Treasure Trove – San Diego’s 2021 Unsigned “Bigs”

<p>Usually, finding unsigned bigs during the spring semester is a tall task. </p> <p>But not this year. </p> <p>A combination of pandemic-racked recruiting, late bloomers and an emphasis on guards in the modern game has left a glut of power forwards and centers available in San Diego. </p> <p>Here, we look at the very best of the "big" prospects still on the board in San Diego. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>Most upside</h2> <h3>[player_tooltip player_id="956458" first="Christian" last="Ubochi"], 6-10 C, Mater Dei Catholic</h3> <p>Ubochi is a super long and athletic prospect who runs the floor like a deer and is a very good rim protector. Defensively, he moves his feet well enough and is long enough to defend in pick-and-roll and switch onto guards and not skip a beat. Offensively he has improved over the pandemic, developing a reliable right-hand jump hook, and a nice drop step to his right hand. In several showcases he also showed the ability to catch on the wing or mid post, rip through and score above the rim, but he is better closer to the rim. He’s still just scratching the surface of his potential, and a D1 school who can redshirt him would be wise to offer. </p> <h3>Kaleb Wilson, 6-9 PF/C, Mt Miguel</h3> <p>Wilson recently relocated to San Diego from Arizona, and he’s a tabula rasa - blank slate. He is a long, lean prospect who oozes with potential. He runs the floor well and can finish above the rim in transition. He has solid leaping ability, and is a willing rebounder. He shows his potential in flashes - he’ll knock down a 15-foot jump shot, he will bring the ball up in transition and he’ll catch lobs in traffic - but consistency and physicality are the areas where he’ll need to grow. He needs a JUCO stint to tap into his potential. </p> <h2>Most skilled</h2> [caption id="attachment_1173545" align="alignnone" width="260"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/wilhite.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1173545" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/wilhite-260x300.jpg" alt="" width="260" height="300" /></a> Photo: Charlie Mercado, Twitter[/caption] <h3>[player_tooltip player_id="680249" first="Dillon" last="Wilhite"], 6-9 PF/C, Cathedral Catholic</h3> <p>Wilhite doesn’t have the measurements of some of the other prospects on the list (not super long, average athleticism), but he is super productive and can score it inside and out. In the paint, he relies on his jump hook and solid footwork to create easy scores in the paint (over his left shoulder) and he can step out and hit shots out to the college three. While not an elite rim protector, Wilhite is a solid position defender and will rebound inside and out of his area. </p> <h3>[player_tooltip player_id="956459" first="Cole" last="Stephens"], 6-9 PF/C, Poway</h3> <p>Stephens has a solid blend of inside-out skills. He is arguably the best shooting big on the list, and can attack close outs (right hand dominant) and finish off the dribble. In the paint, he has solid footwork and an array of moves to score over his left shoulder. He is an average rim protector. He’s a tremendous student, and has gotten a lot of interest from high-academic D3s as well as some D1 interest. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>Most athletic </h2> <p><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1173548" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/IMG_1539-1-crop-1613x1059-1618960962-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></p> <h3>Christian Littlejohn, 6-7 PF, San Marcos</h3> <p>The springy Littlejohn finishes well above the rim and is a highlight waiting to happen in transition. Defensively, he is a solid rim protector due to his length and bounciness. He has come a long way over the past few years in terms of his productivity, and still has tons of room for growth. </p> <h3>Major Latimer, 6-8 F/C, Morse</h3> <p>Latimer is very raw in terms of his feel for the game, but you see flashes in games where his athleticism is on full display: a block at the top of the circle, and explosive finish in transition, a rebound with two defenders draped on his back. After a JUCO stint to help him polish the rough edges, he could be a special, albeit undersized 4/5. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>Hardest working</h2> <p><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1173554" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/IMG_2392-crop-1942x1275-1618961056-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></p> <h3>[player_tooltip player_id="956457" first="Francky" last="Naguidebe"], 6-9 PF/C, University City</h3> <p>Naguidebe has underrated handle, scoring touch off the bounce and a nose for the basketball, but what makes him special is his motor: he competes for loose balls, tracks down every rebound, and runs the floor for highlight chasedown blocks. While he’s not an explosive athlete, his effort and passion more than make up for it.</p> <h3>Zekkiah Knowles, 6-8 C, San Marcos</h3> <p>Knowles has one very good skill at this point in his development: Rebounding. He outmuscles defenders to the ball and chins the ball and looks for the outlet pass to the guard. His offensive game needs a lot of work, but very few players work as hard as he does in the paint. </p> <h3>[player_tooltip player_id="956470" first="Diego" last="Campisano"], 6-7 PF, Torrey Pines</h3> <p>One of the more skilled shooters, Campisano plays more on the perimeter in Torrey Pines’ offense, but his effort on defense and the boards makes him the perfect glue guy in the Falcons lineup. I think at any other school, he could be a double double guy. NAIA-D2 programs should be giving him a look. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>Most intriguing</h2> <h3>Max Lonneker, 7-0 C, Westview</h3> <p>7 footers don’t grow on trees. And Lonneker isn’t unskilled. He has nice touch in the mid-post area, will hit the occasional turnaround and fadeaway jumper in traffic, and can shoot the three. He’s rail thin, not great laterally and not a great rebounder for his size, but I think with some development at the JUCO level he could be a pretty good late-bloomer get. </p> <h3>Nicolas Fowler, 6-9 F/C, Hoover</h3> <p>Another late-bloomer who has a lot of upside, Fowler looks the part of a high level prospect, and like some of others on this list, you see it in flashes. In several games I’ve seen, he’s had highlight blocks, filled the lanes in transition and finished above the rim, and knocked down short corner jumpshots with regularity. The biggest area where he needs to improve is his motor, which is inconsistent. He’ll make a juco very happy if he dials in and consistently competes. </p>