Top 2024 Forward Prospects from Fall Ball

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Check out my analysis on some of the top 2024 forward prospects who have really been making noise through their stellar play this fall! I have been traveling all over Texas all October, and here is my list of some of the top performers since we wrapped up Summer Ball!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Dillon Battie</strong> 2024 6'7 Lancaster High School</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dillon is a freak athlete at the forward position, who can move with ease and rim run and then simply explode on his way to the rim. He can easily finish over the top of anyone, and is going to make some real noise at Lancaster this year, facing stout competition every night. He will have plenty of opportunities to show off his ability to produce at an extremely high level. What makes him an elite weapon is how he can effect the game from all three levels of the floor, constantly manipulating his opponents out of the triple threat and jab stepping them and then quickly rising up in their face. He cleans up the glass routinely, showing off his ability to make tip dunks and snatch the ball from his opponent. Battie's ability to do it all on the offensive end is special, but where I would like to see continued development is the mark he can make on the defensive end of the court. Do not miss out on watching this kid as he continues to put it all together, he is going to be a really special player to watch over the next two years...</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1221856' first='Kuol' last='Atak']  </strong>6'8 2024 Haltom High School </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"id":"block_635c47ef762c1","name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1221856"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"align":"","mode":"edit","anchor":"acf-block-64e63f645a7d5"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kuol is a special prospect who really made a name for himself last year who showed off his versatility. He has showed continued development with his decision making and looks to have all the tools to operate the offense by himself and create constant looks for his teammates every time down the court. What makes him a real weapon is his motor and willingness to effect the game on both ends of the court. He wanted to beat everyone down the floor every chance he got, but also lock you up on the other end. He easily finishes in traffic, he can change his shot angle and finish around his opponents. He routinely finishes through contact in the paint, and is a real weapon down low. He is really unlocking the mid-range and three point line in his game, dominating off of his ability to get to his spots and rise up in the mid-range. He s also a threat to kill you with his back to the basket, manipulating the defense and finding space by backing his opponent down until the help comes or until they are under the rim. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>David Punch </strong>2024 6'7 Harker Heights High School </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>David was very impressive this summer, and I have heard he is making a real impact on the game this fall already. He has a dominant frame, and can finish through contact and over defenders. He is not afraid to throw down dunks in traffic and is absolutely ferocious with his back to the basket, and while he is rolling to the rim within the half court. His opponents often times resorted to simply hacking him to prevent him from getting to the rim and allowing him to flush a dunk on their head. The most head turning aspect to his game is the ease in which he can get his shot up over defenders. He is absolutely deadly out of the pick and pop, constantly punishing the defense for switching the screen. He has a smooth jumper, paired with a high release point allowing him to confidently shoot over anyone on any spot on the floor. He is a natural shooter who you can tell has had very good coaching to fine tune his mechanics. I was also very impressed with his attention to detail as he attacked the glass on both ends of the court. He willingly boxed out his opponents and naturally seemed to seal off his opponents any time he wanted to. His overall dominance down low allowed the rest of his teammates to defend the perimeter with even more intensity, knowing that Punch was back their to clean it up. He is a natural rim protector and routinely ends possessions with strong defensive rebounds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='787346' first='Darkaun' last='King'] </strong>2024 6'8 TACA Academy </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"id":"block_635c4811762c4","name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["787346"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"align":"","mode":"edit","anchor":"acf-block-64e63f645a7f8"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>DarKaun is a special prospect who has a lightning quick trigger and how consistently he punishes the defense from the perimeter. There was one play during fall ball where he snatched an offensive rebound, found an open teammate, relocated and then quickly made a catch and shoot three as he was skidding to a stop. I was very impressed by his fluidity, shot-making ability and his handle at his size. This kid's name is going to be quickly rising in the ranks this summer, with how well he produces every time he steps on the court and how he can effect the game from all three levels of the court. He plays well off the ball, moving into space, constantly crashing the glass to get the ball off the rim. I would also like to see him continue to develop on the defensive end of the court, coming over as a help defender and being a more bruising defender down low. He already showed off an abiltiy to move his feet and defend on the perimeter at a surprisingly high level for his size, so adding the versatility in the paint is going to really unlock his game...</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2134167' first='Kelson' last='Jones']&nbsp;</strong>2024 6'7 Canyon High School </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kelson is a skilled and crafty forward who knows how to dominate on the interior, and manipulate his opponent's with head fakes and post moves. He knows how to use his frame to affect the game through his consistency on the interior. He also showed consistency by operating out of the high post, and showed an ability to play alongside other forwards. He showed great ball skills for his size and an ability to not only play out of the triple threat, but also by spinning out of the post and turning the corner on his defender. Jones can also effect the game as a screener, he set hard screens that created space for his lead guard and smartly slipped to the basket once he recognized his defender is cheating up to trap the ball. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->