adidas Invitational: Standout 2019 Forwards
In July, we’re focusing on the teams and players that we didn’t fully evaluate during the spring. If you’re coming to the website in July expecting us to continue covering the same set of teams we talked about in the spring, that’s just not what we’re about. There’s roughly 200+ college prospects in each of Ohio’s classes, so we owe it to those kids to be in the back gyms of secondary locations to find the diamonds of the rough this month.
This weekend, our July initiative manifested itself in long mornings at Best Choice Fieldhouse, where Prep Hoops was often the only scout in the facility. As you can tell, it worked out. There’s several fresh new names to cover throughout our adidas Invitational reviews, including this very article.
Bryan Warah, 6’5” F, Ohio Ballstars / Purcell Marian
Warah’s impressiveness this weekend has a lot to do with how much he has improved physically over the last season. When the Purcell forward showed up to the Top 250 Expo in 2017, he was athletic but a bit stiff. Now, Warah is competing for rebounds vertically and has the strength to run through opposing forwards. Good upside as a utility forward who rebounds, runs the floor, and switches onto guards in halfcourt defense. Warah also reportedly has a good test scores and grades.
Zach Huffman, 6’5” F, Apex / Lebanon
Before hyperextending his knee — an injury scare that Huffman tells us will keep him off the court for 1-3 weeks — he was showing a lot of ability as a face-up forward. For someone with a powerful upper body, Huffman has decent explosion on the dribble and speed running the court. On straight line drives, Huffman throws shot-blockers off-balanced by jumping into their chest on finishes.
Garrett Powell, 6’6” F, Apex / Springboro
Powell is yet another Apex forward that has sneaky speed and explosiveness for a big forward. His motor remained revved up all weekend as Powell constantly runs the floor and plays physical in the paint. He combines those physical accomplishments with a soft touch around the basket on straight-line drives. He’s able to beat centers off the dribble from the 3-point line, often getting them out of position with a pump fake.
Noah Pack, 6’7” F, Crossover / Georgetown
Pack has legitimate 6’7” size and carries an impressive arsenal of scoring options. In the first half alone of their Friday afternoon game, Pack scored on an offensive put-back, reverse layup on a baseline drive, a seal in the post-up, and spot-up triple. Later on, the versatile big even switched hands mid-air to finish a tough lefty layup off the glass through traffic. Pack can also pass the ball for an outlet or zip a reverse pass in the halfcourt.
It’s the defensive end where it becomes interesting for Pack. He’ll likely need to defend the five at the college level. Although he came away with big blocks against guards, he’s super eager to block shots. The swat party led to him whiffing on occasion, an inconsistency that he’ll need to clean up to become a legitimate rim protector.
Grant Heileman, 6’7” F, Ohio Hoopsters – Nakasian / Sheridan
Heileman has become a much stockier forward over the last year, a body change that allows him to play much more physically inside. He once rebounded with pure height and a bit of bounce. Now, he is moving opponents out of the way. In a game against KC Pacer Blue, Heileman compensated for his athleticism disadvantage by simply competing. He made it difficult for his matchup to get position inside, score in the paint, or get offensive boards. Essentially, what you’re seeing now is the best version of Heileman in our opinion.
Offensively, Heileman’s spot shooting is an asset. He can either knock-down jumpers as a trailer or in the pick-and-pop.