The Van Buren Boys


The Blogosphere's best source for the latest analysis and
commentary from the world of Georgetown Hoyas basketball.


Friday, January 19, 2007

Evals of Austin and Chris

These are great write-ups from a recent All-Star game. (Also, click on the link and check out what he has to say about Hoya target Samardo Samuels. He is the #1 target for JTIII for the 2008 class.)

Austin Freeman, 6-4, Shooting Guard, Dematha CatholicFreeman had a “quiet” 25 points in his matchup against the oft-out of control Antonio Jardine. While Jardine took control of the action for his team from tip-off, Freemen quietly picked his spots until the close of the game, where he began to be more aggressive. Freeman has a beautiful shot, its smooth and effortless. He is a much better shooter on the catch-and-shoot or spot up than he is on the pull up, but is effective on both. Freemen also has great strength for a 2 guard. He doesn’t get knocked off his stride easily by contact and is able to finish shots in the paint while in motion without losing his soft touch. Freeman seems to be pretty active on the glass as well. He followed his own misses on a number of occasions and was able to fight inside amongst taller players to secure the possession. Defensively, he’s got quick hands, but is more active when his opponent is in motion than he is playing him straight up. Freeman is a shooter for sure, but he recognizes when the shot is not there and has good peripheral vision to find the open man once he’s drawn defensive help. He and Chris Wright should make a nice tandem in Georgetown’s backcourt next season, especially with Roy Hibbert and Jeff Green inside.

Chris Wright, 6-1, PG/SG, St. Johns CollegeWright had one of the best performances of anyone at the event. He shot well from outside, played smart basketball in transition and the half court, and set up teammates when he couldn’t finish himself. He's not a pure point by any means, but an excellent combo guard who showed good instincts for the game. Wright did do a lot of his scoring in transition, but it was his help defense that freed him up for many of those transition buckets. Wright has excellent body control and solid playing strength, which enables him to absorb contact and finish going strong toward the basket. His build is very similar to future teammate Austin Freeman as they are both compact players who shouldn’t have much difficulty adjusting to a more physical collegiate game. Wright has the court vision to play the point. He’s more of a scorer by nature but he doesn’t leave assists on the floor for the sake of his own shot like many other combo guards are prone to do. Wright shows instant recognition of who has the highest percentage shot and finds that man. Wright has very good athleticism for the collegiate level, he can elevate very nicely and finish with strength around the rim. When he absorbs contact he is still able to put a good touch on the ball and this helped him get to the line frequently for a few and-one’s. Wright is very smooth with his release and has good elevation on his jumper, which is important at his size. His dribble is tight and he uses it to create driving angles and pull-up shots nicely.

And, as an added bonus (is not not the most redundant euphemism?), here is video of Freeman and 2008 Hoya Chris Braswell. Enjoy.

No comments: