Strengths: Dutch youngster Henk Norel, who moved up to play at the LEB Gold level with Alicante this season, is an ok athlete with a decent body, long arms and good shoulders ... His hands are ok, adding to that also good quickness and footwork to hedge on a screen ... Rebounding and shot blocking have been improving steadily giving him a more than acceptable asset as far as hustling is concerned ... He plays with good intensity, and his heart and passion for the game are obvious ... Also his developing low post skills are promising, shooting turn around jumpers as well as jump hooks with both hands. He's gaining confidence and experience and he could surely become a vocal leader on the court too, as he communicates well with teammates in a constructive and positive way ... A very natural, educated and coachable young man ... Capable of hitting 20 foot range outside shots (European 3 point line) but not yet very consistent ...

Weaknesses: He still has to strengthen his body in general and bulk up quite a bit ... Has a relatively slow shot, and the position of his elbow on his shooting arm tends to swing to the right. However defenders won’t be able to leave him wide open on the perimeter by any means. Not a very naturally fluid style of play, characterized more as an elaborated talent through good work ethic ... He’s not really explosive when he needs to go up down low with both feet on the ground, and it’s also imparitive that he improve his low post position establishing ability and pick setting. Defensively he will need to work on his positioning and anticipation, especially in help side. As well as avoiding falling too easily for shotfakes. Still a bit too soft both on offense and defense, although he’s not afraid of tough contact at all. This and his balance will most probably improve when he gets stronger physically.

Outlook: Right now he’s not ready at all for the NBA, and he even needs to prove his value on a higher level in Europe. Nonetheless, with a continued development he could be worth a try as a second rounder in his last draft year 2009. 2 key years of development are ahead now.

Notes: Has been on the roster with ACB team Joventut Badalona, who owns his rights, a couple of times getting a taste of what is arguably the best league on the old continent right now.

Scouted: @ El Prat de Llobregat (Spain) 11/11/2006 and 20/01/2007
@ Cornella de Llobregat (Spain) 16/02/2007