Prospect Spotlight: Josaphat Bilau (2019)
French import Josaphat Bilau, a 6-foot-10 post prospect at Riverdale Baptist, is making the most of his opportunities to showcase his talent at various exposure camps this spring. Having just arrived to the states in October, the transition has ben relatively quick for the native of Nantes. After a strong initial showing at Hoop Group NoVA Top 100, Bilau followed up with another at the Metro Challenge last weekend.
“I’m big.I’m versatile. I can do pretty much anything on the court,” Bilau said of his overall game. “I can take the rebound. Bring the ball up. Shoot. Pass the ball.”
Bilau demonstrates solid fundamentals for the game, which include good footwork, and adept passing abilities. He believes his passing and outside shooting could be considered underrated.
“I need to work on my pull up game,” Bilau explained. “Ball-handling as well. Staying low is important cause I’m tall. When I handle the ball I gotta stay low.
Bilau is sturdily built, with broad shoulders at 6-foot-10. He is good at using his frame to carve out space on the low block, and uses his 7’2 wing span along with strong hands to attack the ball at the high point off the boards. Bilau certainly needs to improve in terms of his lateral quickness, but his blend of size and skill is intriguing. Did we forget to mention he’s only been playing basketball for four years?
Given the fact that he saw little to no action during the high school season, this spring is Bilau’s first chance to make an impression on college coaches here in the states. He will feature with Team Thrill on the UAA come the first live period.
What can Bilau bring to a college program down the road?
“A lot of things. Being a good teammate. I can carry myself off the court. And a good basketball player that can do everything on the court.”