Late-bloomer Kidtrell Blocker emerging as a high-major recruit
I walk into a gym on a cold night in Louisville, Kentucky. Aspire Academy to be exact.
Kidtrell Blocker was the new kid on the block. The 6-foot-5 combo guard was hailing from Buffalo, NY, and had held the following scholarships at the time I first scouted him: St. Bonaventure, Buffalo, Siena, and Canisius. He was shooting mid-range shots on a side basket prior to practice and you could tell this kid was all about his business.
Fast forward to now, Blocker is at a national powerhouse in Tennessee Prep Academy. They’ve been playing extremely well on The Grind Session and have been getting major production out of Blocker, who was also named 1/41 Grind Session All-Stars, a list that includes 10+ high-major prospects including several McDonald’s All-Americans.
In a three-game span last week, Blocker put up 101 points, 27 rebounds, and 14 assists. He showed off his three-level scoring ability, his transition game, and his ability to read an opposing team's defense as he recorded several steals over that span.
Blocker’s recruitment has made major leaps as a result of his dominant play on the court. He added two high-major offers from Kansas State and UNLV, plus, the list of interested suitors keeps growing as The Grind Session World Championships approach.
He discussed his recent play on the court and gave Stockrisers.com an update on his recruitment earlier in the week.
Where do things stand in your recruitment as far as possible suitors?
“St. John’s and Montana State have been recruiting me. West Virginia, Alabama also reached out to my coach but haven’t heard anything from there yet.”
UNLV offered you recently, what’s the backstory on that scholarship offer?
“UNLV started recruiting me about a month back. I played against one of their commits and had a good showing and they’ve kinda been on me ever since.”
How about your first Big 12 offer from Kansas State?
“As far as Kansas State, one of their assistants had seen me play against Our Savior Lutheran and one of their commits last year and he said I was one player that stood out against like six high-major players and he was at a lower school at the time so he thought I was this high-major guy with tons of offers already, so, when he came to K-State and seen I was under-recruited and still available, they’ve been on me since.”
When will you commit?
“As far as committing, I’ll probably give it another 4-5 weeks to get a better feel and be decided by the end of March, beginning of April most likely.”
Briefly describe your game?
“My game. I’m a combo-guard who’s pretty athletic and good in transition. I can also score the basketball on all three levels.”