Gateway All-American Tournament: Class of 2021 Forwards
Prep Hoops Missouri takes a look at the Class of 2021 forwards from last weekend’s Gateway All-American Tournament in St. Louis. Yaya Keita 6’9″ Gateway 17U: A young beast of an athlete who brings great effort at both ends of…
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Continue ReadingPrep Hoops Missouri takes a look at the Class of 2021 forwards from last weekend’s Gateway All-American Tournament in St. Louis.
Yaya Keita 6’9″ Gateway 17U: A young beast of an athlete who brings great effort at both ends of floor. He was one of the top two rebounders in the tournament, especially on the defensive end, where he just grabs every board he can get his hands on. He displayed great agility on one play when he jumped into the passing lanes and made a steal at halfcourt and dribbled down and dunked the ball. I also love watching him on rim-runs. Still plenty of room for his game to grow, but his arrow is pointing up.
Sekou Gassama 6’10” 17U: A long and lean power forward who was probably the best shot blocker at the tournament. His length, size and timing makes him a very good rim protector without fouling at all. He does a nice job of coming over from the weak side for blocks. He has some very nice moves in the low post, with solid footwork and a good shooting touch around the basket. Like his teammate Yaya Keita, he has made big strides and he will continue to get better.
Najee Williams 6’3″ Marcus Denmon Elite: A very athletic combo forward who plays much bigger than his actual size. He was at his best in the transition game when he repeatedly scored on dunks and nice Euro-steps at full speed. He was a matchup problem for opposing bigs as he consistently beat them down the floor. He is a solid rebounder who scored well around the basket, where he jumped over opposing defenders.
Jalen Hampton 6’5″ Gateway 16U: A talented young power forward who is ready emerge this summer and he enjoyed a very nice weekend. He is very bouncy and he plays with a high motor on both ends. He runs the floor well and he finishes well in the half court or in transition. I really like his potential.
Omarion Henry 6’6″ Team Ramey CCM: A potential sleeper in the 2021 Class who has a chance to emerge in the future as a nice prospect. He has good size, athleticism and he plays with great activity around the basket. He has a great set of hands and he made some very tough catches in traffic and converted them to buckets. He was also very active on the offensive boards.
Nate Hall 6’7″ Arsenal Hoops: A long and lanky power forward from Alton Marquette (IL) who plays with a high motor and gets a lot done. When he plays with that kind of high energy, he is very effective because he is attacking the basket on the drive, rebounding aggressively and scoring on rim-runs in transition.
Justin Johnson 6’4″ Marcus Denmon Elite: A young combo forward who does not get a lot of touches on offense, but he played a big role in helping his team win the 16U championship. He showed some flashes of excellent potential with his athleticism and ability to play hard on both ends of the floor. He showed some nice handles at times. I look forward to seeing him later during the summer