Written By: Kevin Moses
Elijah Neel, 6’1″, 150, c/o 2027 from Russell High School, KY is a dynamic young stud already tearing up the state of Kentucky and part of an amazing dynamic duo that is making a lot of noise.
As a floor general with an extremely high IQ, he is a dazzling passer in jaw dropping fashion as he is a pass first old school point guard. But don’t sleep on his scoring ability at any moment. Elijah is a very efficient 3-point shooter with a nice touch and can get out in transition in a flash turning defense into offense and creating a strong finish for himself or a sick drop off to a teammate. With a nice ability to be a rebound magnet as well, Elijah is a solid defender to make him the total package from his position.
In the AAU session, Elijah played for Team Loaded WV and averaged 18.7 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals. Elijah’s favorite AAU moment was dropping 33 points and adding 10 assists in a win over Lu Dort from Canada to reach the gold bracket. The biggest improvement since last season is the ability to attack the basket with his added size since last year. Elijah is fierce and fearless.
The goal for next season is to get physically stronger. What separates Elijah from the rest is his scrappy play style and non-stop motor. He’s quick to give up his body diving on the floor for loose balls, taking charges and drawing in the defense to open up his teammates for easy buckets. Like every true baller, Elijah dreams of playing D1 basketball but will just be thankful to play college ball on any division level. My assessment is not only could he play D1, but he could thrive and with an intense work ethic perfecting his already nice skills. Elijah could develop into a high D1 prospect.
Caleb Rimmer, 6’4″, 195 , c/o 2027 from Russell High School is the power and the other half of that dynamic duo who played varsity in the eighth grade and averaged 10.2 points and 7.1 rebounds per game playing up. Statement made. Caleb is a high flyer and ruthless finisher. He delivers some nasty dunks with ease and flare. He is a man-child and fully developed to be that dominating inside force every coach dreams of gobbling up boards and delivering high percentage scoring.
Caleb has made it his mission to be a strong physical post player. With great footwork added, he is a force to be reckoned with even now. But he has an outstanding mid-range game and sneaky step back jumper that’s just sweet to behold at his size. His strong ball handling skills makes him versatile nightmare. He can be explosive getting downhill setting defenders up for those nasty finishes.
Caleb is rock solid defensively, averaging about 2 blocks per game. He had several games where he had 5-6 blocked shots. in the 8th grade Caleb is a master at timing his jump for blocks and rebounds. Caleb’s biggest improvement, which was also his goal entering the season, was to improve his ball handling. He has developed more confidence at his perimeter ball handling already.
The next step is showing off his 3-point shooting ability. Wait until everyone sees him open that up in the AAU session coming up.
This season Caleb is averaging 14.8 points a game and 7.1 rebounds per game while shooting 53%. Caleb’s improved ball handling and shooting along with improving his lateral movement were his goals this season.What sets Caleb apart is his versatility, physicality and intensity. Add that to his strength and athleticism and you have yourself a D1 talent just beginning to tap into his full potential. Caleb would consider playing any division level to continue to play the game he loves.
Elijah and Caleb have played AAU together since 5th grade, and their chemistry together was a perfect match and has continued to grow and develop to a point they know each other’s game so well they play together like men among boys understanding exactly where they to be and a natural rhythm of what the other will do.
Elijah’s mindset is he has to be a scoring threat enough to draw the defense to him and once they slide over to him he knows Caleb or another teammate is open and it’s showtime the instant the defender commits.
For Caleb, he knows he always has to keep his hands ready because Elijah can deliver a pass anytime from anywhere. They both use their IQ to process plays as they develop and to naturally flow with what’s happening and allow their athletic abilities to take over.
The toughest opponent for Elijah was Ashland because they moved the ball so well. For Caleb, it was Boyd County, the top team in their region and ranked in the top 10 in the state. Caleb feels the 1-3-1 defense is the hardest for him to crack. They both feel they can and will make a deep run in the 16th Region. Though their team is kind of young and still learning to finish games in the second half, being a little inconsistent with being so young, they are talented enough to get it done. The toughest challenge being size and strength sometimes makes it tough.
Their first goal is to win their district. Then it’s game on in the region. I’m sure I will catch up with this dynamic duo in the region and see their show. I can’t wait.
X/Twitter Handles
Elijah Neel – @ElijahNeel2
Caleb Rimmer – @Caleb_Rimmer13
