Howard is an athletic, physical, and skilled forward that can create off the perimeter, enforces his size in the post with touch around the basket, can space the floor from beyond the arc, and uses his bounce and timing to be a high-level shot-blocker around the basket. What impressed me most about Howard’s play at the Invite Showcase was his willingness to take on the best player from the opposing team in the open run portion of the event, taking on the likes of Anthony Smith Anthony Smith CA-N , Omar Muhammad, and Kharon Parks Kharon Parks 6'3" | SG/PG Sanger West | 2027 CA-N to name a few top level perimeter player he defended, highlighting his defensive versatility to hold up against bigger players in the paint with size and length to alter shots around the basket, the lateral quickness and agility to stay in front of perimeter players, quick hands to deflect entry passes, and good timing to jump passing lanes to get out in the open court and initiate transition offense. Howard has quality moves to create off the bounce, using the crossover, spin-move, hesitation, between-cross, and wrap-behind to get space from his defender, gets good lift on the jumper and is effective with the mid-range to the 3-point line off the dribble, seals his man off in the pick and roll action to get open on the dive for easy catch and score opportunities, as well as the up-and-under, euro-step, and reverse lay-ups to evade opposing bigs in the paint. Howard has one of the greatest upsides in the Section regardless of class and his development as a wing/slasher will be key in determining where he projects at the next level over the next 3 years.

The 6-foot-7 wing/forward is a physical and athletic player that is active on the glass, is a versatile defender impacting the paint and the perimeter, and can space the floor from beyond the arc to open up the floor and pull bigs away from the basket. Howard is one player I have heard a lot about but had not seen him live until the Shootout, and he did not disappoint one bit, showing his 3-level scoring ability, dominance in the paint, and athleticism mixed with power to showcase why he is a player to keep an eye on and will push for the top spot in the 2029 player rankings for the Central Section. Howard would score 13 points, to go with 3 steals and a block in a win over Merced, and finished the weekend of play at the Shootout with a game-high 20 points and 5 rebounds in a tough loss to Central East of Fresno. Howard controls the boards on both ends, is a quick leaper to corral the ball and get points off put-backs, limits opponents to single shot possessions, has the handles and court vision to push the ball up the court and go coast to coast for the flush or make good reads up the court to get ahead of the defense, has a long wingspan, active hands, and good timing to blocks shots in the paint, deflect entry passes, jump passing lanes, and alter shots on the perimeter with good lateral movement to close out on jump shooters. Howard has solid handles to attack from the top of the key/the perimeter, the moves to create off the dribble, using the crossover, hesitation, and fadeaway to get space from his defender, is effective with the jumper off the dribble, from the mid-range to the 3-point line, is a creative scorer around the basket, using the spin-move, euro-step, drop-step, and up-and-under to score around the basket, as well as the strength score through contact around the basket. Very impressive first look at the wing/slasher and he will be one of the top producing sophomores in the Section based on what I saw in 3 games at the Shootout.