African prospects reports born in 2003 and 2004 | 15/20
I’m Kuzey, 19. I’ve been writing about basketball since I was 9. I have been working in Eurosport Turkey for the last 1,5 year. I have written on various sites and magazines before. I’ve been working as a freelance scout for three years. I worked as a consultant. I have interviewed dozens of prospects such as Theo Maledon, Deni Avdija, Henri Drell, Aleksej Pokusevski, and dozens of notable basketball people such as Luis Scola, Dimitris Itoudis, Joan Plaza, Sarunas Jasikevicius, Derrick Williams. I write an article every day. I live in Turkey, I go to all the Euroleague and Youth League games. MY BIGGEST GOAL IS SCOUTING! Anyway, don’t forget to follow me on Twitter and feel free to DM!
I am sharing the third part of the project which I have been working on for the last three months. I wrote about 20 African players born in 2003 and 2004. Briefly pros and cons, information, size and comparisons. Part Three : 15/20
- Comparisons are based on skills, not projections in the NBA.
- Guys, don’t forget, I wrote reports considering the under 20 international levels.
Here is my ranking for third group:
- Joshua Ojianwuna — Power Forward — 6'10'’-2003-Nigeria
- Farouk Isah — Shooting Guard — 5'11'’-2004-Nigeria
- Grace Aluma — Guard — 5'11'’-2003-Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Abdoulaye Donzo- F -2003-Guinea
- Precious Ikpe -Shooting Guard — 6'2'’-2003-Nigeria
Grace Aluma — Guard — 5'11'’-2003-Democratic Republic of the Congo
Comparison: Isaiah Thomas
Size
For a PG with a height of 5'9'’ might seem exaggerated to say “have a good frame”, but he has a really good frame. His upper body has excellent width and muscle ratio in all areas. I like his hip mobility in the lower body but for the rest, he needs work.
Pros
Heady point guard with explosive scoring ability. Natural scorer with an effortless shooting ability. His mid range jumpers, baseline turns and ISO games are excellent.
Great burst. Has the blow by speed to get past defenders off the dribble
Doesn’t force shots or overdribble
Solid first step.
Good floater player.
Creates shots good for himself and teammates.
Quick in open court attacks.
Can finish around the basket thanks to his IQ.
Impressive player in transition.
Average defender. Just can defend good ISO situations.
Cons
Bad decision-maker.
Inconsistent three-point shooter.
Bad rebounder.
Ball handling ability needs a lot of work.
Bad athlete in terms of explosiveness.
Needs a lot of work on defense, specially about off-ball and PnR.
Farouk Isah — Shooting Guard — 5'11'’-2004-Nigeria
Comparison: Curtis Jerrells
Size
He has to work in tons in every sense.
Pros
Lightning quick guard.
Smooth athlete.
Can finish in traffic thanks to his strong first step, change direction ability and timing.
Thrives in transition where he can utilize his speed and creativity in space.
Has good mid range jumper.
Decent rebounder
Uses a nice up and under move from the perimeter to draw contact.
Can shoot outside but inconsistent.
Has a soft touch around the basket.
Get into passing lanes very well.
Good perimeter defender.
Cons
Inconsistent shooter.
Lazy passer.
His arsenal is not good.
Bad handler.
Shot selection is horrendous at times
Can’t defend quick guards and CnS shooters.
Joshua Ojianwuna — Power Forward — 6'10'’-2003-Nigeria
Comparison: Clint Capela
Size
Has a tremendous frame with wide shoulders, a lean, chiseled body and a lengthy set of arms.
Pros
Explosive big.
His explosiveness around the rim is dazzling.
Not scared of take contact.
Can finish both hands.
Good transition player with quickness with his layup and dunk skills.
Can finish in traffic.
Also has soft touch around the basket.
He possesses good footwork which makes him really good in PnR situations.
Good vercital pop.
Has decent post moves and a good stroke.
Very very good rebounder.
Quick hips.
Change direction on air.
One of the two best defenders from 2002, 2003 and 2004 Africian prospects.
Monster of rim protection.
Can defend SF, PF and C.
Can defend on post.
Good latereal movement on defense.
His aggressiveness is dazzling.
Cons
Very bad shooter.
Bad handler.
Bad dribbler.
Bad finisher on baseline.
His lack of technique is big problem.
Doesn’t know much about the game.
Bad switch defender.
Can’t defend ISO.
Needs to be smarter and more focused.
Abdoulaye Donzo— F -2003-Guinea
Comparison: Clint Capela
Size
His upper body improved compared to 2018. It is promising but needs a lot of things.
Pros
Good rebounder.
Can finish around the rim very well.
Some flashes of potential about PnP player.
Shows very good mobility.
Can finish in traffic.
Decent handler.
Has a good reverse spin move.
Definitely passionate about basketball.
Runs very well open court attacks.
Can guard perimeter and passing lines well.
Has good footwork.
Cons
Inconsistent shooter.
Not a good decision-maker.
Poor passer.
Needs work on low post.
Got into foul trouble sometimes.
His defensive motor is questinoble.
Bad off ball player both offensive and defensive.
Precious Ikpe —Shooting Guard — 6'2'’-2003-Nigeria
I was able to watch only five games of him. Therefore, it would not be right to make a brief pros-cons list. Very weak in terms of frame & power. He has a good base, but not enough. He needs to work hard on this. An effective finisher around the basket. Fast and smart on transitions. I like his mid range jumpers and floaters. Also good off ball scorer. But that’s it. Not more for offense. Not a good three point shooter. Promosing but for now not good. I like his perimeter defense. Can guard very well around the perimeter. Can’t defend ISO, baseline and PnRs. Solid footwork. Decent rebounder. Soft touch around the basket. Bad first step in terms of timing and movement.