Five F/C’s to keep an eye on when grassroots commences

<p>With the grassroots season all but wiped out for at least the first part of the spring, prospects and college coaches are waiting for the moment that they can get back in the gym. Here’s a look at five seniors who will be impacted by the shutdown and players who programs should flock to when it’s time to resume action...</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="915311" first="Randall" last="Days"] – Widefield</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="915311" first="Randall" last="Days"] is a bit undersized to project as a forward in college, but in high school down on the block, he sure did numbers. Days put up 19.7 points and 8.0 rebounds a game and plenty of that has to do with his strength and determination. The McDonald’s All-American nominee is built like a division I running back and uses that to his advantage on the court as well. Days finishes well around the rim and knows that he is bigger and stronger than most opposing teams forwards, so he attacks. He is a downhill runner that is a bruiser on the block, and he starts the break himself. In his senior season, he scored 513 points and made it a point to get to the FT line, where he shot exceptionally well. Days will have to work a bit on his outside shot as well as ball handling skillset, but if a small school is looking for a player that plays with a contagious tenacity, then this is the guy. Days was an All-State honorable mention this year and had an exceptional understanding of where to be on the court.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="759124" first="Isaac" last="Tesfaye"] – Cherokee Trails</strong></p> <p>If a school is looking for one of the most skilled forwards still available through grassroots season, look no further than the 6’6 big man from Cherokee Trails. Tesfaye is a big that runs the floor well and has a set of go-to moves that frees himself up down on the block. He also is able to create for himself as he breaks a defender down off of the dribble and can finish with either hand with soft touch around the rim. Tesfaye is a finesse finisher that takes advantage of what the defense gives him and although there were not many wins that went in Cherokee Trails favor his senior season he was a reliable two-way player. Tesfaye put up 15.8 points a game and also grabbed 7.2 rebounds a game. The Cherokee Trail big showcased that he is able to guard almost every single position and was not easily moved on the block. This was going to be another summer that he showcased his versatility as a forward that can step out on the wing as well, and once he gets back out there, juco’s and DIII schools should do their due diligence at checking him out.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="915382" first="Dominic" last="Bronk"] – Wheat Ridge</strong></p> <p>Bronk is a player that showed off his skill set all season long as a forward that brings toughness on both sides of the floor. He was a 1^st team All-Conference member that averaged a double-double for the season, putting up 13.7 points and 10.1 rebounds a game. He is a player that played extremely hard and won almost every rebound battle off of determination alone. Bronk is a skilled big that can score in various ways, but he does most of his work down low on the block. He has a back to the basket game, gets to the FT line, and is capable of stepping out and guarding guards on the perimeter for a few seconds. He is a player that I would take a look at as a juco or d3 school that needs a hard worker.</p> <p><strong>Jacob Bartholomew – Mead</strong></p> <p>I honestly feel as if Bartholomew might be the most underrated big man in the entire state. There are not many big men that can affect a game in the way that he can, and his play was pivotal in that Mead team going for 25 straight wins on the season. Bartholomew was a glue guy to begin the season as he found his role, but down the final stretch was one of the Mavericks’ main guys. Bartholomew was a consistent source of scoring and rebounding and was an aerial threat that teammates made sure to lob the ball up to as he showed off his elite athleticism. Bartholomew is a 6’5 forward that put up 9.3 points and 4.5 rebounds a game and moves well without the ball and is best used as a slasher. He has soft hands and can get it from anywhere near the rim. He is a guy that I would look at when we start back up as a project player that will continue to get better.</p> <p><strong>Aly Sakho – Denver Waldorf</strong></p> <p>Sakho is a physically gifted athlete that showcased a bit of everything this year. He was the point guard, wing, and also the big man as he showed to be one of the most versatile prospects in the state standing at 6’7. If you wanted a basket, he did that with 15.7 points a game. A rebound? He grabbed 10.7 points a game and was also the team’s best-shot blocker at 2.3 a contest. Sakho has the talent and has a college-ready body already as he dominated this season. Once he stopped playing, his team could not get it done as they missed his presence. Sakho was a consistent player for the two seasons he was at Waldorf. He averaged a double-double as a junior and picked it up in his senior season as well as a player to surely build around. If he is healthy, this is a player that will surely help a college.</p>