SoCal Prospects to Watch: Bigs
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LOS ANGELES, CA – As the winter comes, more players are committing while others remain under the radar. Every college program can use a solid big man and quite a few always go under recruited only to blossom later on. …
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Continue ReadingLOS ANGELES, CA – As the winter comes, more players are committing while others remain under the radar. Every college program can use a solid big man and quite a few always go under recruited only to blossom later on. Prep Hoops takes a look at 5 available underrated big men in all classes who are available.
Kaleb Smith (2022, Los Osos) One of the top under the radar bigs on the market. Smith is an inside outside big who can play any role in an offense. He has the body, size, and patience to play inside the paint, utilizing several moves including a turnaround and a drop step. Smith also has a feathery soft touch from the outside as he has the ability to stretch the floor out to the 3 point line. At the Hoops 2.0 Fall League, Kaleb Smith was by far the most impressive big man of the bunch. He is having a huge fall/winter so far playing with Prodigy under the tutelage of former pros Cameron and Tracy Murray. Keep an eye on the rising big man as he has D1 potential.
2022 big man Kaleb Smith (Prodigy/Los Osos) is an inside-outside force 💪 @kalebsmithh03 @prodigyathlinst @hoops2point0 pic.twitter.com/OAUoe5eHqZ
— Slam N Jam (@TheSlamNJam) December 9, 2020
Andrew Pipersburgh (2021, Serra) The 6’7″ big man is pure energy on the court. He does a great job getting up and down the floor sprinting from basket to basket. Pipersburgh knows how to use his body and does a great job of being aggressive and bullying smaller defenders. He has long arms and knows how to use his wingspan to affect shot attempts around the basket. The Serra product also shows the potential to be able to guard smaller wings on the perimeter as he displays good footwork and lateral movement. Pipersburgh currently has offers from Gilbert Park University and Benedictine University and is garnering D2 interest.
Collins Acheampong Collins Acheampong 6'8" | C Fairmont Prep | 2023 CA-S (2023, Fairmont Prep) Flying under the radar is the 6’8″ big man from Fairmont Prep. Just a sophomore, Collins is already very athletic and dunks almost everything around the rim. Acheampong is an excellent rebounder with an affinity for the ball. He has a high motor on the floor and does a great job worming around guys boxing him out to grab offensive boards on both ends. At the BYGLA Elite Runs, Acheampong didn’t force the issue and excelled at fighting for rebounds and loose balls and throwing down everything in the paint. Keep an eye out on Collins as he has a high ceiling.
Paxton Burzell Paxton Burzell 6'8" | PF JSerra | 2021 State CA-S (2021, JSerra) The 6’8″ lefty big man has a very soft touch around the rim, finishing almost every time he hits the left baby hook. Burzell has really good footwork and has a high IQ, making very smart plays with the ball. He can face up and stretch the floor or take slower defenders to the rim. On the defensive end, Paxton does a good job contesting shots with his length and grabbing rebounds. The JSerra product is an improving talent and should make his way on the radars for all college programs.
Christian Ubochi Christian Ubochi 6'10" | C Mater Dei Catholic | 2021 State CA-S (2021, Mater Dei Catholic) The 6’9″ rim protector is an improving talent who is getting better and better. Ubochi is a good defender who does a great job altering and contesting shots in the paint. On offense he does a good job finishing, often going right inside the paint. Ubochi is very mobile and has great effort running the the floor, excelling with a lot of rim runs and also does a great job on seals. Christian has a lot of potential and would see an increase in recruitment with more eyes on him.