By: Kevin Moses
Cole Slone
Twitter: @coleslone10 , Instagram: coleslone10
Height: 6’3”, 180
Class of 2027
School: Pikeville High School, KY
Slone is an electric athlete who has a very high basketball IQ and can be a triple-threat punisher. Cole’s great strength is bringing the rain from downtown with a silky smooth touch but is explosive off the bounce with crafty handles to get by defenders with nice speed and finish once he blows right by for fierce finishes at the rim or he can get his defender moving backward and shoot his nasty mid-range jumper over them. If the defense is doing their best to not let him get a shot, Cole likes to penetrate, draw a defender in, and kick it to his teammates for open shots. Cole is a master at positioning himself to make game-winning plays. Cole mixes it up well on the boards and is a relentless defender always ready for the challenge of taking on the best player on the opposite side. This past season Cole averaged 5.7 points a game ( 48.6% FG% (52/107) and 47.7% 3FG% (21/44) ) adding 2.1 rebounds per game. in 25 Games helping his team to a Team Record: 22-5 as a freshman. playing varsity on a senior-heavy team. The most motivating thing that happened last season for Cole was losing in the semi-finals of the 15th region tournament. That was a really hard loss because it ended their season and they lost 6 seniors who had poured everything into last season and he wanted to see them get to play at Rupp Arena. Playing AAu for 606 Elite 2027 (17-2), Cole has already doubled his averages out there going for 16.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game as he is a huge factor on this loaded squad that plays the most ruthless defense I have seen to date and turns that defense in points in a flash and simply outruns nearly everyone they face. Cole’s AAU goal is to win the upcoming Prep Hoops Grit Regional Finals. This is their 1st summer on the Prep Hoops Circuit and they are sitting at 10-2 in circuit play going into the break, and he can’t wait to get back those 2 losses. Cole’s other goal is to improve his overall game while playing against the best competition week in and week out to challenge himself because he thinks getting outside of his comfort zone is the best way to get better. The biggest areas of his game he is trying to improve on are finishing at the rim in traffic, and ball handling. Cole’s main goal going into next season is to win the 15th region championship, which would send them to state and to play at Rupp Arena. They came up short last season and his 8th grade season, so that is something he wants to accomplish and win the 15th region “All A” championship which is a mid-season tournament for the smaller schools in KY.
Parker Hampton
Instagram: @parkerhampTN
Height: 6’0, 163
Class of 2026
School: Knoxville Central High School, TN
Hampton is an explosive player who can score from anywhere on the court. He is fearless and possesses the ability to rebound his own shots. Extremely athletic and fierce and will battle through contact. He will make it rain with 3’s and he plays very strong defense. He is extremely shifty, quick, is very crafty with his passing and he has ups. He started playing when he was just 4 years old. He is a coach’s kid, so that says all you need to know about his work ethic. Parker’s greatest strength is understanding the game and knowing how to get to the correct spot to take his shots. Playing for the TN Impact., Parker’s goal is to win every tournament he plays in. He is focusing on gaining weight and getting stronger. He played up on Varsity as a freshman, which says a lot about his talent. He is very well known as a shooter, but he is out to show that he has the handles, passing, rebounding ability, and defense, to be an all-around threat. He follows a strict diet, takes supplements, and he trains 5 days a week. He is willing to play any role he has to to enable his team to win. That is the definition of “selfless.” His AAU team is loaded with talent, so he tries to help contribute to the team’s success in any way he can. His team only returns 3 seniors so the naysayers don’t feel his team will be too much of a serious threat, but he intends to prove all the naysayers wrong and go out and try to win the District Championship.