Today we hit our 19th prospect Labaron Philon, and this time we get to do it with a special guest! Corban Ford joins us and breaks down the game of the crafty, gets-anywhere-he-wants two-way guard from Alabama, and we get to have a blast doing so. Corban also drops his hot takes, to include whether or not we may have chosen the wrong guard prospect to scout with him. 

Philon is super shifty and nifty with excellent defensive hustle. This episode goes deeper on him with a sweet speedrun of other topics with Corban. 

00:00 Introductions

01:47 Statistical Breakdown

03:01 Offensive Skills

29:03 Defensive Skills

34:11 Comparisons

37:39 Draft Stock Predictions for Phylon

40:49 NBA Draft Hot Takes and Recommendations

Follow Corban!

@corbanford

Also on

@thecenterhub_bb

https://the-center-hub.com/

Recommendations:

Corban - "The Passengers" by John Marrs (@johnmarrs1). A heady sci-fi thriller with some interesting philosophical dilemmas. 

Noah - Black Squirrel Tattoo in Council Bluffs, Iowa in the Omaha Metro. Highly recommended for their fine work most notably on Noah's sleeve.

Jeffrey - "Stronger" by Ryan Hass (@ryanl_hass). Probably one of the most balanced and measured takes on what positive competition with China looks like, from one of the finest modern China analysts in Brookings and former State Department's own Ryan Hass. 

Follow us on Twitter/X!

Jeffrey: @Podlaoan, and @podlaoan.bsky.social

Noah: @BBallTankNoah

Old Man Squad Podcast Network: @OldManSquad

**Join us in Discord! https://discord.gg/8Ss9PCYRuR

This week, we get into some extended conversation on the one-of-a-kind game of Danny Wolf, a true 7-footer with a 7'6" wingspan with the handles and passing of a guard. He has phenomenal playmaking and is more effective on defense than we expected. Why is he not going Top 5 in mocks and big boards? We examine reasons why this is right or wrong here. 

00:00 Introduction and Stats

05:16 Offensive Strengths and Weaknesses

29:56 Defensive Strengths and Weaknesses

41:23 Player Comparisons

52:55 Recommendations

Recommendations:

Noah - Balatro @BalatroGame, super addicting rogue-like poker game with five-card draw rules. And did we mention it was super addicting? Maybe more addicting than real poker. 

Jeffrey - Ivywild School @IvywildSchool in CO Springs. Former elementary school older than a century, converted into an awesome community marketplace and home to Bristol Brewing Company @BristolBrewing. 

Follow us on Twitter/X!

Jeffrey: @Podlaoan, and @podlaoan.bsky.social

Noah: @BBallTankNoah

Old Man Squad Podcast Network: @OldManSquad

**Join us in Discord! https://discord.gg/8Ss9PCYRuR

Hot off a stellar performance in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against Xavier, we take a look at Illinois swingman Will Riley. His crafty and high-BBIQ game make him a very intriguing player with a very translatable role in the NBA, but his defense does require some projection. We break his strengths and weaknesses down, and project what he'll look like at the next level. His stock has been overshadowed by Jakucionis all year, but he's getting more of the mainstream spotlight now. Let's see what he can bring at the next level. 

00:00 Introduction and Statistical Overview

06:46 Offensive Skills and Potential

27:45 Defensive Strengths and Weaknesses

38:26 Player Comparisons and Final Thoughts

44:38 Recommendations

Recommendations:

Noah - Candlelight Concerts. A unique setting highlighting an immersion into the music being featured. This time around, it will be a tribute to Hans Zimmer in Omaha. 

https://candlelightexperience.com/

Jeff - Another Bay Area-based music rec: Frak the Person. Battle rapper, freestyler, subtext explainer extraordinaire.

frakmusic.com

@fraktheperson

We have a special guest help us in breaking down another 2025 NBA Draft prospect. On Ball Creator is one of the finest draft minds on social media, and he is also one of the analysts very very high on Michigan State's Jase Richardson. Jase is the son of Golden State Warriors legend Jason Richardson and brings a much different, heady skillset to the game than his father. 

Find out just how far up On Ball Creator's draft board is, and dig in to uncover why it might just be completely justified.

**Editor's note: You guys have NO IDEA how many audio issues had to be salvaged to make this podcast work. Spoilers, everything is salvaged and this episode produced like a dream after rescuing the audio.**

00:00 Introduction

01:04 On Ball Creator's Background and Basketball Journey

02:56 Jase Richardson's Rising Draft Stock

06:07 Jase Richardson's Skills

28:39 Offensive Strengths and Concerns

30:41 Defensive Analysis and Comparisons

41:39 Top 10 Prospects Discussion

49:10 Recommendations

Follow On Ball Creator on Twitter/X!

@onballcreator

His team:

@thecenterhub_bb

https://the-center-hub.com/

Recommendations: 

On Ball Creator - Classic series Mystery Science Theater 3000, and its spiritual successor RiffTrax

Noah - Bong Joon Ho's latest film Mickey 17

Jeff - Bay Area-based folk band Before the Brave

Follow us on Twitter/X!

Jeffrey: @Podlaoan, and @podlaoan.bsky.social

Noah: @BBallTankNoah

Old Man Squad Podcast Network: @OldManSquad

**Join us in Discord! https://discord.gg/8Ss9PCYRuR

This week we look at the super versatile combo forward in Rasheer Fleming. He brings some immense measurables with the skills to back it up, and is a statistical darling. Does he have weaknesses? What will his role look like at the next level? We dive deep into his multi-tool game and start to provide some answers to those questions.

Stick around for our recommendations, and some surprise hot takes!

00:00 Introduction and Player Overview

09:31 Offensive Skills

27:52 Defensive Skills

36:20 Player Comparisons and Potential

43:19 Final Thoughts, Hot Takes, and Recommendations

Recommendations:  

Noah - Progressive rock band Ne Obliviscarus

Jeff - The British Wine and Tea Shop in Nago, Okinawa

Follow us on Twitter/X!

Jeffrey: @Podlaoan, and @podlaoan.bsky.social

Noah: @BBallTankNoah

Old Man Squad Podcast Network: @OldManSquad

**Join us in Discord! https://discord.gg/8Ss9PCYRuR

This is our first shooter in a while! Texas' Tre Johnson is on our scouting docket as one of the highest scorers in our notes this season with a very strong offensive game, and a defensive game that... requires nuanced conversation. We talk about his strengths, shortcomings, and whether those shortcomings can be overcome. He's an intriguing prospect so make sure to tune in to get the fullest details on the person breaking KD's freshman scoring records!

00:00 Introduction and Player Overview

02:11 Analyzing Offensive Strengths and Weaknesses

25:54 Analyzing Defensive Strengths and Weaknesses

35:55 Future Projections and Comparisons

45:00 Recommendations **New Segment!!**

Recommendations: 

Noah - Thank You Scientist, particularly the albums Maps of Non-Existent Places and Stranger Heads Prevail

Jeff - The First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie, particularly in audiobook form as read by Steven Pacey

Follow us on Twitter/X!

Jeffrey: @Podlaoan, and @podlaoan.bsky.social

Noah: @BBallTankNoah

Old Man Squad Podcast Network: @OldManSquad

**Join us in Discord! https://discord.gg/8Ss9PCYRuR

In Part II of our doubleheader, we break down the oddly tough eval in Asa Newell. He has pretty much all the skills you could ask for in a versatile big, and yet he's still a tough eval for the both of us. Find out why!

00:00 Introduction and Statistical Breakdown

03:48 Offensive Skills and Analysis

19:10 Defensive Skills and Analysis

27:09 Comparisons and Potential

29:24 Investment and Draft Prospects

33:38 Final Thoughts and Outro

Follow us on Twitter/X!

Jeffrey: @Podlaoan, and @podlaoan.bsky.social

Noah: @BBallTankNoah

Old Man Squad Podcast Network: @OldManSquad

**Join us in Discord! https://discord.gg/8Ss9PCYRuR

In this special Part I of our doubleheader this week, we discuss two things: 

1) The MAJOR dynasty trade in our league, trading Anthony Edwards for Paolo Banchero. Noah explains the trade, which leads to a discussion on the long-term futures of Ant vs Paolo, and how Amen Thompson fits into the mix.

2) Jeff got to scout VJ Edgecombe in the matchup of Baylor at CU Boulder. It was a pretty muted game from him, but there were some good takeaways still, leading to good conversation.

In Part II, we get back to our normal episodes and scout the intriguing Asa Newell from Georgia!

00:00 Introduction

02:31 Superstar Outcomes: Ant vs Paolo vs Amen

16:29 Scouting Report: VJ Edgecombe & Baylor vs CU Boulder

Follow us on Twitter/X!

Jeffrey: @Podlaoan, and @podlaoan.bsky.social

Noah: @BBallTankNoah

Old Man Squad Podcast Network: @OldManSquad

**Join us in Discord! https://discord.gg/8Ss9PCYRuR

We finally analyze a non-guard! We took a look at Duke's big man Khaman Maluach. His numbers don't pop out on the box score, but there is a lot more that he has to offer, and it merits a deeper look into the tape and the advanced stats. He's a very, very intriguing prospect so tune in to see why he is so high on a lot of major draft boards.

00:00 Introduction and Player Overview

01:22 Statistical Breakdown

02:15 Advanced Metrics

06:31 Defensive Skills

20:02 Offensive Skills

30:13 Player Comparisons

40:36 Final Thoughts and Wrap-Up

Follow us on Twitter/X!

Jeffrey: @Podlaoan, and @podlaoan.bsky.social

Noah: @BBallTankNoah

Old Man Squad Podcast Network: @OldManSquad

**Join us in Discord! https://discord.gg/8Ss9PCYRuR

We have a special guest this week! Hoops analyst Ben Pfeifer joins us to help us analyze two of the toughest evals at the top of our boards: Ace Bailey and Derik Queen. He also happened to join us following the most insane trade deadline of all time, so of course we had to collectively wrap our heads around every transaction that went down. 

On a sidenote, two things occurred after recording that we did not acknowledge: we don't talk about the crazy reversal on the Mark Williams/Dalton Knecht trade, and, unfortunately, we did not get to discuss the signature Derik Queen game against Ace Bailey and Rutgers that happened a day after filming. 

Enjoy our episode with Ben!

00:00 Introductions

01:29 Trade Deadline Madness

27:16 Toughest Evals at the Top

34:41 Ace Bailey

38:51 Derek Queen

55:42 Final Thoughts

Follow Ben Pfeifer on Social Media!

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@benpfeifer8192?si=k1cbThy0SM_KRk0z

BlueSky: @bjpf.bsky.social

X: @bjpf_

Follow us on Twitter/X!

Jeffrey: @Podlaoan, and @podlaoan.bsky.social

Noah: @BBallTankNoah

Old Man Squad Podcast Network: @OldManSquad

**Join us in Discord! https://discord.gg/8Ss9PCYRuR