What’s Holding San Antonio Basketball Back? | Development, Recruiting Truth & 10 Names to Know

Tonight on Baseline Truth,   Kevin Howell (The One-Eyed Scout) and Phil Townsend break down what’s really holding San Antonio basketball back.
Topics include:
The biggest lie hurting player development
Why too many 6’6” and 6’7” players get boxed into the wrong role
Why development matters more than games
11 players coaches should keep an eye on this year
How to tell when a player is better than the circuit
Final Four talk, international influence, and what the game keeps teaching us
This is real basketball conversation. No fluff. No fake hype.
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#SanAntonioBasketball #TexasHighSchoolBasketball #PlayerDevelopment #RecruitingTruth #BasketballScouting #OneEyedScout #TexasBasketball #CollegeBasketballRecruiting

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 Shoutout to The Brunch Spot in Converse — great food, great people, and always showing love to the game. This is The One-Eyed Scout Show, and remember — it ain’t for everybody. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:54

Welcome and welcome to Baseline Truth Live. Tonight we're talking real basketball, Truth in San Antonio, development, projection, and what's really holding players back.

SPEAKER_01 1:08

Man, this is gonna be one show people are gonna want to watch. You know, uh, we talk we we see this, we see that, and we're talking about the things that nobody wants to talk about. You know, and as always, we report what I see, not hype, not guesses, not politics, just what I see. And tonight is gonna make some people uncomfortable, and that is fine with me. Yes, sir. You know, if you're a parent trying to understand the process with more clarity, grab your copy of the recruiting roadmap. Too many families are still out there just guessing tonight. First five, Kev, look, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:55

I you know, one of the big things that's always going on, right? Taking these 6'6, 6'8 uh young men and trying to turn them into automatic post players, right? Um, you know, so look, I got a question for you. What's one big lie? One big line that's holding San Antonio basketball back.

SPEAKER_01 2:19

Man, they're trying to turn all these kids, like you say, into post players, and they're not at the next level. They're winning games, they're they're grading high school, but they're not translating to the next level. And tonight we're gonna we're gonna bust on that really, uh, because I feel like a couple of things are going on, and you know, uh we've seen guys develop, and we've seen guys get to the point where we're seeing them put the ball on the ground on the floor, dribbling. We talk about Mason Thomas, you know, foot one, and uh Mason's role for his team was a four or five, you know, and should have been really a straight three. And I'm not again, it's gonna rub people the wrong way, but it needs to because some of these kids need to figure out that the development may be on your own time because that coach's job is to win games, and that's just that's just fact. But what really bothered me, Phil, yes, so we were all right. First, we went to the Noble event, premier event, you know, Lint, athleticism all over the place, big time players. Went to the Prep Hoops event, pretty good players. Man, we pulled, I pulled one kid to the side uh from here, uh Chris, you know, and and asked him, you know, what his plans were, six, seven long. We saw him in the playoffs, you know, and uh, and man, he said he's trying to be a stretch four. And and that that's a problem because kids are being brainwashed that they're limited because of six seven. Like it's hiding development for that kid, and I just think that's wrong. I don't I don't support it, but at the same time, again, that guy has to be able to get development on his own then.

SPEAKER_03 4:37

Kev, you keep hitting it. I mean, you just keep hitting it on the head when you say, look, that coach has to feed his family, so he's going to play you in the position that he feels is best going to work for the team, right? Yep, you have to you have to get out and and do your do your thing on your own time, right? Because what what you're doing is is is you're facilitating the need for that coach, but you aren't developing your game, right? Uh so and and Kev, I think that gets into what what you you're gonna talk a little bit on about when it gets into projection and development, right? Uh so I'll let you roll with that just a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 5:36

Yeah, and I think like we're saying, okay, what would a 6'6, 6'7, 6'8 kid need to be working on, right? Because coaches aren't recruiting positions, they're not recruiting a label, they're recruiting a player, they're recruiting someone who can fit the puzzle piece that they need to push them over the top. So uh anywhere from 6'5, 6'8, 6'9, you need to work on ball handling somewhat so that you so that you you're serviceable. You need to learn attack closeouts, you know, because if you can't attack closeouts these days, they they're gonna shoot the three on you because you get there too late, right? They're gonna pump fake you, you're gonna fly by, and they're gonna duck the ball if you don't close out right. That's effort. That's you standing in the gym, running to a spot, closeout.

SPEAKER_03 6:33

You know, and Kev, you know, one of the one of the uh premier things that's lacking when you're playing down low is being able to guard out in space. Yes, yes, you gotta you gotta work on being able to guard out in space. Uh you can't be that fish out of water.

SPEAKER_01 6:58

No, because here's here's one for you. If you can guard two positions, you very you way more valuable, you know, because people be quick to say he can guard one through four or one through five. You know, in in the city reality last year, there was a handful, you know, and and I'll I'll thought that we talked about Jermichael Moore, and he was one, you know, that could that could literally go one through five uh serviceably. But gardening space, switching, you know, because that's one of the the the when the when we when we're attacking the pick and roll and deciding if you're gonna let your guard over, what how we're gonna play it, you're right, man. It's all about you're all about guarding space.

SPEAKER_03 7:48

Yeah, but you know, Kev, you you mentioned it earlier, uh, and but I'm just gonna touch some numbers on it. Yeah, and when um like you you mentioned, if you could if you can guard two positions, right? That that's value, right? But if you can do more things on offense, other than just shoot the ball, right? If you can pass the ball, if you can handle the ball, and you know what? I know somebody that can do those things, and I can't wait to see him work from the wing to the two. Uh, it's gonna be great. You know, he's my number one player. Yes, my number one player.

SPEAKER_01 8:33

Let's throw it out there, man. I mean, we're gonna talk a uh a list later on, but Amani Francis.

SPEAKER_03 8:39

You know, Amonty Francis, that's that's you know, that's my pick.

SPEAKER_01 8:44

You know, and and and in watching him over the years, you know, he was uh he played a role at Brennan. Uh he came over to Harlan and they started developing, and you know, he continued to work in the gym in silence, uh with his dad on handles and all and all these things. And man, this year he really expanded the game. But I'm gonna tell you what, people don't know that dude can shoot the ball, and if he was anywhere else, you know, they might not give him that opportunity, but he's having to learn to take that opportunity, and that's one of the things that's holding San Antonio back.

SPEAKER_03 9:34

Bam, Kev, you you said the magic word, take that opportunity, right? Yes, because I I know in personal conversation, I I I said to him, hey, you're guarding a man when you on open. You too good, right? You you need to, you know, to to to to to separate and command that ball, right? Because he I look, I look, we're not talking about, we're not talking about coaches. We're not talking about we're talking about the ability that someone has. You just gotta take it. I understand there may be other, you know, thought processes going on to where you are, but you gotta re you gotta remember that this this is about you doing something that are going to advance you to the next stage. And that that that that young man's got he's got all the stuff together.

SPEAKER_01 10:58

He's got the stuff, you know, but and and I think uh he may have been falling to this trap, this lie in the city that too many kids are being taught height, you know, they're being taught to dominate a 6'5, 6'8, because that's what they play against, you know. But we need to start teaching kids basketball, basketball, uh, bringing up the basketball IQ. And uh, you know, so let's, you know, the big the next thing we're gonna talk about, man, and we're gonna stay with development because there's too many damn games, there's too many damn tournaments, and if you look like okay, people are trying to get into the a blue blood, right? Oh, yeah, and and and and those blue blood athletes are playing on Nike Puma, whatever, right? They don't play every weekend, they don't play every other weekend, and that's the dudes you're trying to be, right? Um, and so I I really believe in like a 50-50 or 30-70 split that you need to be in the gym working 70% of the time, at least 50% of the time. You know, we we've we've got some guys that within the city that have that have committed, we've chosen, we've come that they've chosen to join. And man, we're working the dog piss out of them four nights a week. You know, we work three nights, we we we have gym runs on the uh on on the on the fourth. Our workouts are designed that is 50 50 minutes, uh 50% drills, 50% one-on-one, two on twos, three on threes. And we've got results. And this ain't about this is about not enough development, you know. Um, and I think that um players are really underdeveloped and overexposed. Bam! And I think the biggest piece of the underdevelopment, um, I think the lack of understanding where you are at development starts at home. And that, my friend, is where adults have to get out of the way. They have to they have to grab the book, read them up, and learn. And what book is that as the recruiting realities for parents, the recruiting roadmap, you know. Um, you can buy it on Amazon, but you know, the next thing about those tournaments, what if you're the best player in the tournament? Are you getting any better? Are you just trophy chasing? You know, and this is this will be a night where I really feel like some trainers could really catch hold on some of these nuggets, man, because guys need truth-telling trainers. The three T's. Tell the truth trainer, right? Oh, yeah. Because real growth is gonna happen through repetition, correction, skill work, defensive teaching, and film. You talked about it right before we came on the air. Find out where you messed up. Don't run from criticism, don't run from coaching. The great ones crave it. They crave it. Like, look, look, all right, so they had uh Tom Izzo, uh Hurley on there, and they're some of the most animated, demonstrative coaches out there. You know, there was a thing on TV where uh they were they were portraying one of the female coaches, getting after one of their star players, and the star player said she told me she was gonna bring the best out of me, and that's what she's doing. We gotta quit coddling and worrying about feelings because feelings aren't telling people the truth. Truth, if you love a kid and you want them to develop, tell them the truth, tell them what they need to work on, and then give them the space and arena to work on it, you know.

SPEAKER_03 16:08

Yeah, but you know, Kev, part of your personal development and part of the development is when you have the opportunity, much like going to the Noble, you talk about running from something, don't run from it, be a first responder, run to it, have a first responder mentality. Because why wouldn't you want to go against the best? Why would you want to sit over here and have everybody saying, Oh, you're so great, you're so great. But you know, you're not gonna go where you know there's something there.

SPEAKER_01 16:50

Well well, you know, one thing that um that's a reality is is height measurements, right? Oh, yeah. And and and it's overstated. It's I mean, but when you get into an environment like what was at the Noble, when they did a full combine uh three-quarter sprint, vertical, standing vertical, height, weight, hand span, wingspan, right? All those data points that matter are now in the Noble system. You know, I was able to go back and look, and we'll talk about Mac McKinley in a minute. I mean, Mac, that's not Mac's last name. No, but Mac, uh, but Mac, I love him. But you know what? He grew an inch, actually grew two inches. Uh Amani Francis, we used to label him at 6'6. Man, dude, six eight and a half. Trey Crump, six foot nine. Uh Justin McBride, six foot five. Well, those numbers matter because those numbers are verified within Noble. And and and man, I'm telling you right now, bro, like my phone has been hot with coaches wanting to find out the talent in San Antonio right now. And we're working with several coaches trying to get on film. You know, the new staff rolled into uh Tarleton. Happen to be some acquaintance we have from old, you know, and and they're they're they're asking questions about an overlooked, uh an overlooked guard, you know, 6'3, 6'4, uh great athleticism, you know, uh, and they're asking about him. So I know people probably try, I feel like people get tired of me trying to blow my horn because I don't I don't really care. But the fact is, coaches are calling, and if you're not working, we're not talking about what we think you can do, we're talking about what we've seen you do repeatedly in repetitions. You know, so you gotta understand that games reveal what you have, games show what you're good at, what you're weak at. Development rebuilds you, rebuilds your confidence, rebuilds your skill level, all of those different pieces. And you know, we've kind of talked about a few names, Phil, but but we're gonna go more in depth on on a few of these guys, and and we uh but let me can I just ask you a question?

SPEAKER_03 19:38

Yes, you know, you you have like you mentioned you're gonna go with these, you know, uh players and talk about some of these top players and stuff like that. Uh what makes a player worth tracking like this, you know.

SPEAKER_01 19:55

You know what? I'm glad you said that because one of the one of the feedback points that I've gotten from uh a parent was what are the matrix that go into this, right? So one of the the matrices this the height, that's not the be all, but what types of things can they do with that height? You know, um we're gonna talk about Tim Springer, and and Tim Springer is a 6'1 point guard from Johnson High School, has a tremendous skill set as far as getting to paint touches, getting people involved. Sometimes he shoots it a little more than I would prefer, uh not not directly in the Florida offense, but he doesn't like for confidence. And he doesn't like confidence because he's always busting his ass in training and development, you know, and so so that that's one. You know, can they guard multiple positions? That's another one. You know, can they shoot the ball? Can can they play multiple positions on offense? Because I've seen this list, I've seen these guys perform, and now I'm waiting to see if they're lengthening out their skills. Are they pushing their game to the next to the next level, to the next tick mark, you know? And and I really uh chose a couple of top guys uh uh in the Austin surrounding area um that that I watched that that I think are gonna make a big, big, big splash, you know, and we'll just go ahead and and put them on the board. You know, we uh we've talked about Amani, uh his ability to shoot the ball, his ability to handle the ball. That I've really been impressed with him is now, man, I've seen him uh when they played bigger bodies, go in and ferociously dunk on him. I've seen him block dunks. I've seen and he doesn't, he's been dunked on and then came back and and and continued.

SPEAKER_03 22:21

Well, I like it because he's not afraid of physicality. That's uh something that I like. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:27

Not at all. And Amani looks like a player you can really build an offensive, an offense around.

SPEAKER_00 22:35

Right.

SPEAKER_01 22:36

Um, with his height, with his length, athleticism, and then you know, up the road, you know, uh Sun Jinkle.

SPEAKER_03 22:48

Seeing him last year, uh and all too, to you know, catching, you know, catching it my eye and all. Um really, really nice game. I I like it.

SPEAKER_01 23:01

Yeah, you know, and he's got a high IQ, has a real good feel for the game. And he does more than just pressure the ball dribbling. You know, he can get to his points, get to his spots, makes open shots, make puts pressure on the defense. You know, and so for that alone, you know, when you start looking at his offer list, it validates why he's got the offers that he does. You know, one of them being an ACC offer at the NC State, you know. Um, and then another guy that came out to Noble, uh, Matt Martin. Yeah, uh man, Kevin, hold it.

SPEAKER_03 23:48

I I think before you get to where he came out to the Noble, people let me tell you, this guy has been on Kevin's mouth in his mouth, and he's been talking about him all year long. So uh, yeah, it's it's not a one-time showing, uh at the Noble.

SPEAKER_01 24:08

Yeah, no, he knows he makes his skills match his frame, you know. At 6'6 and 6'7, he he shoots the ball really well. But you know one thing I like about him? Uh in an interview I had with him previously, his coach told him that he was a liability on defense. And this was when he was young. He took it personal. So, you know, he didn't want uh he didn't want that moniker. Uh you know, but when we talk about guys that have demonstrated uh size, physicality. Uh, when we talk about Trey Crump from Reagan, you know, I think Trey gets really good development during the summer um because he comes back a man on a mission, but I really believe he falls victim to a system where there's not the same type of development on entry passes, on um getting guys involved uh outside of the guard position. Yeah. So I've watched it, man, and it's frustrating. So I'm excited because he's one that uh I'm working with intently. Um you know, so that's that's a big one.

SPEAKER_03 25:39

Uh Kev, you know, somebody that I I I like seeing um over a couple of seasons, uh, and that's uh coach's son, uh Jack Brewer. I like that Alamo Heights uh uh you know uh definitely like the the the program. Uh the the they have some kind of strength program going on over there.

SPEAKER_01 26:02

They do, they do. And I'm gonna talk about one more playmaker that's not in the city, and then we'll finish up with three guys, but uh DeAndre Gardner out of Leander Rouse, uh 6'6, a true, true shooting guard, plays the point at times to relieve pressure, but I I hold back on putting a combo guard piece on him. But man, he's exciting when he has a ball in his hands. U playmaker, you know, uh a friend of mine, we talk about kids and we talk about labels, we talk about it, and he just started calling kids playmakers. Yeah, because it's not fair to put them into a box, you know. Um and then, man, I want to talk about three people that that we know in the city, but I'm excited to see what they do on a national stage with their with their summer programs. Uh Aiden Oliveras, you know, gives a lot of publicity, a lot of talk about his offensive game. And I think what's missing for him is people to recognize what he does defensively because he's not gonna let you come free at the rim. He's one of those guys. You know, um, he had he has an identity that more people need to see about the two-way consistency because he is a legitimate lethal threat. And uh, you know, we're talking about interesting as it is, coaches need a reason to trust somebody on the court. And Will Franklin provides that. You know, I think he's a little bit taller than his listed 6'4, but he's got a long, wiry frame. And man, nobody reads the backside of a defense better than him. Uh, jumping, jumping passes, going in, exciting the crowd with big dunk, uh, makes timely threes. And uh, man, I just really I I just love watching him play, you know. But I told you that we were gonna have a sleeper tonight. Yeah. And for the casual fan, they're not gonna understand this, but I'm telling you, Justin McBride is now six foot five. Justin McBride is one of those guys that is in the gym three to four nights a week busting his tail. Uh, I've seen so much growth in him with you know three to four workouts that I can't wait for him to get to put it on display uh with in with this summer coming up. You know, he uh he's always been a very solid shooter, and that gets it that gets the attention, but now he's developing some counter moves and and and and and one-on-ones, you know, with the Monty. You know, uh Monty's physical, and so Justin has to be just as physical because no one's backing down, and then you you you throw in uh uh Trey Crump in that mix, you know, and I think people are gonna see a different level. And these ten are the first 10 that I'm tracking because somewhere in May, I'm gonna have a list that says the if I'm starting my team, these are the 10 guys I'm looking for, and and that'll be coming coming soon. But no, you know, Phil, uh I think we've we've thrown some information at people, and I you know, and I think that people need to look at the development because if you if you're okay, and this is this is a family conversation, right? Because if you're okay with your days stopping at high school, then you've got a different mentality than we talk about it ain't for everybody, you know, and and that's fine. Um but uh a lot of people that that get on here don't fall in that category, you know. They're wanting or they believe they want, uh believe they want, all right, Rice man. I was making a point, uh all the way from Virginia. Rice wants to get on to me about 6869. All right, hey. You know what, man? For all those people that thought I was crazy, yeah. Congrats, man. Uh we know that uh Josh was uh player of the year in in the district and in their region. Uh you know, and I'm gonna let him talk about his commitment when he's ready. Um, but man, he's done a great, great work. Talk about somebody putting the work. Hell yeah. Hell yeah. So uh, but yeah, man, people need to take a look, go back, listen, listen to it twice. But uh these are the things that that that are missing, and that's gonna bring the city uh closer to where we're trying to be. And and that's not only just um championships, but that's more kids, um, more kids in in the gym, more kids playing in college, uh, more kids coming back, giving back to the to the uh to the community. And uh if you haven't yet already, go ahead and scan the QR code, get you a copy of the parent recruiting roadmap. I was given so many work parent workshops, I got tired of talking about stuff, so I created a book. And if you want to talk, we can talk, but you gotta buy the book first. It's only ten dollars.

SPEAKER_03 32:40

We can have a working knowledge base.

SPEAKER_01 32:42

Yep, so we can have a working vocabulary, and uh, you know, I appreciate everybody being on tonight. Um let's go, San Antonio.