Written By: Kevin Moses
Cole Slone
@coleslone10
Instagram: coleslone10
6’3”
180 lbs.
Class of 2027
Pikeville High School
Cole Slone is an electric athlete who has a very high basketball IQ and can be a triple threat punisher. Cole’s great strength is bringing the rain from downtown with a silky smooth touch but is explosive off the bounce with crafty handles to get by defenders with nice speed. He blows right by for fierce finishes at the rim, or he can get his defender moving backwards and shoot his nasty mid- range jumper over them. If the defense is doing their best to not let him get a shot, Cole likes to penetrate and draw a defender in and kick it to his teammates for open shots. Cole is a master at positioning himself to make game winning plays. Cole mixes it up well on the boards and is a relentless defender always ready for the challenge of taking on the best player on the opposite side.
This past season, Cole averaged 5.7 points a game (48.6% on FG (52/107) and 47.7% on 3-point FG (21/44)) and 2.1 rebounds per game in 25 games helping his team to a record of 22-5 as a freshman playing varsity on a senior heavy team. The most motivating thing that happened last season for Cole was losing in the semi-finals of the 15th region tournament. That was a really hard loss because it ended their season, and they lost six seniors who had poured everything into last season, and he wanted to see them get to play at Rupp Arena. Playing AAU for 606 Elite 2027 (17-2), Cole has already doubled his averages out there going for 16.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. He is a huge factor on this loaded squad that plays the most ruthless defense I have seen to date and turns that defense into points in a flash and simply outruns nearly everyone they face. Cole’s AAU goal is to win the upcoming Prep Hoops Grit Regional Finals. This is their first summer on the Prep Hoops Circuit, and they are sitting at 10-2 in circuit play going into the break. He can’t wait to get back those 2 losses. Cole’s other goal is to improve his overall game while playing against the best competition week in and week out to challenge himself because he thinks getting outside of his comfort zone is the best way to get better. The biggest areas of his game he is trying to improve on are finishing at the rim in traffic and ball handling. Cole’s main goal going into next season is to win the 15th region championship, which would send them to state and to play at Rupp Arena. They came up short last season and his 8th grade season, so that is something he wants to accomplish and win the 15th region “All A” championship which is a mid- season tournament for the smaller schools in Kentucky.
What fuels Cole’s fire the most on the court is winning. When he is on the court, he gets tunnel vision and will do whatever it takes to win. Cole enjoys the grind of getting better, but all of that work is ultimately to help his team win the game. Cole believes the best way he has found to handle adversity for himself is to refocus and think in terms of “from this point on he will.” If he makes a bad play or misses some shots to start the game or throughout a period of the game, he can’t go back and change it, so he tries to focus on what he is going to do the rest of the game going forward.
Something a coach can expect from Cole that sets him apart would be that he is very disciplined. Cole has never skipped a practice or a workout, and he works on his game outside of the usual team practices or workouts almost daily. Cole’s days typically revolve around basketball outside of school. It goes against his instinct to talk about his work ethic because he believes what happens behind closed doors shows up on the court, and he doesn’t need to tell everyone about it but he does believe that is what gives him an edge. Cole thinks he can be a D1 player. He has competed against a lot of players with D1 offered players. They are all great players, and he was able to have success against them. Cole thinks he has the size for a guard and athleticism to compete at that level. He does know the work it takes to get there though and understands there are no guarantees no matter how hard you work, and he would most definitely consider and be thankful to any team, no matter the level, that thinks highly enough of him to recruit him.
My assessment after my first visit watching Cole play is that he is truly on track for a high level D1 opportunity. This stud was extremely effective in every phase of the game and earned himself the MVP of the Big Shots Tournament in Greensboro, NC. Cole and this team were incredible to watch, and he certainly fuels his team and is a huge reason for their success. Cole stands out even on this loaded team. If y’all haven’t seen Cole play, you gotta get to a show. He nor this 606 Elite team will disappoint. There could potentially be four D1 players or more on this squad. Stay tuned!
