NBA Comparison: Marcus Camby

Strengths: An elite-level shot blocker with an extremely high ceiling ... Measured 6'11 in shoes with a 7'4" wingspan, giving him very good length for the center position in the NBA ... Explosive athlete with a very quick reaction time ... Gets up well on both his first and second jumps, giving him an advantage on the offensive glass ... An absolutely intimidating presence in the paint ... Blocks an unreal amount of shots due to his length, athleticism, reflexes and timing ... Agility allows him to rotate quickly to help teammates defensively ... Remarkably fluid runner ... Will outrun other bigs down the floor, to set himself up for a number of easy baskets per game ... Strong finisher around the rim ... Will be an easy alley-oop target at the next level ... Uses his physical tools to get a lot of out-of-area rebounds ... Defends well on the perimeter ... Not beaten easily, even when he switches onto smaller players ... Collects a lot of steals for a big man ... Isn't afraid to run the fast break with the ball in his hands ... Very active, plays with a good motor ... Unselfish ... Has the potential to become a good passer for his position ... Confident player that has the stuff to be a dominant defender at Kentucky ...

Weaknesses: Needs to add strength to handle the center position in the NBA ... Doesn't get pushed around often at this level and can compensate with his length/athleticism when he does, but that will be a problem in the future if he doesn't add a significant amount of weight ... Prone to biting on pump-fakes, but is often so quick to recover that it doesn't matter ... Can be over-aggressive at times defensively, and get himself in foul trouble ... Lacks much of a scoring game. Appears lost offesnively and too often looks to face the basket instead of utilizing his size and athleticism in the post ... Needs to polish his post game ... Would serve himself well by adding a mid-range jumper and a consistent go-to move in the post to his currently limited offensive repertoire ...

Overall: Noel is a top-level defensive player, and a likely one-and-done prospect ... He should be able to add the all-around polish he needs to be a very high draft pick at Kentucky next year, and could be considered for the top-overall pick in the 2013 draft ...

Tyler Ingle 4/17/12

2012 Nike Hoop Summit Measurements:

Hgt w/ shoes: 6’11

Hgt w/o shoes: 6’10

Wgt: 216

W-Span: 7-4

Reach*: 9’1.5

Noel is the most instinctive shot blocker in the country. He uses his incredible length (7'3 wingspan), bounce, and timing to either block or alter shots at an alarming rate. He is a game changer on the defensive end of the floor. His offensive game has improved considerably, but it still has a ways to go to be on the same level as his defense. He runs the floor very well for a big and gets a number of buckets by simply beating the defense down the floor. His lack of strength was exposed somewhat at last week’s NBA Top 100 Camp, but by all accounts he was able to adjust by week’s end. Noel’s upside is off the charts. If he can develop his offensive game and eat the weight room, he could be a potential #1 pick based on his presence defensively.

Ian Powers 6/25/11

Notes: Measured 6'11.5 (in shoes) 201 lbs, with a 7'3 wingspan at the 2011 LeBron James Skills Academy.