himself in the gym, worked hard, played summer ball on a team and just got after it. Whenever we would practice he would stay afterward and get the cones out and work on his ballhandling - two-ball dribbling or attacking the basket. (He was) playing a lot a 1-on-1 with the guys.”
Big strides as a junior:
“It took him a while to adjust to not having Isaac there and learning to penetrate and (shoot the) pull-up jumper. Kind of the lost art, where he pulls up from 12-15 feet. That’s part of his game, and then he also did a great job of getting into the weight room. He’s really worked hard in the summer and in the fall so he could go inside and finish at the rim. There were several times that he got fouled and finished at the rim and made the old-fashioned 3-point play.”
“He just wants to be an overall good basketball player. Like I said as a sophomore, he was one dimensional, shot the 3, but now he’s turned into a player on both ends on the court. Unselfish player.”