ive seen bj play a couple of times this year a few thoughts on him/his team
often times kids play to the level of their competition, some call this a knock on the kid. in some cases to me its just simply a matter of a kid being "above the game" ive left both games ive been to this actually wonderin why mullens is at canal winchester not a higher level of school or at a prep school, or even to the extent if those options are off the table then why is he even playing hs ball.
size the kid has legit size, the height is dead on. what suprised me, ive seen bj at football and what not but not at the football games, but for a kid who is what 17? he is put together. likely would make the all b10 all airport team. as a soph he was listed at 240, likely now in the 265 to 270 department. that being said bj is very athletic, though he shouldnt be confused with kevin garnett, he is a very quick and athletic player in general, not just for his size.
style of play stroked some threes during warmups, has a small hitch in his shot and has a tendency to cycle the ball on his jump shot. plays primarily with his back to the basket, but will go out and get the ball taking jump shots. often times will take contested 18 footers or even fadeaways, but make no mistake about he will likely be your traditional five at the next level. footwork seems good at points and at other times ok. postioning is the major issue with bjs game though ill touch on this later i see it as him trying to do to much. has a tendency to get down on the hash and be to low, or get to far out, or even to press into the corner to far. (mutliple factors) primary move is baseline from either block and will go to either baseline with the same level of effectiveness. rarely makes his move back to the center of the floor for one simple reason, the double/triple/quadrople team is coming from that direction.
coaching i am not really sure how to approach this, but ive talked to a few people. the canal staff leaves a lot to be desired. cw tends to force the ball into bj at times (part of the out of postion issue) then go away from him not having him touch the ball for four five six trips down the floor in a row. im not really sure what kind of offense they are running when bj is in the game, but it looks like it came off the bathroom wall that was planted by the opposing coach. the team runs a sloopy flex (or something resembles a flex?) when bj is not on the floor. the second game i sat close to the bench to try and listen in on what was being said and actually moved due to frustration, i realize it is difficult to coach a five, especially for a smaller coach who it seems to be very gaurd oriented. this isuue was discussed in lauderdales thread, but to me is a greater issue with bj as he is more skilled and refined player than dallas.
somewhere along the lines bj has received some excellent coaching, his moves are solid, his intial postion is good and he plays well with his body. these issues are all magnified by his size and athletic ability. bj is very well put together for a 17 year old and has a body which he seems to have grwon into something odd for a young kid. he has both quick and slow moves, but his quickness is realtively suprising, not only for a kid his size but for any five at the hs level.
his teammates, i will be polite. his team is not very good. all the kids try hard and seem like good kids, but in all honesty play at what i would consider to be an average jv level. granted its not a big school, but a decent sized on. outside of bj canal does not have another player. this results in trouble bringing the ball up the floor, the ? offense that i see (im pretty sure with mullens not out there its supposed to be a flex). this team struggles to get an entry pass into bj primarily due to the issue that im not sure the kids have been taught how to play with a player like bj. you see it with ohio state how difficult it is to play with a true big man and that transition process. the entry pass sets everything. you need the right angle, the right wing position, the correct type of pass. this i believe primarily leads mullens to try and come get the ball, something that you also see all the time. i mentioned early on this year oden was doing the same thing. it is so difficult for a big man to let the game come to him, and b/c of this often times you can leave unimpressed with a big man. when in reality its the kid pressing to much. also a reason that gaurds, who can by nature dictate the game because they don thave to let the game come to them, instead they can dictate and attack the game. dont get me wrong, bj can dictate tempo and pace of the game with his play. but it takes more coaching, patience and effort for a big man to dominate the game.
so how does all of this project to the high school game. honestly poorly to the average basketball fan. most people i feel will leave the game as they didnt see the #whatever number he is player in the country. but what you are seeing is as i listed above a kid who is above his team and his competition and struggles with the low level of the game. kids will hang beat and essentially cheap shot bj as he takes a beating he will be called for fouls such as going over the back and good postioning fouls simply for being fouls. in a higher level hes doing all the right things, but it just does not project to the hs level as that. thats the one thing about basketball at the hs level.
all in all if you have the chance to see him play this year, do it. but keep in mind what ive mentioned above.
side note im not going to proofread this, so questions and clarifications are welcome.
...at least the blog hooked us up. Another OSU 7-footer who looks like a one-and-done....