Heartland Kickoff – Top Big Men
The underrated and underappreciated players at the event was the big men. There were multiple big men with promising futures and huge upside. Below were some of the top big men in the event. Wyatt Rikard HEIGHT 6'8" POS N/A…
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Continue ReadingThe underrated and underappreciated players at the event was the big men. There were multiple big men with promising futures and huge upside. Below were some of the top big men in the event.
Wyatt Rikard
Wyatt Rikard
Rikard was one of the top big men at the event. Has great size which affected the game in a multitude of ways, specifically on the defensive end. His length affected shots Was able to Big man – Made a 3 off the catch. Tall. Needs to polish his post game but affects the game so much with his length. He made it hard for guards to finish around the rim but also blocked shots from post players while he defended the ball. One thing he could get better at is blocking shots from the weakside and grabbing tough rebounds. Offensively, he showcased some guard skills knocking down a couple 3’s from distance. As he gets stronger, his post game will develop but was super effective getting offensive rebounds and scoring off of dump offs.
Kegan Shields
Kegan Shields
Shields has big time size for only being so young. He isn’t a prototypical big man as he moves extremely well and more like a guard. Depending how much more he grows, I could see him developing into more of a big guard. He’s a very good athlete with quick jumping ability who dominated the offensive and defensive glass all weekend. Hasn’t really had to develop his skills yet because of his size, but could see him progressing very quickly as he seems to be a natural athlete.
Devon Johnson
Devon Johnson
Johnson may have taken the award for the toughest big man this weekend. He seemed to get every tough rebound and 50/50 ball for Team Flyght. I was most impressed with how tough he was and didn’t let physical contact bother him. He played with an extremely hard motor sprinting the floor which allowed him to get easy baskets. Johnson is a player that I watched all weekend and became more and more excited about his potential. He has tools you can’t teach and with how hard he plays, I can see him developing into a really good player.
Tristan Hunter
Tristan Hunter
Hunter plays way beyond his years. Very poised in the post, takes his time and understands working hard to create angles before he catches the ball. He got a ton of easy baskets by creating space for himself. Was one of the more consistent scorers in the paint all weekend. I loved when he got defensive rebounds how he immediately looked for an outlet to kick ahead. It got Reach Legends playing in an uptempo game which caught the defense off guard.
Maddox Kazee
Maddox Kazee
Frazee is a stretch 4 man that can play both on the perimeter and in the post. Has great size and physical strength as he did a tremendous job battling in the post. Played with an extremely high motor which got him a ton of easy baskets in the paint. Has good quickness which caused mismatches as slower big defenders couldn’t guard him off the dribble. Likely more of a forward / wing as he gets older but right now he is highly efficient around the rim.
Andrew Terry
Andrew Terry
Terry has good size, affected a ton of shots in the paint which made it hard for guards to score in the paint on him. Played simple in the post going over his left shoulder. Was probably the most improved player on the weekend as he continued to get better and better each game. He was the best player on the floor the second game of the day on Saturday as he just simply outworked everyone on the floor. Plays with a high motor and big time competitive spirit.
Malachi Brown
Malachi Brown
Brown is a poised back to the basket post player who is already pretty polished. He never got sped up when he caught the ball which allowed for space to clear out for him to operate. He kept his head up to also find open teammates when he was doubled. I loved his footwork as he could score off of either pivot foot. He looks like he is going to keep growing and end up being pretty tall. Could be a big time prospect. Never got sped up Strong post player. Good poise.
Eli Thompson
Eli Thompson
Thompson is a high motor playing big man that just simply outworks opposing teams big men. He sprinted the floor in transition and got easy baskets and also got a ton of points off of offensive rebounds. He by no means was the most skilled player on the court, but his competitive spirit and motor elevated his team all weekend. He is a guy you want on your team.