Whitaker is another welcomed addition to the rankings as another prospect who demanded our attention at the EBA Pre-Live Warmup with his ability to anchor the inside for Reservoir. He has dependable hands when he’s along the baseline/dunkers spot with good footwork stepping into passes from penetrating guards that he can catch and quickly get up over the rim with two. His game away from the rim is a work in progress, but showed comfort in hitting jumpers with time and space. Most importantly, his pursuit on the glass and willingness to run the floor with purpose should allow him to have a big year for the Gators as they look to make a splash in Howard County.

Whitaker was a name I consistently heard when scanning the Howard County area as a big who could develop into a useful small college prospect. Reservoir battled all weekend and Whitaker had plenty of spurts where he was the catalyst for their success. He plays with strength around the rim where he can maintain leverage/position for block touches or rebounds. He’s an active mover and effective roller out of ball screens. His hands are dependable on dump-offs where he has good timing in stepping into the delivery and hammering two-handed flushes. There’s a lot to like with Whitaker and I’d expect his recruitment to pick up as a result sooner rather than later.