The 6-6 big man was fairly quiet in the first half, but was dominant in the second half, particularly on the glass. He pulled down 15 rebounds in total, with 11 of those boards coming in the last 16 minutes of play. He’s skilled, with the ability to step out and space the floor from the 3-point line, as well as score on post touches with good footwork. I’d like to see him utilize his size advantage a bit more often in the paint, but it’s hard to argue with his proficiency from distance as well as his ability to find open teammates with his vision. He finished with a game-high 19 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks in the Bluejays win.

Drake Pflatzgraff is everything you want in a forward prospect. His fluidity at his size was especially evident. His footwork was great all over the floor. But in the post was where it stood out most. Drake shields off opponents with his frame and backs them down using smart fakes to carve out angles for himself around the rim. He was very patient in these positions and manufactured many exceptional looks for himself. And his interior passing made him even more of a weapon in these scenarios. As he drew lots of attention from the defense, and would make them pay whenever he drew extra defenders. However, he wasn’t just great around the rim. Drake showed an elite ability to stretch the floor and hit threes off the catch. Defensive rebounding was one of his most impactful areas at this event. He used his strength often to fight off opponents who were crashing the glass and keeping the ball out of their grasp. And defense in general was a strong suit of his. Drake blocked many shots and was a constant presence around the rim, deterring drivers from entering the paint. Drake Pflatzgraff really showed his elite combination of size and skill.

Pfalzgraff saw a little bit of varsity action last year for the Bluejays and figures to be a pretty big part of the program for the next three years. Last Saturday was a good showing as to what B-F can expect from him in those three years. He’s a mobile, athletic wing man who rebounds well on both ends of the floor, is a switchable defender who can hold his own on the perimeter or serve as a strong rim protector, and he impressed on the offensive end. He finishes well through contact with either hand around the bucket. He showed the ability to knock down shots from the mid-range off the catch after setting a hard screen and doing a short roll. He showed good awareness, cutting off the ball to the rim after his defender fell asleep. He does a nice job keeping the ball high after pulling down a board or making a catch on the block.