Curtis was critical in CATS Academy’s game plan in the championship. He took advantage of his massive size difference over Ryan Sullivan Ryan Sullivan 6'10" | C Worcester Academy | 2025 State New E by attacking the offensive glass and finishing over the defense with ease. He also stepped out and hit a three, as well as his free throws. I was especially impressed with his ability to keep the ball high against all of the little guards. Defensively, Curtis provided his usual rim protection, though Jenkins certainly fooled him a couple times at the rim. Can’t wait to see whether his rim protection translates well to the next level.

Curtis’ rim protection was apparent from the start. KUA couldn’t get anything going in the paint, largely because of his incredible discipline and length on that end. He has great positioning in the paint and very solid timing, and then there’s just certain things you can’t teach, like a 7-foot-1 frame with incredibly long arms. He was dominant on that end. Offensively, Curtis had a lot of success on the boards and in the middle of the KUA zone; he made good decisions from the free-throw line and got more comfortable finishing around the bigs in the second half. He’ll be massively important against Worcester Academy’s guards, who love to touch the paint and use acrobatic finishing moves over the trees.

As I stated in my NEPSAC Class AA playoff preview article, I thought that Curtis would have a field day against Wilbraham & Monson’s zone and small front line – and that’s exactly what he did. The 7-footer moved around the free-throw line and on the baseline to find gaps in the zone and also pounded them on the offensive glass. When he got a touch in the paint, he finished consistently with both hands and was simply too tall and long for Chinedu Okpara Chinedu Okpara 6'7" | PF Wilbraham & Monson | 2026 State New E to contend with. He also made a slew of nice passes out of the middle of the zone to shooters on the perimeter. In the next round, he’ll face a KUA squad with a far bigger front line, which will be an interesting matchup.

Curtis had a rough game Saturday (as did all of CATS), but he really impressed me on Sunday with his rim protection and offensive skill set. Defensively, he has so much discipline to never reach and always keep his hands completely vertical, which works well as a result of his 7-foot-1 frame and long arms. He pairs that with good timing and positioning. to impact tons of paint looks. Offensively, he won’t wow you with athleticism but is a really good passer for his size and can finish above the rim when he needs to. As is the case for many 7-footers, some added weight would be huge for him at Arizona State next year.

Still has upside to his game and will make Arizona St. fans happy. Great footwork near the rim, 10-15-foot range after the catch with exceptional moves. A long lean frame who will put on good weight next year. Has the skillset to space the floor and force defenders to guard him near the three-point line. 

Curtis is a fundamentally sound big man who likes to play with his back to the basket and in the dunker spot. On Friday, he did a great job positioning himself offensively to finish underneath the hoop, and he successfully worked the middle against W&M’s zone by finding gaps in the defense and kicking out to shooters once he got the ball. Defensively, Curtis uses his length to stymie anything at the rim and deter drivers. The Arizona State commit will need to improve his body to succeed at the next level, but he has time.