High Upside Bigs in VA (Part 1)
Big men prospects are always highly coveted, and while some are very talented now they often take a little bit of time to develop compared to their guard and wing counterparts. Today, we take a look at part one at…
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Continue ReadingBig men prospects are always highly coveted, and while some are very talented now they often take a little bit of time to develop compared to their guard and wing counterparts. Today, we take a look at part one at just a few of the big men I believe have high upside and are going to be better moving forward than they are now.
IJ Ezuma IJ Ezuma 6'8" | PF Hargrave | 2021 State VA | 6’8” | Hargrave 2021
Ezuma is a guy I considered highly under recruited at this point in his career, but next year he’s scheduled to play on Hargrave’s post grad team that is always a big stop for college coaches of all levels early in the high school recruiting period. What really intrigues me about his upside is the fact that Ezuma plays with a great motor and does the dirty work, and he’s shown great improvement over the last two seasons at Hargrave. He rebounds and defends the paint well, he’s a fluid athlete that runs the floor and every time you see him he’s added something new to his game.
Dominic Strother Dominic Strother 6'10" | PF Woodstock Academy | 2022 VA | 6’8” | Central-Woodstock 2021
Strother is a guy who may need another year but at 6’8” you don’t find many prospects with is natural skill set on the perimeter at his size. The term “big guard” gets thrown around a lot and I’m not a huge fan of it, however Strother has shown guard and perimeter skills as a guy who can handle in transition, create his own shot off the bounce and he can stretch the floor as well. He needs to fill out and get stronger but he’s already a mismatch and when he gets a chance to show he can do it against high level competition he’ll have a chance to blow up moving forward.
William Henderson William Henderson 6'7" | PF Life Christian | 2021 PA | 6’9” | Life Christian 2021
Henderson is another guy who has a terrific skill set at his size, as he hit a late growth spurt that led him from being a guard to being a highly skilled big man that is starting to blow up on the recruitment trail. He’s a natural athlete that can rebound and play way above the rim, but what separates him from other bigs is his ability to put it on the deck and shoot it at a high rate as well. He’s just starting to scratch the surface of how good he can actually be, and once he finds the right balance of using his perimeter skill set and his new size and athleticism he could be a breakout guy next year.
Whit Williams Whit Williams 6'7" | PF Benedictine | 2021 State VA | 6’8” | Benedictine 2021
Williams is a guy who had a breakout year at Benedictine and looks like he could be a sleeper out of the Richmond area with is mix of size and skill set that he’s been building over the past few years. The 6’98” big is a mix of a throwback in the paint style big man and a new age rim runner and rim protector as well. He gets up and down the floor well, he can stretch the floor with the midrange jumper and beyond and he plays with a chip on his shoulder as he battles in the paint on both ends of the floor.
Maliq Brown Maliq Brown 6'8" | PF Blue Ridge | 2022 State #123 Nation VA | 6’8” | Blue Ridge 2022
Brown recently has started to come onto the national scene as he’s picked up high major offers from a number of programs and was recently featured in the latest Rivals national rankings for the class of 2022. Brown is a guy who hit a growth spurt a couple of years ago going from 6’2” to where he now stands at 6’8”, and he’s just starting to scratch the surface with how good he can be moving forward. He plays a simple style of basketball that is very efficient and productive, and he’s a guy who can play in transition and hold down the paint on both ends of the floor and he still has a ton of room to get better.
Houston Emory Houston Emory 6'10" | C Blue Ridge | 2022 State VA | 6’10” | Blue Ridge 2022
Emory is a native of Pennsylvania who reclassified to the 2022 class after his first year at Blue Ridge but ultimately missed all of last season with a back injury. However, he’s back and healthy now and he will provide a huge impact for an already stacked Barons squad next year. He’s a guy who is much tougher and more athletic than he looks, he’s able to play in transition and play way above the rim on both ends and he has a chip on his shoulder that’s likely intensified after missing all of last year.
Keyontae Lewis Keyontae Lewis 6'7" | PF LC Bird | 2022 State VA | 6’8” | LC Bird 2022
Lewis jumped onto the scene this year at LC Bird as one of the best players on a young team that is chock full of talent and should be a tough team to beat over the next two years in Richmond. He’s a guy who’s young for his grade and still has to continue to work on his body but he’s dropped some baby fat and he’s become much more mobile over the past few years. His game reminds me a little bit of former King’s Fork and Marquette big man Devante Gardner, as he’s a big guy who takes up space in the paint and has soft touch with both hands, but he also has the ability to stretch the floor and his range gets better every time you see him.