Scout Evaluations of next year's recruits....

[Untouchables22]

http://www.scout.com/college/basket...637445-kentucky-2016-class-senior-evaluations

Definitely worth a read with quality observations about our guys. Here are a few nuggets
* Fox is developing a solid outside shot and projects to be a decent college shooter
* Monk needs to work on ball handling but is ultra explosive driver and perimeter shooter.
*Gabriel has been playing the SF all year for his high school team and has proven he can play well on the wing on both offense and defense.
*Bam as I suspected has very little post-game but does have good ball handling for a PF and an improving jumper
*SKJ has solid post moves and an improving jump shot but really needs to add some muscle.

 

[KWilt43atbuzz]

Bam has very little post gm?
Wha?

 

[Wildcat-in-STL]

Bam doesnt have the post moves like a Bolden does. But Bam's a PF and not a C. PF's usually just need a baby hook and thats it for the low post moves.

 

[wild mandu]

Jerry Meyer has been saying all along that Bam doesn't have a great post game. This is nothing new.

His job will be the aggressor. The guy that fights for rebounds, plays with muscle on defense and gets the putbacks and dunks. Like, imagine what Poythress did against Alabama. Bam should be more consistent, as his constant motor is one of his biggest strengths.

 

[westerncat]

Very nice read. Thanks op. When it is all said and done this "may' be the best class that Cal will have at UK.

 

[Untouchables22]

Jerry Meyer has been saying all along that Bam doesn't have a great post game. This is nothing new.

His job will be the aggressor. The guy that fights for rebounds, plays with muscle on defense and gets the putbacks and dunks. Like, imagine what Poythress did against Alabama. Bam should be more consistent, as his constant motor is one of his biggest strengths.

Yeah I really believe that we need a consistent low post scorer in order for the team next year to be complete. Cal's offense works best when it flows inside-out. Therefore I think we need Bolden for the Cousins, Towns, Davis, Randle role on offense. There has been a lot of pushback from others on the site for that opinion. Most think we are set to be a great team with our class as it stands now. I just wanted to publish a scouting report from professionals that shows that Bam is a great player but is lacking in the area of low post scoring because several people haven't believed that to be the case when i've stated it previously on Rafters.

 

[bucsrule8872]

Bam can become a good low post scorer. He has the tools. KAT was not a prolific low post scorer until about midway through the season at UK.

Some of you act like these kids have to be already polished players when they arrive. Cal is pretty great at developing players in a short period of time.

Skal really has everyone spooked about a low post scorer. LOL! Bam is not Skal. He will be able to develop some low post moves.

Bolden would be a plus, for sure, but acting like Bam is going to be lost in the low post is silly, IMHO. He has the potential to be a good low post threat.

 

[Wildcat-in-STL]

I think its because people look at Bam and they think he plays exclusively in the paint because of his size but Bam faces up about 90% of the time ...at least in the games I've seen

 

[Untouchables22]

Bam can become a good low post scorer. He has the tools. KAT was not a prolific low post scorer until about midway through the season at UK.

Some of you act like these kids have to be already polished players when they arrive. Cal is pretty great at developing players in a short period of time.

Skal really has everyone spooked about a low post scorer. LOL! Bam is not Skal. He will be able to develop some low post moves.

Bolden would be a plus, for sure, but acting like Bam is going to be lost in the low post is silly, IMHO. He has the potential to be a good low post threat.

I understand your point...but counter argument both Lee and Poythress have "the tools" to be low post scorers but aren't on any consistent level after 3 years at UK. (not counting Alex's injured year) My concern is that Bam is closer to Marcus Lee in high school then he is to KAT. You're certainly correct he could develop but it's just as likely he doesn't in the one year he is at UK.

 

[Cowtown Cat]

Bam can become a good low post scorer. He has the tools. KAT was not a prolific low post scorer until about midway through the season at UK.

Some of you act like these kids have to be already polished players when they arrive. Cal is pretty great at developing players in a short period of time.

Skal really has everyone spooked about a low post scorer. LOL! Bam is not Skal. He will be able to develop some low post moves.

Bolden would be a plus, for sure, but acting like Bam is going to be lost in the low post is silly, IMHO. He has the potential to be a good low post threat.

I agree 100%

 

[mj2k10]

Bam can become a good low post scorer. He has the tools. KAT was not a prolific low post scorer until about midway through the season at UK.

Some of you act like these kids have to be already polished players when they arrive. Cal is pretty great at developing players in a short period of time.

Skal really has everyone spooked about a low post scorer. LOL! Bam is not Skal. He will be able to develop some low post moves.

Bolden would be a plus, for sure, but acting like Bam is going to be lost in the low post is silly, IMHO. He has the potential to be a good low post threat.

Exactly right.

It's actually been pretty rare for Cal to have a guy come in with a rep as a polished low-post scorer. He didn't have it in 10-11, he didn't have it in 11-12, and he didn't have it last year. What he did was teach/force Terrence Jones, Anthony Davis, and Karl Towns to utilize their abilities around the basket (to their benefit, no matter how much some people want to talk about Cal limiting them). People think of DeMarcus Cousins as some natural low-post beast, but while he was physically, he came into UK with a rep for wanting to play away from the basket.

Cal thought he could do the same thing with Skal, but that turned out to be wrong. It's far less likely to be wrong with Bam, given his physical abilities.

It's a question of whether a guy has the capability of doing it, not whether he can do it coming into UK. And actually, the guy that Cal recruited with the strongest rep as a low-post offensive player was Dakari Johnson, and though he did some things well, it turned out that his physical limitations were a huge factor, probably a bigger factor than skill.

All of this is why, as cool as it sounds to have 6-7 guys on a roster 6'9" or taller (if UK signs Bolden), the lineup I would love to see next year would sit the 3 biggest of them. Bam may not be a center, but he can do center things, and pairing him with versatile forwards in Willis (assuming he stays close to his current level of play) and Wenyen Gabriel would, I believe, make for a team that's a lot, lot harder to defend than if you go with some monster lineup that puts Bam at the 4 alongside Bolden.

 

[jrpross]

I absolutely love the team this year and think we have the pieces to make a serious run. But I'm finding it REALLY hard to not look ahead to the insane talent we have coming in next year. I really don't know who to be most excited about.

 

[bucsrule8872]

I understand your point...but counter argument both Lee and Poythress have "the tools" to be low post scorers but aren't on any consistent level after 3 years at UK. (not counting Alex's injured year) My concern is that Bam is closer to Marcus Lee in high school then he is to KAT. You're certainly correct he could develop but it's just as likely he doesn't in the one year he is at UK.

Totally different players.

With Bam we are talking about a 6'9 255 guy. Poy and Lee were not anywhere close to that size coming out of HS. They aren't that big now. They aren't going to be that big in the pros. From a purely physical perspective, there really is no comparison.

Now, mentally, who knows? Can he take the coaching needed to develop those low post moves?

There are always question marks.

But I just don't see Bam being soft in the post and getting bullied based on what little I have seen from him.

 

[Sithlyone]

http://www.scout.com/college/basket...637445-kentucky-2016-class-senior-evaluations

Definitely worth a read with quality observations about our guys. Here are a few nuggets
* Fox is developing a solid outside shot and projects to be a decent college shooter
* Monk needs to work on ball handling but is ultra explosive driver and perimeter shooter.
*Gabriel has been playing the SF all year for his high school team and has proven he can play well on the wing on both offense and defense.
*Bam as I suspected has very little post-game but does have good ball handling for a PF and an improving jumper
*SKJ has solid post moves and an improving jump shot but really needs to add some muscle.

Didn't read the article but thank you for the snippets. However this is not funny. I Wish Dakari stayed an extra year because we need some beef and it seems all the recruits are a little on the thin side. I know Davis and Noel weren't the Michelin Man but they had some definition (not a lot, but some). Hopefully SKJ adds some before next season or learns to play through it because Skal is showing us that you need some muscle in order to battle underneath.

 

[Stonewall12]

I can understand why Bam has no post game. His guards do not pass him the ball.

 

[truth79]

Bam can become a good low post scorer. He has the tools. KAT was not a prolific low post scorer until about midway through the season at UK.

Some of you act like these kids have to be already polished players when they arrive. Cal is pretty great at developing players in a short period of time.

Skal really has everyone spooked about a low post scorer. LOL! Bam is not Skal. He will be able to develop some low post moves.

Bolden would be a plus, for sure, but acting like Bam is going to be lost in the low post is silly, IMHO. He has the potential to be a good low post threat.

SPOT ON

 

[AzubuikeandFitch]

It says Bam needs to spruce up his low post skills by adding some back to the basket moves. To compare Adebayo to Lee is hilarious. Nowhere even close to a similar game. While both run the floor well and possess athleticism, Bam has significantly better handles and physicality. Very few players are as adept in the high post attacking the basket or passing to spot up shooters.

 

[AzubuikeandFitch]

Bam can also play defense without fouling ever other play. If Lee could stay out of foul trouble he would most likely contribute more and show some consistency.

 

[catben]

What about Wynyard in the Post next season? After practicing with Coach Payne for a year, he should be ready to go as a post up scorer and defender.

 

[Drcatfan]

I do think Bolden would be the perfect compliment to this group. The one thing we would be missing is a big body back to the basket low post scorer.

 

[yoshukai]

I understand your point...but counter argument both Lee and Poythress have "the tools" to be low post scorers but aren't on any consistent level after 3 years at UK. (not counting Alex's injured year) My concern is that Bam is closer to Marcus Lee in high school then he is to KAT. You're certainly correct he could develop but it's just as likely he doesn't in the one year he is at UK.

Lee is a volleyball player that plays basketball and has never been strong enough to get and hold low post position . Poythress has TERRIBLE hand eye coordination and no heart . Bam lacks none of those qualities .

 

[bucsrule8872]

Having Bolden with Bam would be really nice. Bolden and Bam can play together, or if one is in foul trouble, then we have the other. It would be nice to have that option. It's always nice to have lots of options.

With Bolden, I think we may start:

Fox
Monk
Matthews
Willis
Abebayo

To start the season. This gives us some beef off the bench with Bolden. It also gives us some experience in the starting lineup with Willis and Matthews.

But by the end of the year:

Fox
Monk
Gabriel
Adebayo
Bolden

That's the most talented five. By the end of the year, they should be ready to go. Then you have Willis and Matthews off the bench for instant offense (Willis) or lock down defense (Matthews).