There's been a shortage of top centers coming out of college for the last few years. There are a couple of exceptions, like our own DeMarcus Cousins, but as I pointed out in another thread, in last years draft, just about anyone resembling a center came from another country.
Unfortunately the next draft is no exception, unless your in love with Joshua Smith of UCLA, a 6'9" 300 pounder that battles his weight as much as his opposition on the court. Now all that could change if Andre Drummond decides to throw his hat into the ring. So I'm moving on to the highschool class of 2012, which is loaded with potential first rounders.
Andre Drummond: 6'10", 285 pound Center. I'll be short with him since I've already written at lenght about him. Terrific athlete that has excellent leaping ability. Good shotblocker. Can score with either hand around the basket. Very strong with soft hands. Very good passer. His weakness is that he tends to float at times and seeming lose interest. Could be the first pick in any draft he enters.
Isaiah Austin: 7'1", 215 pound Center. Isaiah is the nephew of Ike Austin who most of you will remember from his days in the NBA. Isaiah may be the most talented center in the class of 2012. He'll remind you of Kareem Abdul Jabbar in appearance, and as you can see by his weight, he needs to add muscle. Lots of muscle! He's a terrific ballhandler for a guy his size, and he can pass the ball almost as well.
He can shoot the ball from anywhere, and he a very good in space rebounder. He's also a prolific shotblocker, and has that Bill Russell knack of blocking a shot to himself. As stated, his biggest weakness is strength. He tends to get pushed around by guys that are smaller, but stronger than he is. If he can add 20 pounds of muscle, he could easily be a top 5 choice in the 2013 draft. Here's a short video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=7gWobH_xtgs
Kaleb Tarczewski: 7'0", 220 pound Center. His name sounds like another international player, but he was born and bred in New Hamshire. He's a true low post center, with little or no game away from the basket. He's a very good low post player that can appear explosive at times. He can score with either hand, and has a very good righthanded jumphook. His lefthanded jumphook is still a work in progress. He's a very good in space rebounder on both ends of the court. He's also an outstanding shotblocker with great timing on his blocks. Defensively he has quick feet and is good at holding position. However he'll have to get stronger as he moves up to different levels. Its reported that he's very coachable, and has improved tremendously in the last two years
His weakness is his ballhandling and passing, both of which need improving. He also needs to develop a mid-range game. He has a bit of a temper and will let him get the best of him at times. He's a good athlete the runs the floor very well. Right now he has the potential to be a lottery pick in the 2013 draft. With enough improvement, maybe a top 5 pick. Here's a short video of him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93rS71wmt7w
Cameron Ridley: 6'10", 230 pound Center. His name reminds me of the movies, Alien and Aliens. The main charactor was named Ridley, and the first movie was directed by Ridley Scott. The second movie was directed by James Cameron. Anyway, enough about that. Cameron is another low post center. He has a body type that has weight problems written all over it. He worked hard to get his weight down and its made a world of difference. He's a pretty good low post player, and a good athlete. He doesn't have a great vertical, but he's a quick leaper and blocks his share of shots. He has great hands and anything he touches is his.
While he's effective in the low post, he still has a ways to go in developing dropsteps and more advanced post moves. At the highschool he's able to get by, but he'll have to bring more to the table at the next level. He does have a nice mid-range game. He has a jumper thats consistent out to about 12 to 15 feet. He has an excellent right hand hookshot, and he's a good finisher off the pick and roll. He needs to work on his passing and ballhandling. He's still a little raw in some areas. But he plays with a high energy and seems determined to keep his weight in check. Right now he looks like a mid to low first round pick in the 2013 draft. But with hard work he could work himself up into the lottery. Here's a short video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOAHxxKYFO8
Unfortunately the next draft is no exception, unless your in love with Joshua Smith of UCLA, a 6'9" 300 pounder that battles his weight as much as his opposition on the court. Now all that could change if Andre Drummond decides to throw his hat into the ring. So I'm moving on to the highschool class of 2012, which is loaded with potential first rounders.
Andre Drummond: 6'10", 285 pound Center. I'll be short with him since I've already written at lenght about him. Terrific athlete that has excellent leaping ability. Good shotblocker. Can score with either hand around the basket. Very strong with soft hands. Very good passer. His weakness is that he tends to float at times and seeming lose interest. Could be the first pick in any draft he enters.
Isaiah Austin: 7'1", 215 pound Center. Isaiah is the nephew of Ike Austin who most of you will remember from his days in the NBA. Isaiah may be the most talented center in the class of 2012. He'll remind you of Kareem Abdul Jabbar in appearance, and as you can see by his weight, he needs to add muscle. Lots of muscle! He's a terrific ballhandler for a guy his size, and he can pass the ball almost as well.
He can shoot the ball from anywhere, and he a very good in space rebounder. He's also a prolific shotblocker, and has that Bill Russell knack of blocking a shot to himself. As stated, his biggest weakness is strength. He tends to get pushed around by guys that are smaller, but stronger than he is. If he can add 20 pounds of muscle, he could easily be a top 5 choice in the 2013 draft. Here's a short video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=7gWobH_xtgs
Kaleb Tarczewski: 7'0", 220 pound Center. His name sounds like another international player, but he was born and bred in New Hamshire. He's a true low post center, with little or no game away from the basket. He's a very good low post player that can appear explosive at times. He can score with either hand, and has a very good righthanded jumphook. His lefthanded jumphook is still a work in progress. He's a very good in space rebounder on both ends of the court. He's also an outstanding shotblocker with great timing on his blocks. Defensively he has quick feet and is good at holding position. However he'll have to get stronger as he moves up to different levels. Its reported that he's very coachable, and has improved tremendously in the last two years
His weakness is his ballhandling and passing, both of which need improving. He also needs to develop a mid-range game. He has a bit of a temper and will let him get the best of him at times. He's a good athlete the runs the floor very well. Right now he has the potential to be a lottery pick in the 2013 draft. With enough improvement, maybe a top 5 pick. Here's a short video of him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93rS71wmt7w
Cameron Ridley: 6'10", 230 pound Center. His name reminds me of the movies, Alien and Aliens. The main charactor was named Ridley, and the first movie was directed by Ridley Scott. The second movie was directed by James Cameron. Anyway, enough about that. Cameron is another low post center. He has a body type that has weight problems written all over it. He worked hard to get his weight down and its made a world of difference. He's a pretty good low post player, and a good athlete. He doesn't have a great vertical, but he's a quick leaper and blocks his share of shots. He has great hands and anything he touches is his.
While he's effective in the low post, he still has a ways to go in developing dropsteps and more advanced post moves. At the highschool he's able to get by, but he'll have to bring more to the table at the next level. He does have a nice mid-range game. He has a jumper thats consistent out to about 12 to 15 feet. He has an excellent right hand hookshot, and he's a good finisher off the pick and roll. He needs to work on his passing and ballhandling. He's still a little raw in some areas. But he plays with a high energy and seems determined to keep his weight in check. Right now he looks like a mid to low first round pick in the 2013 draft. But with hard work he could work himself up into the lottery. Here's a short video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOAHxxKYFO8
Last edited:
