NBA Comparison: Rod Higgins/Harold Arceneaux

Strengths: Versatile forward playing in the Southern Athletic Conference … Shot just 33% (42-126) from 3 but displays excellent form on his shot and should be able to raise his average considerably in his senior year … Has the makings of being a terrific outside shooter showing solid range … Displays an excellent pull up off the dribble … Solid decision maker with a quick shooting release … Has a high release point on his shot and gets a high arch on his trajectory … Appears to have a good understanding of the game … Extremely versatile. Equally comfortable playing in the paint or on the perimeter … At 6-7, he is used as a post forward quite a bit at Jackson State and is able to use his length and feel around the basket to be an effective weapon inside, though strictly a perimeter player for the NBA level … Has shown steady improvement over his college career (FR: 8.8 ppg, SO: 14.8 ppg, JR: 16.4 ppg) … Long wing with decent fluidity and leaping ability … Has a big wingspan (in the 6-11 range) which he effectively utilizes (6.7 rpg, 1.6 spg) … Shows solid movement away from the ball … Stepped up with 19 pts, 5 reb and 4 stls against Kansas in Junior year … A smart, unselfish player who should be able to step up and lead Jackson State to the NCAA tournament as a senior … Shows solid anticipation defensively playing the passing lanes (1.6 spg) …

Weaknesses: Should look to cut down on his turnovers (3 per game) and improve upon his a/to ratio. Although it seems his level of teammates hurts his average on both sides … Gets a little out of control at times, particularly on the break … Could struggle to create shots for himself due to his lack of an explosive first step … Solid athletically but nothing extraordinary, below the rim athlete. Lateral foot speed defensively leaves something to be desired … Lack of upperbody strength allows him to get muscled by stronger players and limits his ability to finish at the rim … Playing in a small conference makes it more difficult for players such as Maxey to prove themselves. Obviously the level of competition is limited compared to the BCS conferences …

Notes: Maxey will have some chances to showcase himself this year with early season match ups against: Memphis (11/13), Alabama (11/17), Baylor (12/15), Tulsa (12/17).

Aran Smith 10/31/09

Expected to have season ending ankle surgery