Prospect Spotlight: Earnest Ross (2021)
This 6’4” freshman is going to cause problems at the rim for those trying to get a layup.
Ross is a long-armed stretch-four waiting to be debuted on Alachua-Santa Fe’s home-floor. He contests every shot in his reach, can really run the floor well, and even push the fast-break from time-to-time. He aims to focus on his ball-handling this summer to eventually be seen more trustworthy with the rock.
Though he’s a wiry guy, he proved to have springs in his legs the last time I saw him. Ross will be an asset to a team if it prides itself on making every shot tough for the opponent. Anticipate seeing a good amount of pump-fakes from the players he guards. If shots do go up, he’s quick to hop for rebounds.
On offense, he can elevate for dunks off-the-catch, as well as off-the-dribble. Ross isn’t exactly a “power”-finisher, yet. But with his thinness, he knows how to work seams below the three-ball-line to get open.
Santa Fe head coach Elliot Harris said another goal of Earnest’s is to develop a bit of a smoother jumpshot, this summer. His shot falls, but it has that “straight line” effect after the ball’s released, sometimes.
These next 2-3 months will prove Ross’ toughness at an early age in career. Knowing that there’s “X-factor” expectations of him, look forward to seeing the beginning of a new growth in Raider Country.