Prospect Spotlight: Silas Bauer (2021)
The Southern part of Indiana has been known for producing very fundamentally sound basketball players who just know how to play the game. Loogootee has been known for the last few years as being one of those teams to produce sound basketball players. One of those players who is going to be able to make an impact over the next three years is 6’5 small forward Silas Bauer. Bauer is a guy who has the uncanny ability to make plays on both ends of the floor and make teammates around him better while doing it.
Bauer is a guy who plays on the wing most of the time but has the ability to go inside and make plays. When he does receive a pass on the block is is composed and makes the right decisions. Bauer is an excellent passer out of the post and uses his court vision to find the open man. Another thing you like to see with his game is the ability to take the ball down the floor. For a big man, Bauer has excellent ball handling skills and he uses them at the right time.
This summer Bauer made the jump to EG10 and meshed really well with that squad. Bauer said that he was trying to take advantage of every opportunity given to him and tried to improve himself and his team throughout the summer. Bauer said that he loved playing in the big cities against the best competition. Even though the team played a different style than he is used to at Loogootee, Bauer said that it all went well. After the summer season, Bauer said that he is looking forward to the school season this winter so he can show his improvements.
This summer one of the main things that Bauer worked on was his ability to take a quick first step. This will allow him to blow by defenders on the wing more regularly and will also help him stay in front of the quicker offensive players. Once he is able to gain a quicker first step that will allow him to get to the basket with less dribbles which will help him finish at the rim. Bauer also tells me that he is working on being able to finish off of both feet.
Bauer is better than most players on the floor due to his height and his speed. He is as quick as a guard and he is able to high point the ball in the air as well as anyone in the state. His ability to score on the offensive end and shut down players on the defensive end makes him a greatly valuable player to have. As he is working on getting even quicker, he could become a unique big man who is able to do much more than just score and rebound. Watch for Bauer to take a huge leap forward this year.