Louisiana Rankings Breakdown: 2017 Top Forward/Centers
Not known as a state that produces a lot of size, Louisiana certainly has been trending upwards in this area lately. These are players who will see the majority of their time as a big man whether it be as…
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Continue ReadingNot known as a state that produces a lot of size, Louisiana certainly has been trending upwards in this area lately. These are players who will see the majority of their time as a big man whether it be as a stretch forward or a pivot. Players who find themselves on the perimeter as a wing more often than not weren’t included in this list of forwards and can be found in the next list of wings.
We’ll break this up into two different categories, those who spend more time around the rim (Pivots) and those who find themselves stretching the court more times than not whether it be from the high post or perimeter (Stretch Forwards). First we’ll take a look at the players atop the list who spend the majority of their time in and around the paint.
Pivot Bigs
At the top of the list is one of the faster rising 2017 players in the nation, Mitchell Robinson (6’11 PF/C, Chalmette) who dominated the EYBL defensively and was one of the more efficient offensive forces as well. His athleticism is through the roof and he is extremely skilled and instinctive.
On the offensive end, there is very little teams can do to stop Larry Owens (6’8 PF/C, Carroll). He’s the most offensively skilled big man on the low block and he’s proven he can step out with his touch. Conversely, his Louisiana Elite teammate Jordan Foster (6’9 PF/C, Comeaux) brings the same threat on the defensive end and is working on his offensive game.
Ja’Tyre Carter-White (6’5 PF/C, White Castle) is physically imposing on the low block where he gets the majority of his points. Despite the height, he’s more than a handful. Keytaon Thompson (6’5 PF, Landry-Walker) is another undersized big (and star QB) but when he wants to get a rebound, he does. No questions asked.
The other two bigs in this list possess the size and athleticism to make a difference: Russell Edwards (6’8 C, Mamou) and Christopher Davenport (6’6 PF, Bossier). Edwards is much more imposing on the low block and Davenport navigates the paint as well as anyone.
Stretch Forwards
Not all of these stretch the court with the jumper, some like Joseph Thompson (6’9 F, Bonnabel) do so with great passing and the ability to take players off the dribble. There is very little Thompson can’t do on the court and as he continues to be more aggressive, he’ll be that much better.
David Williams (6’7 PF, De La Salle) has been playing much closer to the rim lately but has shown off his ability from 15 foot and in. Improved low post skill and proving his rebounding ability is making college coaches very intrigued. On the other side of the spectrum is Jay Head (6’7 F, Ouachita) that flies around the court. He can rebound at a high level, handle the ball in transition, and defend multiple positions.
Christian Edwards (6’4 F, Washington-Marion) is one of the more athletic players on this list. He’s a track star destined to go anywhere he wants in college for just that. On the basketball court he plays well above the rim and can stretch the defense with both the jumper and his straight line driving against bigger players.
Lastly is J’Son Brooks (6’6 F, LaGrange) who is extremely skilled but often lacks that quick burst Edwards has. He can knock down jumpers with a smooth stroke and it allows him to take players off the bounce as well because of it.