NBA Comparison: Aaron McKie/Ron Artest

Strengths: Nineteen year old freshman with an NBA-ready body ... At 6'5 210, has a rare combination of power and quickness ... Completely dominated the New York PSAL, almost single handedly leading Lincoln HS to four titles (Owns the all time scoring record in the State of New York) ... Was often the biggest and strongest guy on the court, and took advantage of it, routinely dismantling opponents using brute force ... Relentless attacker of the basket, seeking out contact and getting to the free throw stripe where he converts at a high % ... Excellent penetrator with a quick first step ... Utilizes change of pace dribbles, cross-overs and spin moves to get into the lane ... Able to slither his way in between small creases ... Superior ball handler with a flare for the dramatic (good or bad) ... Good court vision. Aesthetically pleasing shooting stroke ... Supreme accuracy on pull up J's, especially when dribbling to his left ... "Easy" three point range. Has shown flashes of lock down on the ball defense with his strength and 6'10 wingspan ... Should be an instant fast break running the point at Cincinnati with his rebounding ability ... "Born Ready" has been hyped since day 1 at Lincoln, playing under tremendous pressure and scrutiny every night, even appearing in a documentary about him ...

Weaknesses: Legitimate question marks surrounding his character and mental makeup (high school carrer marred by an assault charge) ... The hope is that he will gain maturity at Cincinnati ... His on court body language is awful ... Often seen pouting, dragging his feet, arguing with referees and yelling at teammates ... If he believes he should get the ball and doesn't, or doesn't get a call, he's inclined to allow it to affect his game and take a play or two off ... Despite his athletic gifts, lacks explosive elevation on his jumper and on drives to the rim ... Needs work on leg strength, but just not a very explosive leaper ... Tends to fade away and abort follow-through on his jump shot from time to time ... Capable of making the spectacular pass, but does not always make the simple, smart pass ... Shows glimpses of extraordinary court vision, but too often has tunnel vision toward the hoop and doesn't look for teammates ... Seems to predetermine when to shoot and when to pass, rather than natually allowing the flow of the game come to him ... Gets wrapped up in 'style points' and getting oohs and aahs from the crowd instead of playing sound fundamental basketball ... Prone to stagnant over-dribbling. Lateral quickness is just average - looks lead footed ...Too much standing around on defense rather than being proactive on help D ...

Adam Ganeles 10/30/09