Kyle Anderson = Special
Kyle might be the most interesting player that we have seen in a long time. People that have watched him play can understand what I am saying, others will probably be scratching their heads. The reason being is that Kyle could end up being the best player in his class or Kyle could end up stuck in tweenerville. If Kyle can either get more athletic (quicker/explosive) then he can be a top SF, or if Kyle grows a couple more inches then he can be a top PF. The dilemma will be if he remains as is, because he does not have quite enough quicks to play SF and he does not have quite enough height to play PF. But he has a superior hoops IQ. In fact his basketball acumen is superior to any player we have seen in a while. From a Gtown perspective, this kid would dominate in the high-post and allowing the team to play off of him like Monroe and Green have been so successful doing. If you can believe it, Kyle is a better passer than those guys were, and Monroe is the best passing bigman that we can remember in the past few decades. Kyle is basically a point-guard in a SF/PFs body. He is truly a point forward.
Now Kyle does have some good athletic ability as he does have some bounce and some quicks. He is a very good below the rim rebounder, and has great handles. His jumpshot is much improved from when we saw him last summer, so he has clearly been working on his game. He is excellent at using both hands to finish around the basket. And he always dribbles with his head up. His court vision is better than any PG that we have seen in the 2011 or 2012 class. Kyle played against Quincy Miller who is an elite talent himself. We were expecting a Quincy Miller show, but is was clear that at least for this game Kyle Anderson was the best player on the court. Kyle did everything from nailing jumpshots to dominating in the high and low post.
He has thick legs and thick hips, so it is hard to tell if he can get much quicker or if we just have to hope he grows 2 more inches since he is close to 6’8 now. Of course if he gets more athletic and grows taller then he can be the best player that Gtown has seen in some time. By all accounts he is a great kid, and his teammates luv playing with him as his unselfish play is contagious. He does need to work on his condition, as he gets winded easily. So it is fingers crossed that Kyle continues to develop physically so his physical abilities can catch up to his incredible mental abilities.
Rakeem Christmas = Talent
Rakeem oozes talent. Of course AAU basketball is not conducive for bigmen to really display their skill sets, as they rarely see the ball. Rakeem is an elite shot blocker as he is a long athletic 6’9. He has very quick hops and quick feet. This gives him the ability to cover a lot of qround and really defend the entire court. He has very good shooting mechanics which should only improve as he develops. When he does get the ball in the post he has quick moves and does well at getting to the basket. He sees the court very well and is an excellent passer. The kid can run the court as well as most guards. He is a very smart player and is unselfish.
Rakeem needs to work on his hands both in catching the ball and securing the ball from defenders when he is on the block. He is a good rebounder, but he could be much better because he needs to box out better and also go after the ball if it is out of his area. His initial post moves are good, but if he gets cut off then he has no counter moves. It would also help him if he posted up stronger, but I don’t know if his teammates would have given him the ball anyway. We do not think we saw him make a hook shot, but in fairness we did not see him touch the ball much on the block which had to be frustrating for him to play as it was for us to watch. With his skills, he can be lethal in the high post in the Gtown system. He should also be a defensive presence that Gtown has not had in a while. He needs to focus now on improving his hands and footwork, while adding some strength.
Johnny Obryant = Monstor
This beast is just nasty (in a good way). He may have is much talent as anyone in the 2011 class. He is basically unstoppable on the block, but he is also an excellent shooter with good mechanics. His quick spin move is blinding and his turn around jumper is unstopabble. He is a monster rebounder and attacks the glass on both ends. He is a very quick jumper and finishes STRONG! He gets fouled a lot, and is a good free throw shooter. For a dude so big, he as amazing quickness. JOB has great hands also. Wants he gets his hands on the ball, it is his. His first step and jab step are bigtime. Great passer and is very unselfish. He post up strong and demands the ball.
JOB has some bad habbits and things he certainly needs to improve on. First of his conditioning is poor right now, as he is caring a little to much pudge. He needs to lean out and get in better shape, as he would get winded and not run the court as hard as he should/could have. JOB is a good shooter, but he has a BAD habbit of fading away too much. He falls in luv with the fade away, and he has to stop this. The kid is too talented to let the defense off the hook. JOB is not a great defender right now, so that needs to improve and probably will as he improves his conditioning and body.
Sam Thompson = UBER ATHLETE
This kid is a sick athlete. He can fly with ease. Ok, the kid was clearly favoring his right ankle, but he is still a player. You could see that he is not 100% because on his jumpshot he kept floating to the side instead of going straight up. He has a very good feel for the game, and is capable of defending multiple positions. He is a good ball handler, but needs to improve on getting past his defender. He is a team player and good passer. He is skinny, but is not afraid to mix it up and compete inside. He is one of those players that when you watch him, you keep wanting to see more. But there is no denying his upside. Smart player and superior athlete, so he can only get better.
Tyrone Johnson = Raw
There is no denying Tyrone Johnson’s physical talents, as he as a strong athlete that can really finish at the rim even after absorbing contact. He has a good handle and can get to the basket with the best of them. Right now Tyrone really struggles at finding that balance between being a scoring PG and a facilitator. He needs to work on improving as pure PG. We watched Marquis Teague and other PGs this weekend, and Tyrone is behind them interms of running a team and making his teammates better. He is in tough spot because he has joined an established team of good players and is learning to fit in. But he has to become a better decision maker. He also must really improve his jump-shot as hardly made a shot outside of the lane. He has a strange kind of set shot and needs work on his mechanics particularly his footwork on his jumpshot. He is super strong, and does not need to get any stronger. He does seem a bit stiff in his hips or legs, so he needs to address this. The talent is clearly there, but he needs to spend as much time as possible playing and becoming a better pure PG. I normally scowl when a kid wants to transfer to one of the basketball factories, but in Tyrone’s case I think he needs to go somewhere and play as much basketball as possible. It is clear that all of the time spent of football has set him behind some other PGs inters of the nuisances of the game. The talent is there, so lets see if he can put it together.
Kyle Madden = worth looking at
He is a surprising athlete, as this kid has super hops and quickness. He ran the PG spot for his team, but is more of a combo or SG right now. He is skinny and needs to get stronger. For a kid as athletic as he is he should be a better on the ball defender. His jumpshot is streaky and needs work, but his mechanics are ok so that should improve. He is a build of Vee Sanford and his game reminds me of Sanfords game in a lot of ways.
2011 Prospects:
Kyle Witier and Jabari Brown are staying on the Westcoast, so not worth the effort in recruiting them. Plus there are better options on the board for Gtown.
2012 Prospects:
LJ Rose was hurt and did not play, but expect him to end up at Texas.
Gtown is certainly recruiting the correct Anderson, because Justin Anderson has not gotten any better in 2 years while Kyle continues to improve.
AJ Hammons = Legit prospect
This kid is not fat, or is no longer fat. He can still get in better shape, but he is a legit prospect. He is at least 6’10 and skilled. He moves very well, and has excellent hands and hoops savy. Gtown should certainly stay on this kid.
Quincy Woods. Not sure how much Gtown is recruiting him. He is a scoring machine, but he will end up where ever John Wall’s handlers tell him to go.
The freshman PG for Howard Pulley is legit.
Evan Daniels = cool peeps
Special thanks to the female all star team in attendance:
Jame Macdoo’s sister
Rakeem Christmas sister (my guy thought it was his sister, but he does not follow Gtown hoops). So it was probably Roc’s Aunt.
Jabari Browns Aunt
The Blond trophy girlfriend of the D-One Sports team guy. Probably Clifton’s piece.
The Nike rep girl that kept running around.
