Trenton Hassell

Overview: A defensive role player who plays with a lot of heart., but is incredibly limited offensively Has decent speed and athleticism for a wing. Able to play a bit bigger than his listed height with a 6’8 wingspan, which marks the fact that he’s a heavy guard at 230-pounds. A legitimate defensive stopper for stretches of his career. Won the OVC POY in 2001 at Austin Peay. Was more of a power forward on the NCAA level, which helped him use his physical tools to mask some of his deficiencies on the offensive end. Will do the little things to help his team win, but clearly isn’t an ideal option. A nice player to have on the bench and in practices, but received a lot of minutes last season for such a limited player.

Offense: Isn’t asked to do a whole lot on the offensive end, which is probably a good thing. Gets almost two-thirds of his offense in spot up situations, but can hardly be described as a shooter. Will take a jumper from time to time, but knows that isn’t his game. Doesn’t get much elevation on his shot, making it more of a push. Defenders feel comfortable leaving him open when he isn’t in rhythm. Won’t spot up outside the arc. Doesn’t do much off the dribble, but will show some decent spin moves and short-range ability once in a blue moon. Struggles from the midrange due to a lack of sound footwork when setting up to shoot. Looks exponentially more comfortable in close when he can finish with a layup. Only passable ball handling ability, which makes him reliant on his teammates. Doesn’t always protect the ball as well as he should in the lane. Shows a halfway decent post game. Can take advantage of smaller defenders on the low block. Shows good intangibles. Runs the floor hard and sets good screens. Shoots almost no free throws anymore. Limited range and lack of shot-creating ability limits him severely, but he doesn’t turn the ball over, doesn’t force too many looks, and generally knows his role.

Defense: Defensive role player whose job it is to be a spot defender on the perimeter. Always guards the opposition’s best offensive wing when he’s on the floor. Good at reacting to drives and cutting them off at the baseline or sending them to the middle when he knows he has help. Solid lateral quickness in his defensive stance. Always gets a hand up on shooters. Makes an effort to contest every shot his man takes. Doesn’t always make a big effort in help side since he tries to deny entry passes to his man on some occasions. Not the type of defender that darts in passing lanes or dominates physically. Shows tremendous fundamentals and discipline, which makes him a solid option on this end.