Lamar Tigers Senior High Boys Basketball Star Truman Kaderly
Age: 17
Grade: 12th
Parents: Steven & Katie
Siblings: Josie (22), Lincoln (20)
Favorite Subject: History
Favorite Food: Pizza
Favorite Sports Movie: Semi Pro
Favorite Pro Basketball Star: Russell Westbrook
Quotable: “My favorite memory is from my junior year in a home game against Mount Vernon. We lost the game. But, the crowd was into it. It was intense, and we played really well.”
Lamar Tigers Hoops Star Truman Kaderly Roaring Loudly in Senior Season
Lamar Tigers senior high school boys basketball head coach Matt Powell recognizes perseverance has proven to be most beneficial for 6’6” senior post player Truman Kaderly in a big way.
By early January, Kaderly was roaring quite loudly for Powell’s Tigers, while pouring in 14.7 points per game and connecting on 65 percent of his field goals, along with pulling down 7.8 rebounds an outing and coming up with three blocked shots each time out.
“Truman is extremely hard working and always wants to be in the gym,” Powell lauds. “His hard work has paid off between his junior and senior seasons. He is a tremendous rim protector and very athletic.”
Kaderly describes his overall game as being “well-rounded” and suggests his best skills on the court are “I’m tall, I’m athletic, good at blocking shots, rebound and scoring inside.”
Coach Powell says that offensively, “Truman demands teams to guard him at the basket, a lot of times with multiple defenders. That makes it easier for everyone else.
“He has also improved his free throw percentage from 50 percent as a junior to the low 70s this season.”
Defensively, Coach Powell adds Kaderly’s best attributes are “rebounding, length, and his ability to alter and block shots.
“There is still a lot of potential for his game to grow and develop in that area. But, he looks like a completely different player from last season.”
Although there are plenty of assets on the basketball court for a young man of Kaderly’s stature, that’s not to say it all comes easily and naturally.
There are challenges, and Kaderly admits one difficulty in particular on defense is “not fouling. It’s tough, because everyone tries to get the big guy in foul trouble.
“Everyone’s driving at me and trying to get me to swipe at them. Offensively, the challenge is not turning it over and helping set my teammates up and not missing the easy shots.”
Regardless of any obstacles on the court, Kaderly is confident in his abilities and insists success comes as a result of his “athleticism and being able to play above the rim.”
Kaderly enjoys the competition. But, what he enjoys most of all about basketball is simply “playing with my teammates, I’ve developed a lot of friendships. That’s probably the best part of it.”
The best part of it for Coach Powell and his Lamar squad is how Kaderly goes about his business, on and off the court.
Coach Powell says what makes Kaderly so invaluable is, “His coachability, work ethic and want to. He is setting a great example of what it takes to become a successful varsity player for the underclassmen.”
And, how Kaderly has managed to handle himself as a student-athlete will prove to be a plus for Lamar’s hoops programs for years to come.