Little Rock Christian junior wingman Landren Blocker opened the eyes of college coaches this spring and summer while playing for 16-under Bradley Beal Elite.
“It was a pretty cool experience getting to play and go out there and shock a lot of college coaches and get on their radar and a lot of others ‘radar,” Blocker said.
Blocker, 6-5, 190 pounds, had scholarship offers from Creighton, Tulane, the University of Central Arkansas and the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff before adding ones from Ole Miss, Missouri and TCU in June. The offer from the Rebels came after a standout performance at Ole Miss’ team camp in early June.
St. John’s extended an offer on Saturday.
University of Arkansas Coach Eric Musselman and the Hogs are also showing interest, along with Auburn, Memphis and Murray State.
College coaches have commented on his athleticism, frame and passion for the game.
Little Rock Christian Coach Kyle Pennington, who was hired away from Russellville in March, calls Blocker a freak athlete.
“He’s going to be a highlight reel,” Pennington said. “You’re going to see a lot of highlight reels in the coming months from Landren Blocker. No doubt. His bounce off the floor is unbelievable. He’s young, too, for his class.”
Blocker was named Class 5A all state and 5A-Central all conference after averaging 14.5 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3 assists per game as a sophomore for the Warriors.
Leadership is another strong suit of Blocker.
“I expect Landren to lead us on the floor,” Pennington said. “I think he’s a natural alpha. I think people follow him naturally. He has to continue to grow in that aspect because some people naturally have it and some don’t. Like I said, he’s a natural with it. He just needs to continue to grow and not be afraid to lead.”
He’s been invited to the prestigious Coach Wooten’s Top 150 Camp at Mansfield, Texas, on Oct. 1-2. The event invites the nation’s top 100 seniors, top 50 juniors, and a few top sophomores.
The younger brother of 2023 Arkansas point guard commitment Layden Blocker, Landren said it’s great having a brother like Layden to compete against.
“It was a good thing having an older brother, especially one that’s pretty good at basketball, so I could look up and follow in his footsteps and at the same time also trying to build a name for myself,” he said. “Because we’re so close in age, sometimes we’ll get competitive and it would be like brotherly love at the end of the day.”
Ole Miss, Memphis, TCU, Tulane and St. John’s have talked to Blocker about a visit. He visited Fayetteville with his brother for the Kentucky game in February.
“I know a lot of people bring up the fact about me and Layden playing with each other,” Blocker said. “But at the end of the day, if it’s not the best fit, it probably won’t happen.”
He described what the best fit for him looks like.
“Somewhere I can make an impact,” Blocker said. “Somewhere I can showcase what I can do and be able to play free and play like how I know how to play.”
Blocker caught the eye of ESPN national recruiting director Paul Biancardi during Nike EYBL Peach Jam event in July. Pennington said Blocker has improved his outside shooting.
“We had some summer league games against Parkview, Bryant and Mills,” Pennington said. “Against Parkview, he shot the ball very well for us from the outside, which is something he’s really improved on.”
He also said he expects Blocker to be a major asset defensively for whatever school he attends.
“For the next level, he’s going to be able to guard multiple positions,” Pennington said. “Defensively, he’s going to turn into a dog. For us, he can guard the 1 through 5 and at the next level, I truly believe with the weight he can put on his body… he can guard 1 through 4, for sure the 1 through 3. That’s a big deal for the next level and is what college coaches are looking for.”