
Yuri Covington
National Christian School
DMV Stags
Class
2020
Height
6'1"
Weight
~175 lbs
Position
CG
Strong Hand
Left
Committed
William & Mary
Summary
April 2020
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Aggressive, score-first combo guard with an upward trajectory overall. A good 3-point shooter with a quick trigger and a relentless pursuit for buckets. Potentially explosive scorer.
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Quick, tight handle with a nice burst to get his head and shoulders by the defender. Good speed with the ball and a strong finisher in the open court.
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Gives consistent effort and energy on both ends. Plays with a lot of toughness. A capable passer who shows flashes, but struggles with accuracy and decision making.
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Skilled penetrator. Still developing his decision making and game in the paint and around the basket. Attacks the rim with great aggression. Strong motor.
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Transferred from Clarksburg High School in Montgomery County to National Christian, where he competed at a high level against a national schedule.
Statistical sampling from the 2019-2020 high school season. Note the national competition.

Physical/Athleticism
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Good overall athlete
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Athletic build
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Fast muscle twitch fibers
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Sufficient strength
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~6’3” wingspan
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Blow-by acceleration and has a nice burst of speed
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Can get from the perimeter to the basket in very quickly
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Undersized for a combo guard
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Terrific endurance
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Sharp, forceful movements
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Very good hand-eye coordination
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Solid body control
Offensive Qualities
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Score-first guard with a quick trigger
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Potentially explosive scorer who is capable of putting up 30+ points
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Very aggressive; seldomly falls out of attack mode
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Attacks the rim with intensity; a very capable penetrator
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Gets into the lane with frequent success
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Prefers to go left, but may to force it at times
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Capable of going and finishing right, but often comes back to the left
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Has a tendency to get himself in trouble when driving to the basket without a plan
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Runs into the bigs after leaving his feet and must force a low-quality shot
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Will benefit from developing a consistent floater/runner
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A capable finisher in the open court
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Very comfortable operating in transition
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Focuses predominantly on the basket and not as much on the whole floor
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Able to finish in traffic and with some contact depending on the size of the defender
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Should continue to improve his understanding on how to use his body to draw the foul, which will enhance his efficiency as a scorer
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While not showing much playmaking ability in terms of creating for his teammates, he is certainly capable and will benefit from playing with more shooters and better finishers
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Can struggle to create space for quality shots against longer athletic defenders
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Will benefit from developing a step back to couple with his ability to get his head and shoulders past the defender
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Does not command the offense, but can learn to improve greatly in this area
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Will benefit from learning to be more effective at different paces
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Prefers to play fast
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Functions more in a one-on-one setting; does not utilize the pick & roll as often
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Adding this to his game will only give him another weapon to an already stockpiling offensive arsenal
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Improving overall offensive skillset; his best ball is ahead of him
Shooting
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Although his percentages don’t support it, he is a good shooter who will continue to improve, as should his shot selection
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Important to note – undoubtedly would shoot a better overall percentage with an improved shot selection
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Displays excellent catch and shoot abilities when he has time and can set his feet
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Shoots it well from 3 (see points above for more context)5
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36.6% on almost 7 attempts per game in the 6 games stats were taken
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Has very good range; will shoot it from deep with confidence
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Maintains solid concentration on the target
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Form/mechanics: left-handed shooter
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Has a nice, compact shot without a whole lot of movement; has it “grooved”
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Elbow is less than 90-degrees, but keeps it well tucked in
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Slightly unsquared to the basket
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Right shoulder hanging out just a bit
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Both feet marginally pointed to the right
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Shoots a set shot when he has the time, especially from 3, but will shoot a jumper when necessary
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Release is from the chin/mouth level; motion begins more from his chest
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Nice follow through
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Shot selection – overall, not the best. However, the selection should improve within a more structured setting
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Vast majority of his shots come from behind the arc or around the basket
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Half of his shot attempts (41 out of 82) were from 3 in the 6 games examined
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Will shoot from all around the arc
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Mixes in an occasional 15-foot pull up
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Likes to stop and pop from 3 in semi-transition situations, keeping the D off balance
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Shoots this shot pretty comfortably but, this being one of the more difficult shots in basketball, he will need to work on consistency
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Takes some ill-advised 3s
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Tends to force shots at the basket
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Dribbling
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Has a strong, tight handle; quick with the ball
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Dominant left-handed ballhandler
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Quick first step and effective moves that allow him get by his defender on the perimeter
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Good change of pace and a nice studder step
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Shows the ability to pat it in the middle of traffic with quick low dribbles using his fingertips to avoid reaching hands
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Also pats it well in the backcourt against pressure
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Good speed with the ball; maintains good control at top speed
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Occasionally gets dribble happy in the half court setting
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Stays low with the ball
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Handles man-to-man full court pressure well
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Good ballhandler in the open court who, at times, makes defenders look like dribbling cones
Passing
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Shows potential as a passer through:
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Deceptive look-offs and threads through traffic
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Finding shooters in cross-court positions
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Occasional drive and kicks
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Passes predominantly with his strong hand
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Can struggle against trapping pressure
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Puts good zip on the pass
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A bit inaccurate with placement and delivery off the dribble
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Needs to work on this aspect of his game as a guard who has the ball in his hands in the half court and spearheads the transition game
Defense
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Team plays more zone than man
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Plays harder on the defensive end when guarding man-to-man
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Like most, tends to relax a bit when playing zone
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Solid, energetic man-to-man defender
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Plays up in your face, nearly body on body, depending on his man’s abilities
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Defends with his feet, often without fouling
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Keeps his man in front
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Not always willing to step in with his body and take a charge around the basket
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Decent rebounding guard
Basketball IQ
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Uses sharp, tight angles off the dribble
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Has natural scoring instincts
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Subpar court awareness
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Tends to unsuccessfully attempt to dribble through the defense
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Does not always see the entire court
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Puts himself in difficult positions against trapping pressure
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But does feel his defender well with the ball in his hands
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Still maturing in his decision-making
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Shows a lot of promise with moving without the ball, but needs to be in an offensive that supports such movement
Disposition/Presence
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Plays with confidence
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Really like his toughness
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His demeanor says, “I’m going to keep coming”
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Persistently aggressive
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Good energy; plays hard on both ends
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Encourages teammates
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Communicates on both ends of the court
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Has a competitive edge to his game; a go-getter