Prospect Spotlight: Ben Beeker (2019)
Sophomore forward Ben Beeker of Hendersonville High School is an intriguing prospect in Western North Carolina. The 6-foot-9 forward is long, athletic, agile, and is hard to guard on the break. He does a good job of rebounding the basketball and getting points in the paint. He gets to the foul line a lot. He has a soft touch around the rim and with his mid-range shot. He does a really good job of attracting defenses and then finding the open man when the defense collapses on him. He keeps the ball high on rebounds and is very good at setting up the outlet pass for the fast break.
He has helped Hendersonville start off with a 14-5 record this season and are primed for a deep play-off run with their mix of solid guards, a scoring wing in Kalin Ensley and Beeker. Head Coach Marvin Featherstone has said that Wofford, College of Charleston and Davidson have all been in to see Beeker this fall/winter. He is a very good student in the classroom and would fit into the mold of players that have succeeded at that level of college basketball.
Beeker has been averaging around 20 points and 9.4 rebounds per game so far this season. He gets the majority of his points in the paint and the free-throw line. I really like the way he runs the floor and can finish on the break, something you do not see a lot from a guy that is 6-foot-9. In a win over West Henderson High School, Beeker poured in 30 points to go along with 10 rebounds. He is averaging almost 3 blocks per game.
My evaluation on Beeker would set him in the Big South, Southern Conference, Atlantic Sun, even in an Ivy League setting with his ability to do so well in the classroom.