Player Evaluations

Here goes some evaluations and notes that I have from several games that I was able to watch recently.

2015
Moustapha Diagne PF/C Commit-Matchup viewing against St. Benedict's from the HS season. I had Diagne charted for 16pts, 13rbs 6-13fg, 4-9ft. Looked really good offensively in the 1st half. Finished off several drives from the top of the key and looked to be a load for St. Benedict's to handle inside. Showed off some good footwork and post moves down low in the paint and even knocked down a nice mid-range shot. 2nd half was a different story, as Diagne struggled to finish around the basket several times and had a few questionable shot selections. Going to the line 9 times is always good but connecting less than 50% on those is not so good. That's an area he's going to have to improve on when he reaches the next level. Defensively he rebounded his area well as the 13rbs would suggest, but I felt he could've contested a few shots inside better than he did as he only finished with 1blk. Overall not much can be said about Diagne that hasn't been said already. He has improved his offensive skillset all around and should present SU with a legit low post scoring option that they haven't had since Rick Jackson. Defensively I'll be curious to see where he'll log the most minutes at. He's a bit undersized to play full-time in the middle and while he isn't slower than molasses, I'm not sure that he has the quickness to be effective on the wings.


2016
Howard Washington and Jamal Murray PG's-Finally got a chance to check out Washington after hearing so much about him over the past year or so. This game was from the FIBA U17 against France. One thing that you notice right away between the two is that Murray is much taller and physically mature than Washington. Murray is probably 2-3 inches taller and about 15- 20lbs stronger. Both started in the backcourt and Washington began the game out on the ball but struggled out the gate to make anything happen and the team fell behind 8-0. Once Murray took over at the point that's when things got rolling for Canada. Murray was not only able to get off his own shot but create opportunities for his teammates as well. He was basically unstoppable in the 1st half, but seem to get fatigued a little and struggled with his shot in the 2nd half. Washington actually looked most comfortable on catch and shoot situations, where he displayed a nice shooting stroke from behind the arc and nailed several threes. Canada would build a lead by 12 at halftime but due to a lack of size inside, France was able to take advantage and claw their way back for the victory. I can understand why the SU staff is probably hesitant to offer a player like Washington at the moment. While he looks to be a good prospect, I just didn't see much playmaking ability or any other elite attributes especially when watching him compared to Murray for him to earn an offer from SU yet. With that said, he'll get the exposure and opportunity to improve on that since he's attending Montverde now.

Eddie Ekiyor PF/C-Might be a little undersized for SU to play in the middle, but every time I've seen him play all he does is compete and do the dirty work. He had a big 1st half for Canada, as their only legit low post threat. Struggled a bit against France's length during the 2nd half and isn't the most explosive. He might not fit every program, but transferring to New Hampton to play alongside Tyler Lydon will no doubt increase his exposure.

Sedee Keita PF/C-Played limited minutes in the game I watched but made a big impact on the defensive end. Ran the floor well and looked very mobile for his size. Looked to be a good rebounder and shot blocker as well. Didn't get many touches on offense, so it's hard to judge what kind of game he has there in that department.

Veer Singh SF-Played at St. Peter's Prep, where Red Autry made multiple visits to check out their young players with Singh considered to be the best one out of the bunch. Singh displayed a nice offensive game and some solid athleticism. He has a quick release on his shot and was able to knock down 4 threes in the 1st half alone. Even though he didn't convert, he was one of the few players that I've seen show no fear at trying to dunk on Cheick Diallo. On the flip side, I didn't notice much rebounding and shot blocking from him and he appears to be more of a finesse player overall. Also he went scoreless in the 2nd half and had several bad shot selections. Singh already has a good amount of quality offers from high-majors and that list will most likely grow over the next year.


2017
MJ Walker SG-Top 10 player in his class with elite athleticism and a college ready body. Showcased the ability to create his own shot with ease and knocked down a triple from NBA range in the game that I watched. Walker claimed to have SU as his favorite heading into the summer, but at that point the SU staff had not shown any interest in him yet. Hopefully that changes as time goes along.

Jarred Vanderbilt SF-Another elite top 10 prospect. Vanderbilt is about 6'9, but has the game and ball handling of a guard. Very versatile as he showcased the ability to play inside on the low post and also do damage out on the perimeter. This is another kid that claims SU as a favorite of his.

Zach Brown C-This giant is a legit 7-footer and was a beast down low on both ends of the floor. Showed good positioning and spacing to score in the paint on offense. Defensively he either blocked or altered every shot that came his way. Best example of that was when MJ Walker repeatedly tried to dunk it on him and each time was served with the Serge Ibaka treatment. Brown isn't the most athletic, but moves adequate enough for his size.

Matt Coleman PG-One of my favorite young prospects along with Trevon Duval to watch in the early goings of 2017. Coleman reminds me of Jonny Flynn at a young age. Quick with the ball and has the penetration skills where nobody can stay in front of him. The lefty needs to get stronger and find more consistency with his jumper, but I have no doubt he'll be a consensus 5 star top 25 player when all said and done over the next few years.

Trevon Duval CG-Matchup viewing against Moustapha Diagne's Pope John team. I had Duval charted with 14pts, 2rbs, 7-14fg. Duval presents nice size for a guard at 6'3 with very long arms. In this game he had the mid-range game cooking where 80% of his points came from. Duval has a good handle and can penetrate inside to get his own shot of at will. At a young age he is a very mature player that was very patient on offense and I don't recall too many shots out of his 14 being ill-advised. Moving forward I would like to see him develop his PG skills, as he's mainly wired to score at this point, and his perimeter shot from deep can use some consistency as well.