Scouting and Highlights: Danny Kolp (2018)
Danny Kolp is a 6’8″ forward who plays his high school ball for Petoskey and his AAU ball for 1Nation 17u. He missed most of last year with a knee injury but is looking back in form now. He’s very skilled for his size, featuring a consistent three point shot, good court vision as well as an ability to put it on the floor and hit a pullup or a floater. He already has a pair of mid-major D1 offers and should receive a few more assuming he has a solid AAU season.
Here’s my take on Kolp’s game:
Strengths:
Finishing – He has a soft touch around the rim that allows him to finish around defenders. He’s 6’8″ with long arms and knows how to use his length to avoid getting blocked. He gets a good chunk of his points finishing around the rim.
Shot Blocking – He uses his length well to block shots. He also times the ball well, which helps him to get clean blocks and avoid fouling. He’s a forward who has the shot blocking ability of a center, which adds valuable versatility to a team’s defense.
Finishing/shooting off pump fake – He’s very good job at pump-faking or jab-stepping to get a defender to out of position. After he gets the defender out of position, he does a very good job of putting the ball on the floor and either hitting a floater or finishing at the rim.
Versatility – He’s 6’8″ and has the ability to play on the perimeter as well as finish inside. He has decent foot speed and coordination that allow him to penetrate off the dribble. He’s capable of playing the wing or the post position. When he is playing the wing position he helps his team by bringing an ability to protect the paint on help-side as well as add length on the perimeter.
Areas For Development:
Durability – While it’s tough to fault an injury on a player, there are steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of injury. For example, adding weight/strength in the weight room, stretching and icing routinely, as well as getting proper amounts of sleep are all methods to promote recovery and durability. Kolp has missed a ton of time in the past year or two due to a pair of knee injuries, one right after another. He needs to be able to prove to coaches he can stay healthy if he wants to get serious looks.
Strength – This goes with durability, but bulking up and adding weight would benefit his game in a variety of ways. He has the skill and mobility to be a versatile threat on both sides of the ball, but is lacking the strength to bang in the post. Adding strength will help him become a better defender, rebounder and inside scorer.