Strengths: Long, wiry athletic forward with great energy level … Excellent rebounder who hits the glass hard … His bread and butter will be defensively. Good feet, extremely long arms, quick hands. Effective thief, and has good timing for blocked shots off the ball and on smaller perimeter players Has the versatility to guard on the perimeter and in the post: His great foot speed gives him the quickness to defend quick forwards and guards, and his wiry strength and long arms give him the ability to defend inside … Very quick hands and feet help on both ends of the floor … Broad shoulders and long arms give him an ideal basketball physique … Shows great body control around the basket and the ability to absorb contact and stay balanced … Best off the ball, screens, occasional drives when they’re open, and attacking the offensive glass … Has a unique personality ala Dennis Rodman. A free spirit with a “carefree” attitude. which can be a positive and a negative …

Weaknesses: His biggest problem is inconsistency. There were games when he’d take over and then the next game he was no where to be found (which was HUGE in his games against Bama and then Kentucky) … Balkman isn’t a scorer, his handle is horrible. Raw offensive player, averaged under 10 ppg in his junior season … Lacks any real range on his shot … Very sloppy. Shot is inconsistent, he can hit from 20, but not at a good %. Needs to add around 15-20 pounds of muscle to go inside and rebound with the same effectiveness … Turnover prone, needs to become better at protecting the ball off the dribble, and cut down on turnovers … Shot just over 50% from the free throw line … Has a good shooting form, he just needs repetition in practice and better focus to improve upon his free throw shooting …

Notes: Helped lead South Carolina to the 2005-06 NIT championship … From the Gamecocks Athletic site: People would be surprised to know this about me: I will never cut my hair again.