FORT WAYNE — A final review of those Purdue targets and whatnot from the Hensley Memorial Run 'N Slam in Fort Wayne.
Purdue needs its next lead-dog sort of scorer in place for the long term, the sort of player you build around offensively, and at least from a perimeter perspective, it may have it in Jaden Ivey.
He has every tool — every tool — you'd want in such a player, from the skill set to the versatility to the technical refinement to the physical gifts. His speed and his quickness — the sort of sudden-movement it factor Carsen Edwards has — and his creativity are high-level attributes, particularly in a 6-foot-3 player with length. He's excellent at creating space for himself and he's excellent in traffic, with that sort of innate wiggle and slither for lack of better terms that separate good scorers from great ones sometimes. He has great feet
He's outstanding at creating space for himself with his dribble and really explosive off said dribble, and it may be the same as it was with Carsen Edwards in the sense that when he's aggressive looking to score, that makes him a better facilitator as well. He did a solid job this weekend as a primary ball-handler, often in pick-and-roll, and his decision-making was generally good. He was aggressive as a scorer, but didn't cross the line, as you might have say, into recklessness.
That versatility is extremely valuable, because he's shown he can be just as effective with the ball and without the ball.
His shooting mechanics are a bit unconventional and may not always be totally consistent every time, but he makes shots and looks good doing it when he misses.
More than anything, from a scoring perspective, he has everything you'd want, and an aggressiveness about him that amplifies it. He looks like a lot of what made Carsen Edwards great, in Jon Octeus' body, with some good basketball sense about him, too, and every tool you'd want to be a good defensive player, too.
I know that's a mouthful, but just telling what I saw this weekend, and hell, see for yourself ...
The 2021 big man is pretty well developed for his age, and sometimes that can make you wonder about a player's upside long-term, but Furst is legit, it standing out this weekend how good he is at the rim. Whether he's a stretch-type center or more of a forward in college probably remains to be seen — he might be both — he's going to be well-served by his feel for things around the basket, an excellent and savvy finisher who can make sometimes tough catches and transfer smoothly into scoring mode and score in traffic, comfortable and poised in crowds. He's not going to physically overwhelm a lot of people this summer playing with 17-year-olds, but he will run past them sometimes and finish through them.
He's terrific in the open floor with the ball in his hands, good facing the basket a solid passer, and while he didn't take many/any jumpers in the games I saw this weekend, I've seen him make them.
I've not seen much low-post work for him, but he apparently did some positive things in that sense in the EYBL in Atlanta last weekend.
Powell, again, has a lot of what JaJuan Johnson had at the same age, if not more, because his body is better at this stage.
I can't tell you how far this dude has come in the past year or so.
He's always been a dominant shot-blocker and defender, but the knock on him has been offense, and that's off the table, because he's shown some post moves and has been effective using them in the non-EYBL games I've seen this spring, and man, he can really shoot, and that's where the Johnson comparisons punch you in the face. He has a beautiful stroke and an un-guardable release point. His free throw form for his size is gorgeous. This weekend, he did a great job as a passer and ball-handler, both in the open floor and off halfcourt face-ups. And of course, he's a force at the rim.
Defensively, he is going to be an effective shot-blocker, but he also has the quickness and length to cover ball screens, too, and as a rebounder his reach sets him apart and his hands are surprisingly strong for his dimensions.
His potential is significant, obviously. Wouldn't say can't-miss quite yet, but he's got a lot of tools and is trending upward big-time.
Galloway has played well the past two weekends, and is definitely helping himself, as if he needed it. He's attacking the rim as if it wronged him somehow, he's shooting it OK — and that's important — and is showing some real toughness. His Indiana Elite team has been running offense to sort of iso him at the rim, getting him at the rim, and he's using his size and savvy to score over and through the guards trying to guard him.
The Culver Academy wing is more a slasher than anything, though, and in some ways as much a forward as a guard. There are a lot of ways he might be able to help a Big Ten program win.
Goode is a really good(e) team guy, a terrific substance sort of prospect who is a really high-level shooter with great form and great size. Lateral quickness might come to mind as something that might need work long-term as he'll have to guard quicker players moving forward playing basketball at a high level in college, but he will try really hard, play hard and seems unbelievably coachable from everything I've seen and heard.
I think in a lot of other years, he'd have gotten a Purdue offer by now, but the scholarship situation is restrictive at the moment. I've always thought Goode is straight out of central casting for Matt Painter.
Purdue's not yet offered the Ohio forward but he might be a guy they look at making that move on this spring.
Only watched him a little because his games conflicted with some other priorities, but it's pretty clear why he's so highly regarded.
He's that sort of skilled 4 man that's so popular in college basketball nowadays, and can really handle the ball and shoot, but he's legitimately tall, too, probably all of 6-foot-9, and long, so he's sort of the best of both worlds at that position.
Pull-up mid-range jumpers are a good gauge of offensive skill and he made a really nice one and looked natural doing it in the game I saw, and he looks comfortable shooting threes as well.
Jalen Washington
The sophomore-to-be from Gary West Side is the real deal. You'll be hearing a lot about him in the future.
Purdue needs its next lead-dog sort of scorer in place for the long term, the sort of player you build around offensively, and at least from a perimeter perspective, it may have it in Jaden Ivey.
He has every tool — every tool — you'd want in such a player, from the skill set to the versatility to the technical refinement to the physical gifts. His speed and his quickness — the sort of sudden-movement it factor Carsen Edwards has — and his creativity are high-level attributes, particularly in a 6-foot-3 player with length. He's excellent at creating space for himself and he's excellent in traffic, with that sort of innate wiggle and slither for lack of better terms that separate good scorers from great ones sometimes. He has great feet
He's outstanding at creating space for himself with his dribble and really explosive off said dribble, and it may be the same as it was with Carsen Edwards in the sense that when he's aggressive looking to score, that makes him a better facilitator as well. He did a solid job this weekend as a primary ball-handler, often in pick-and-roll, and his decision-making was generally good. He was aggressive as a scorer, but didn't cross the line, as you might have say, into recklessness.
That versatility is extremely valuable, because he's shown he can be just as effective with the ball and without the ball.
His shooting mechanics are a bit unconventional and may not always be totally consistent every time, but he makes shots and looks good doing it when he misses.
More than anything, from a scoring perspective, he has everything you'd want, and an aggressiveness about him that amplifies it. He looks like a lot of what made Carsen Edwards great, in Jon Octeus' body, with some good basketball sense about him, too, and every tool you'd want to be a good defensive player, too.
I know that's a mouthful, but just telling what I saw this weekend, and hell, see for yourself ...
The 2021 big man is pretty well developed for his age, and sometimes that can make you wonder about a player's upside long-term, but Furst is legit, it standing out this weekend how good he is at the rim. Whether he's a stretch-type center or more of a forward in college probably remains to be seen — he might be both — he's going to be well-served by his feel for things around the basket, an excellent and savvy finisher who can make sometimes tough catches and transfer smoothly into scoring mode and score in traffic, comfortable and poised in crowds. He's not going to physically overwhelm a lot of people this summer playing with 17-year-olds, but he will run past them sometimes and finish through them.
He's terrific in the open floor with the ball in his hands, good facing the basket a solid passer, and while he didn't take many/any jumpers in the games I saw this weekend, I've seen him make them.
I've not seen much low-post work for him, but he apparently did some positive things in that sense in the EYBL in Atlanta last weekend.
Powell, again, has a lot of what JaJuan Johnson had at the same age, if not more, because his body is better at this stage.
I can't tell you how far this dude has come in the past year or so.
He's always been a dominant shot-blocker and defender, but the knock on him has been offense, and that's off the table, because he's shown some post moves and has been effective using them in the non-EYBL games I've seen this spring, and man, he can really shoot, and that's where the Johnson comparisons punch you in the face. He has a beautiful stroke and an un-guardable release point. His free throw form for his size is gorgeous. This weekend, he did a great job as a passer and ball-handler, both in the open floor and off halfcourt face-ups. And of course, he's a force at the rim.
Defensively, he is going to be an effective shot-blocker, but he also has the quickness and length to cover ball screens, too, and as a rebounder his reach sets him apart and his hands are surprisingly strong for his dimensions.
His potential is significant, obviously. Wouldn't say can't-miss quite yet, but he's got a lot of tools and is trending upward big-time.
Galloway has played well the past two weekends, and is definitely helping himself, as if he needed it. He's attacking the rim as if it wronged him somehow, he's shooting it OK — and that's important — and is showing some real toughness. His Indiana Elite team has been running offense to sort of iso him at the rim, getting him at the rim, and he's using his size and savvy to score over and through the guards trying to guard him.
The Culver Academy wing is more a slasher than anything, though, and in some ways as much a forward as a guard. There are a lot of ways he might be able to help a Big Ten program win.
Goode is a really good(e) team guy, a terrific substance sort of prospect who is a really high-level shooter with great form and great size. Lateral quickness might come to mind as something that might need work long-term as he'll have to guard quicker players moving forward playing basketball at a high level in college, but he will try really hard, play hard and seems unbelievably coachable from everything I've seen and heard.
I think in a lot of other years, he'd have gotten a Purdue offer by now, but the scholarship situation is restrictive at the moment. I've always thought Goode is straight out of central casting for Matt Painter.
Purdue's not yet offered the Ohio forward but he might be a guy they look at making that move on this spring.
Only watched him a little because his games conflicted with some other priorities, but it's pretty clear why he's so highly regarded.
He's that sort of skilled 4 man that's so popular in college basketball nowadays, and can really handle the ball and shoot, but he's legitimately tall, too, probably all of 6-foot-9, and long, so he's sort of the best of both worlds at that position.
Pull-up mid-range jumpers are a good gauge of offensive skill and he made a really nice one and looked natural doing it in the game I saw, and he looks comfortable shooting threes as well.
Jalen Washington
The sophomore-to-be from Gary West Side is the real deal. You'll be hearing a lot about him in the future.
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