Jordan Classic Recap: Charles Bassey

Charles Bassey 

Height: 6-10

Position: Power Forward / Center

Year: 2000

Team: St. Anthony 

Country: Nigeria

Strengths:

• Imposing physical stature that will continue to fill out in time - 6’10 - (looks as if he has 0% body fat) and good length – think a young Theo Ratliff build
• Bouncy athlete. Plays above the rim with ease. And has a quick second jump. He doesn’t stay down for long
• Plays hard. High motor. Absolutely attacks the ball, when it hits the glass. 
• Sprints the floor on both ends, often beating opposing bigs down court, to get an easy basket
• Rim Protector who was contesting everything. Very instinctive, but also, understood basic rotations (slight hedges on PnR) and altered or blocked many shots
• Bigtime upside. Seems as if he’s just starting his playing career and has a ton of room to grow

Weaknesses:

• Raw. Lacking real polish. Seems like cage animal left to run free, with limited schooling. (also a positive)
• Didn't show a ton of offensive skills.  Showed a very basic face up game and ability to put the ball on the floor, but no real back to the basket skills, but this will come as his game continues to mature
• Needs to make sure he doesn’t float too much defensively, following the ball

Overall: 

Charles Bassey plays like a kid with something to prove. He’s tenacious and plays with a serious demeanor and focus. At this age, it’s easy for him to rely on his athleticism, because no other 15-16 year olds, his size, come close to possessing his physical gifts…so he can get away with it. It’s important that Charles not get reliant on his natural abilities and continue to develop because his upside is huge.

The thing that excited me most, is that he has the coordination and fluidity to balance his natural tools. So while he has no developed offensive skills – the ability to fine tune his mechanics is attainable.

Jordan Classic Recap - Rowan Barrett Jr.

Rowan Barrett Jr.

Height: 6-7

Position: Small Forward

Year: 2000

Team: Montverde Academy

Country: Canada

Strengths:  

• Nice size, length, and frame for his skill set at 6’7 – will continue to fill out
• Bigtime athlete who’s incredibly versatile. Able to play with the ball in his hands - which he prefers or off the ball at the 2 or 3
• Excels in transition both leading the break, where he loves to take the ball off the glass and push… or filling the lane to finish (if he’s running the lane – he wants the ball)
• Brings a creativity and flare, and just an overall playmaker
• Showed the ability to use either hand when finishing at the rim. More comfortable with left (strong hand), but also used his right hand in fluid motion 
• Great court vision and willing passer… especially to the bigs on the fast break
• Above average shooting the basketball. Mechanics are sound, and displays good touch from deep, or mid-range, both off the bounce, or catch and shoot situations. 
• Used his body well, showing the Euro step on multiple occasions to avoid the defender in transition 
• Basketball is in his genes and he seems well schooled. Father Rowan (RJ), played collegiately at St. John’s and was under contract with both the Raptors and 76ers (never played).

Weaknesses:

• Capable driving with both hands, but strongly favored attacking with his left (strong hand). When he put the ball on the floor going left, he had a higher tendency to finish at the basket vs. resorting to a mid-range pull-up starting to penetrate to his right. Needs to continue to develop his right hand on the bounce.
• While he showed good mechanics on his jumper, he’ll need to continue developing a quicker release.
• Can be a bit loose with the ball – sloppy at times. Impressive ball skills, but can tighten up. 
• Can tell he loves to make the flashy play. He’ll need to learn to balance when to take the higher vs. lower risk… but don’t want to take away his flare, which contributes to what makes him special.
• Keeping in mind, it was an All-Star game, but there was a lack of awareness (more likely effort) defensively:
• Leaking out in transition early on a few occasions, before the ball was up 
• Slow to close, then didn’t contest the shooter and put a late hand up, after the shot was up. 
• Reaching against his defender and not really moving his feet
• Needs to continue to work on his conditioning. Given he split minutes, and only really played 5 minute stretches, too frequently he was leaning over with hands on his knees. 

Overall:

Easy to see, Rowan has bigtime potential. His athletic ability is apparent, but the thing that stood out the most, is that he’s an incredibly well-balanced, offensive talent. He’s a freshman in high school and yet possess so much versatility in his game, and such a high skill level. He was consistently attacking the rim, able to hit from behind the 3-point line both off the bounce and in catch and shoot… and he’s a willing passer with an understanding of how to create for teammates. He excelled in transition and seemed most comfortable in the open court.

Only 15 years of age, Rowan is sure to garner a ton of attention this summer, after the AAU circuit hits full swing. It will be interesting to see how it affects him, although he seems to have an experienced circle, with a father who played professionally and a Head Coach at Montverde in Kevin Boyle, who knows how to manage high school stars.

As Rowan’s game continues to evolve, he’ll need to intensify defensively, but much of that is effort, because he showed the physical tools and lateral quickness to be able to develop on the defensive end.

If he’s able to add any additional inches beyond 6’7, he only gets tougher as a match up. He’s definitely someone worth monitoring, albeit you have time.