The LC State commit has Ballard off to a 6-2 start this season, and has already shown how he can take over a game in crunch time when he is being aggressive around the paint. In their win over Seattle Academy, he settled for some perimeter shots early on, but later in the game, he used his size to get to the hoop and started imposing himself on the game. This forced more defenders to key on him inside, and opened up lanes for Klassen-Matuska to execute some excellent passes, as well as put him in consistent position to contribute on the offensive glass.

Klassen-Matuska is a kid a lot of schools should be monitoring this winter. At 6-foot-10, he has the ability to be a factor both around the paint, blocking shots, racking up rebounds, and scoring, but also has shown the dynamism to play from the perimeter and knock down shots in the midrange. I want to see just how he asserts himself early in the season and how far he can lead this Ballard squad.

The Ballard forward is one of the more interesting prospects in his class. He has elite size at 6-foot-10, and moves with the fluidity of a wing. He can play from different spots, using his size to affect the game around the rim with rebounds, follows, and some shorter paint shots, and can work away from the hoop with some midrange jumpers, even stepping out to knock down some threes. He’ll be a kid to watch who has the potential to continue rising in the rankings.

Klassen-Matuska is a really interesting wing prospect who has grown a few inches from winter, now standing at 6-foot-10. He’s got some good dexterity to tip in o-boards and can create some space off the bounce in the midrange. But he has really stood out this spring with his versatility on the offensive end. He’s a kid who can step out and knock down some shots behind the arc, and has proven to be super dangerous catching the rock with some downhill momentum. I’ve seen him catch outside the 3-point line, take one dribble downhill and step around a defender to finish at the rim. He’ll be a kid to track this spring who could be a big riser in the winter.

The Ballard combo forward was a big factor in their win over Seattle Academy earlier this week. His length was too much for the Cardinals on the glass, he racked up boards on both ends, and he did a great job sealing his man on reversals to get easy buckets inside. Klassen-Matuska also showed off some touch further out hitting some jumpers, but the lenghty wing really impacted the game around the paint to give his Beavers the edge.