Vols signee impresses at Iverson Classic
Tennessee basketball signee Brandon Huntley-hatfield scored 14 points in the Iverson Classic on Saturday night at Bartlett High School. It was his first taste of competition against the Class of 2021 since reclassifying a year early.
"I felt like I held my own," Huntley hatfield said. "I felt like I proved to everybody that I belong in this class. I have some things to work on as always, but it was a great experience for me. I expected to play with the best of the best and they didn't show me anything less."
The 6-foot-9, 230-pound Huntley-hatfield was ranked in the top-five of the Class of 2022. With his move to the Class of 2021, he's the No. 18 overall prospect and No. 7 power forward.
He's the top-ranked prospect in Pennsylvania, where he finished his high school career at Scotland Campus after playing at IMG Academy in 201920.
"His body frame, his skill-set, the way he plays, his skill set and everything about him, he's just a pro to me," Ole Miss signee Daeshun Ruffin said. "He's like 6-10 and can shoot and can dribble and I feel like that's a good thing for him."
Huntley-hatfield said that the main reason he reclassified is that he felt that he is ready to compete in the SEC. He said that he's looking forward to playing and developing his skills under Tennessee coach Rick Barnes.
"I haven't really spoken to him because he wasn't really me recruiting coach, but the way people talk about who he is, he's what I need," Huntley hatfield said. "Someone who can push me to my full potential and be hard on me and not let me take plays off. That's what I'll need and that helped me choose Tennessee."
Five-star Tennessee point guard signee Kennedy Chandler was also selected for the Iverson Classic, but didn't play. A pair of his teammates from Sunrise Christian, Baylor signee Kendall Brown and Michigan State signee Jaden Akins, played in the game.
"Kennedy is like the highest IQ player that I played with, the way he reads the game. I learned a lot from him," Akins said. "And I feel like he has one of the best first steps in the high school game, just getting by people and making plays. His quickness is crazy."
Huntley-hatfield said he's looking forward to seeing how he and Chandler complement each other in Knoxville.
"I think he's a tremendous passer, a pretty fast, quick-twitch point guard," Huntley-hatfield said. "He loves to distribute the ball, but he can also put the ball in the rim. So I'm really looking forward to seeing him do his thing and help us win. I like to play fast and he's a fast guy."