Ben is one half of the enormous frontcourt tandem on the Oakland Elite squad, and is developing into an outstanding post presence.

In the one game I watched of his, Ben scored 13 points in the first half and 23 for the game. He has tremendous footwork in the lane, and has the capacity to escape heavy pressure through his physicality or evasiveness.

Ben plays on a fast-paced team so he’s forced to run the floor, but he plays well in transition. He only had to play roughly half of the game I watched, but he definitely had a double-double, and would have been close to a triple-double. He can get lots of open looks, but doesn’t mind giving the ball up to an open teammate.

This is not a kid you want to see standing in the lane if you’re an opponent. He’s a serious rim protector, and prides himself on getting rebounds and pushing the ball in transition. That’s when he says he’s at his best.

Ben’s Oakland Elite team is playing in perhaps the most challenging group at this 16U tournament. But through 3 games, he’s still found a way to stand out.

Standing an imposing 6’6″, Ben immediately creates a challenge for opposing offenses. His arm-length forces a lot of tipped balls, and he always seems to be the first man in the area of a rebound.

Ben possesses terrific footwork in the lane, and has an ability to escape heavy pressure. He plays through physically challenging defensive assignments-showcased with an amazing and-1 make in the second half of their win over Team Magic.

With the amount of depth on his team, Ben didn’t need to play a ton of minutes in OE’s win. But even in his time on the floor, he managed to pile up 23 points-and almost certainly finished with a double-double.

After the win, Ben said that he’s at his best when he’s able to get rebounds and push the ball ahead. For a man of his size, he has great ball-handling ability.