al-farouq-aminu-hd.jpg

1 - Al-Farouq Aminu

6-8, 216 Small Forward
Wake Forest Sophomore
Birthday
09/21/90 (33.5 yrs)
Hometown
Norcross, GA
High School
Norcross
Team Site Profile
Statistics
Athleticism
9
Size
9
Defense
8
Strength
8
Quickness
8
Leadership
7
Jump Shot
8
NBA Ready
8
Ball Handling
8
Potential
9
Passing
7
Intangibles
7

NBA Comparison: Marvin Williams/Thaddeus Young

Strengths: One of the top athletes in the country, Aminu had a solid sophomore year, with more opportunities to shine after James Johnson and  Jeff Teague left for the pros …  A huge leaper with freakish athleticism, explosiveness and solid length, Aminu uses these 3 strengths to make him an excellent rebounder and defender …  His athleticism contributes to a quick first step, while possessing a good enough handle to take his defender off the dribble north to south rather than east to west … His solid frame, length and athleticism give him the ability to be an excellent defender, with the option of allowing him to guard the 2, 3 or 4 … His leaping abilities allow him to get up and block shots, as well as eliminate second chance opportunities on the defensive glass … Again he uses his pure athleticism to keep the ball alive on the offensive glass making him a tough target to box out … High energy player, will lay out for the ball … Showed an improved post game, using his quickness to elude his defender down low and get off uncontested shots even with his man on his back … He has a good enough handle to match his athleticism following a rebound, allowing him to go coast to coast where he thrives in transition,  as he runs the floor very well and can soar around the hoop making him a point guard’s best friend on the break …

Weaknesses: Aminu’s glaring weakness is his inability to create shots for himself and hit from the outside … He lacks any real range on his outside game, and does not have the ability to pull up off the dribble … He lacks touch around the basket when he’s not close enough to dunk … Turnover prone, with a tendency to be out of control and a bit awkward when taking his man off the dribble … Handle is not diverse enough, most of his drives are made because of a quick first step, while limited to mainly just going right … His lack of shooting ability hurts his chances of playing the 3 at the next level, most likely he will play the athletic and high flying power forward role until he broadens his perimeter skills … Not skilled enough to immediately be effective on the offensive end…

Overall: Aminu’s strengths include all of the things you can’t teach, which is a great sign for potential and upside considering all the things he needs to improve upon can be learned and developed as he grows as a player … More than just a highlight reel type player, Aminu would be a great fit on a team that wants to run and gun, or a team that lacks athleticism at the forward position … His defensive and rebounding abilities make his stock higher than those players who may be more skilled at this point in time … His versatility on defense, energy and athleticism on offensive, and tremendous upside should make Aminu a surefire lottery pick in June…

Jonathan Wasserman 4/26/10

Strengths: Small Forward with a terrific frame with a 7-foot plus wing span and great agility … Excellent versatility with the ability to do it all … Has bigtime potential and should be a factor the minute he steps onto campus at Wake Forest … Has a nice set of skills offensively with the ability to create shots off the dribble … Terrific form on his jump shot … Ball handling is very good for a 6-8 small forward … Has range out to three point … A quality rebounder with the ability to rip down a board and go coast to coast … Uses ball fakes well and has good moves around the basket … Long arms make him a good shot blocker and rebounder … Early in his high school career, he was a post player so his post up skills are very good for a 3, a skill that will come in handy at the NBA level … Has no positional questions, as his skills and size are perfect for the small forward position … Great in the open floor utilizing his speed athleticism and body control well … Very quick off his feet and dunks without needing much momentum towards the rim … High motor guy with great focus and intensity …

Weaknesses: Needs to get stronger physically. Improved upper body strength will allow him to finish better at the rim after contact … His outside shot is good but needs more range and consistency … Can at times be too enamored with the outside shot. He’s better off the dribble … Must improve his consistency on the defensive end of the floor …

Notes: A descendant of Nigerian kings … His decision to stay at Wake Forest after the tragic death of Skip Prosser is a tribute to his character … Appears to be a likely one and done candidate …

Aran Smith – 1/17/2008

SEASON
TEAM
MIN
PTS
REB
AST
TO
A/T
STL
BLK
PF
FG%
FT%
3P%
PPS
2008-09 WAKE 2912.98.21.52.60.5711.22.60.5160.6710.1791.42
2009-10 WAKE 31.315.810.71.33.20.411.41.42.90.4470.6980.2731.31
PerGame 30.114.49.41.42.90.51.21.32.80.4760.6870.2381.36

SEASON
TEAM
GP
MIN
FG
FGA
FTM
FTA
3PM
3PA
PTS
OFF
DEF
TOT
AST
TO
STL
BLK
PF
2008-09 WAKE 31899146283102152739401711822534681303881
2009-10 WAKE 3197016737413919918664911331993324199444491
Totals 62186931365724135125105892204381585871807482172

YouTube Clip – 11/17/2009

YouTube Clip – 06/07/2010

Facebooktwitterredditmail