The War: Most Dominant Big Men
The War, presented by War Hoop Events, gave us what might possibly be the last grassroots tournament or event of the year, seeing as though the school year is starting for most kids in Texas. This event consisted of the…
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Continue ReadingThe War, presented by War Hoop Events, gave us what might possibly be the last grassroots tournament or event of the year, seeing as though the school year is starting for most kids in Texas. This event consisted of the absolute best teams in Dallas along with some of the top teams from Utah, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. The building was filled with talent and future NBA prospects, this tournament had every type of recruit from the class of 2021-24 that a college coach could possibly be looking for. Here are a few of the most dominant low-post prospects from The War.
Nicholas Young | Power Forward | BBSS | 2022 |
High motor postman that shows a great will to compete. Young has phenomenal physical tools, tall, great length, broad shoulders, athletic build, strong upper and lower body, incredible leaping ability, just a tremendous combination of power, size, length, and athleticism. Nicholas is a ferocious rebounder who tries to be in complete control of the boards in every game, his timing is good, he goes up high and hard, grabbing rebounds as soon as they bounce off the rim. Just an absolute terror for anyone who has to box him out, his effort was unbelievable, making him one of the best rebounders in the tournament. Young is the x-factor for his team, he seems to be a very coachable player, a hard worker, and a team-first guy. What he brings to the table is special and won’t always show up on the stat sheet, Young brings a lot of energy and competitive spirit to the floor. He’s an incredibly tough player who hustled after every loose ball and after each rebound. Nicholas Young played like he wanted the ball more than the next guy, he dove all over the court for loose balls, he even flew into the crowd to save the ball for his team when the game was out of reach, the kid has no quit in him, and gives a 1000% effort from the tip to the buzzer.
Zinneddine Bedri | Center | TRT Basketball | 2022 |
Elite big man that does everything you could want or ask from your postman. He’s 6’10, and can run the floor like a forward, gets up and down the court in transition, and often out hustles opposing bigs up the floor. Bedri did a great job of getting open is the paint, even when guarded tightly or double-teamed he used his length to stretch over guys for a quick catch and score. Extremely soft sweet touch on his turnaround hook and fadeaway shots in the post. Outstanding finisher around the rim, through contact, and over multiple defenders. Zinneddine showed and proved that he was capable of creating his own shot off the block, he even put the ball on the floor from the mid-range in, and got to his spots. Bedri is a player that must be boxed out every single time a shot goes up due to high motor and activity when down low; he had a crazy putback dunk that nobody standing under the rim saw coming. A good defender as well, he has no trouble defending positions 3-5 and using his length to his advantage when altering shots at the basket. Zinneddine Bedri has great energy on and off the floor, even when he was on the bench he cheered his team on, hyping his guys up. Bedri consistently displayed good leadership qualities, any time he saw a teammate frustrated or arguing with the ref he stepped in and tried to either calm them down, talk to them, or lead them away from the official, his leadership really saved his team from picking up a couple of technical fouls. Zinneddine is one of the best players in the state, especially at his position, he’s somebody to keep track of this year at Spring Creek Academy.
Jaxon Kohler Jaxon Kohler 6'9" | PF Southern California Academy | 2022 #49 Nation CA-S | Power Forward/Center | Think swish | 2022 |
Jaxon Kohler Jaxon Kohler 6'9" | PF Southern California Academy | 2022 #49 Nation CA-S may have been the purest center in the building. Not only did he outsize everyone in the post, but he also outplayed them. He controlled the post-play, forcing double teams in each game, defenders had no answer for Kohler’s spectacular post moves. Just by watching Jaxon, it was clear that he’s in the gym multiple hours a day honing his skills and getting his post moves down packed. As soon as he caught the ball down low he would use a quick spin to throw it down or get off his hook shot. Kohler has an excellent turnaround hook shot, the stroke is perfect, he puts the ball right off the glass gently each time. Jaxson can score from either block with either hands, he even pulled out a reverse layup that couldn’t be stopped. When scoring, his touch was most impressive, most bigs at this level haven’t developed a soft touch around the rim yet but he somehow has. Kohler was not afraid to battle for position, for rebounds, or for the ball. Kohler consistently established position each time up court using his very strong base, and once he was in position there is no moving him. The young man is 6’9, with elite, next-level size that is built perfectly for basketball. It’s to be noted that he makes everyone around him better, a great passer out of the post, the offense ran through him the majority of the games. He showed a high-level understanding of how basketball should be played, not many limitations to his skill set. Jaxon Kohler Jaxon Kohler 6'9" | PF Southern California Academy | 2022 #49 Nation CA-S is ranked as one of the top players in Utah as well as in the country, he began receiving D1 offers by the end of his 8th-grade season and he currently has 4 high major D1 offers. His potential is through the roof, there’s no telling how good he can become with two more years of high school eligibility.
Walker Timme Walker Timme 6'5" | PF J.J. Pearce | 2021 State TX | Power Forward | Court Of Dreams | 2021 |
Highly skilled offensive postman that spaces the floor well and can also be effective down low. A great asset to have, especially with the ball in hand where he’s a consistent scoring threat, has a great feel for the game, and knows how to maneuver around down low. After establishing position, Walker showed good footwork, he scored off his reliable go-to spin move that he used to create space and get a clean look off; fantastic shooting in the post, his touch really stood out. Timme did an outstanding job of stretching the floor and shooting the three-ball when spotting up. Walker had a game where he knocked down 2 first-half three-pointers hitting 1 at the buzzer to end the half. He even proved that he was more than capable of putting the ball on the floor and getting inside the paint. One of his best skills is his vision, he’s an exceptional passer out of the post, always looking for a cutter or an open shooter. Very smart player, he saw things the rest of his teammates didn’t, Timme set screens to get the mismatch and proceeded to take advantage of smaller defenders. His size went unmatched, he’s tall, has a wide-body, can be physically imposing, and has huge strong hands, I witnessed him grab multiple rebounds with hand. Some of the things Walker Timme Walker Timme 6'5" | PF J.J. Pearce | 2021 State TX did at his size blew me away, he’s looking like he’s going to have a big year at JJ Pearce this season.
Alex Tsynkevich | Center | TRT Basketball | 2021 |
This 6’10, bouncy big man put on a dunk show during pregame warmups, completely showing off his impressive leaping abilities, Alex got off the really ground easy for a man of his size and stature. When it came it playing defense he protected the rim and defended the paint well, has a great eye for the ball, and his timing when blocking and contesting shots at the basket was impeccable. Tsynkevich also crashed the glass on a consistent basis. Whenever a shot went up Alex found a man to put his body on, even if he didn’t get the rebound it opened up an opportunity for one of his teammates to get it. His athleticism allows him to dominate the boards at a high rate, he displayed the explosiveness to rise over an opponent for rebounds, and the reaction time, along with the anticipation to grab boards out of his vicinity. Alex Tsynkevich is an international prospect that has played basketball all across the globe and the experience shows in his game.
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