PHI Freshman Showcase: Parham’s Top Forwards/Posts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Finishing off the PHI Freshman Showcase series with the top forwards and centers from the event this past Saturday in <strong>PHI Freshman Showcase: Parham's Top Guards/Posts</strong>!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1552436' first='Karson' last='Thomas'] 6'3 (Lincoln Way East)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Karson was the first player that stood out to me. At his size he is very athletic and plays with some aggression.&nbsp; Thomas is a slashing forward who made plays getting to the rim. He rebounded the ball well and often started fast breaks that led to points. He caught a sick dunk in transition that caught opposing players by surprise.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1552472' first='Maks' last='De Palo'] 6'8 (New Trier)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lane clogging big man who did a terrific job at protecting the rim. Maks is a traditional big man that plays out of the post. He cleans up most of the rebounds at the rim. De Palo possesses good hands and instincts. As he continues to play his skillset will grow.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1552415' first='Maddox' last='Ritzel'] 6'2 (Nashville)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Maddox is a below the rim post player. He battles hard on the boards and does a good job at creating space when he underneath the basket.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1552397' first='Remi' last='Edwards'] 6'3 (De La Salle)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Remi is a powerful low post presence. He gets anything around the rim. For his size he has good instincts at reading the ball off the rim and going right back up to score.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Patrick Irvin 6'4 (Whitney Young)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Irving is an active forward that battles on the boards and uses his length to stretch over opponents. Patrick can become a serious scoring threat as he improves on his face up&nbsp;game out of the post.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ian Flowers&nbsp;6'1 (Julian)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Flowers is an active forward who looked good driving downhill and shedding defenders to score. For his size he's a wing that can step out and hit a three occasionally. Ian showed that he can also set up guys when needed.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1552411' first='Jalen' last='Boyd'] 6'7 (Proviso East)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Boyd is very raw offensively for a big but he does a good job on the defensive side at changing shots and rebounding. He is very long and clogs up the lane detouring guys from coming his way.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1552445' first='Charles' last='Barnes Jr']. 6'3 (De La Salle)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Barnes is a skilled forward who impacted the game on both sides. He is a versatile forward that can take guys off the dribble. Charles showed he has good footwork in the post and he finished often with a nice looking hook shots. He is a dependable shot blocker and has good footwork stay in front of guards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1552447' first='Tyler' last='Thompson'] 6'5 (Triad)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Thompson is a forward who brings hustle plays with a continuous motor. It was very rare to not see Tyler out hustling players for rebounds and put back layups.&nbsp; He has solid footwork in the paint and knows when and where to crash when the ball is in the air.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1552457' first='Treyveon' last='Roberts'] 5'11 (Waukegan)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Roberts is a very skill wing that has good body control and upper body strength.&nbsp; I can easily see him playing between guard and forward spots on the court. Roberts did well getting in the lane and shedding defenders while finishing possessions in the paint. His shot from three is reliable and he likes to compete on the defensive end as well.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1552464' first='Kenan' last='Pekovic'] 6'4 (Rolling Meadows)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I like what I saw in Pekovic.&nbsp; He's a slashing forward that can maneuver really well vertically when making moves at the rim. Kenan made several plays in transition with some side steps and euro moves to score around the rim. Pekovic is a formidable rebounder who isn't shy from being physical. Once he adds more to his shooting he may be a bonified college prospect in 2 years.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->