African prospects reports born in 2003 and 2004 | 20/20
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:
- Yannick Nzosa — Center — 6'11'’-2003-DR Congo
- Youssouf Singare — Center — 7'0'’-2003-Mali
- Moamen Abouzeid — G- 6'1'’-2003-Egypt
- Abdullah Ahmed- Center- 6'9'’-2003-Egypt
- Kiir Chol Deng — F- 6'8'’-2004-Sudan
Abdullah Ahmed— Center— 6'9'’-2003-Egypt
Comparison: Andrew Bogut
Size
His lower body is ready for a higher level. Hip mobility is particularly impressive. His shoulders are also good. But he needs to lose weight. He has to work his arm muscles.
Plus
He can run the floor very well.
Shows the ability to finish with both hands.
Can finish around the basket and rim with soft touch.
Has great body balance.
Good footwork.
One of the three best rebounders of his generation in Africa.
Effective on PnR situations. Always rolls hard to the basket after he sets a screen
His mid range jumper is promising.
Smooth athlete with strong first step.
Can turn from left shoulder.
Solid off-ball defender.
Can guard the PnR at an acceptable rate
Motor.
Cons
Bad on post zones both offense and defense.
Not a good athlete.
His long range shots is bad.
Not a great rim protector.
Can’t finish in traffic.
Handling and passing.
For Euroleague and NBA, I think his role will be limited. Because he is old-similar big. And not too much. However, his limited role as a “leader big” is important.
Youssouf Singare — Center — 7'0'’-2003-Mali
Comparison: Bad shooter version of John Colins
Size
His upper body is very strong. Also he has hip mobility. His arm and chest muscles are impressive. However, shoulders and lower body need to improve.
Pros
Can finish both hands.
Very good finisher around the rim and basket with soft touch.
Explosive athlete.
Very skilled with his face up game.
Can see his open teammates from painted area.
Good roller.
Can finish in traffic.
I like his reverse spin + off ball movements.
His vercital pop is immpressive.
Can defend forwards and bigs.
Good on ball defender.
Great rim protector.
Great rebounder both offense and defense. His game IQ is really high.
Cons
Very bad shooter.
Not a good handler.
Not a good runner.
Needs to fine tune a specific post move, often overthinks when on the block which leads to turnovers or missed shots.
Defensive awareness is lacking.
Has to learn PnR defense.
Footwork.
Decision making mechanism.
May need to be careful with fouls at the next level.
Yannick Nzosa — Center — 6'11'’-2003-DR Congo
Comparison: Mo Bamba
Size
He is definitely my favorite among these 20 players. The whole base of body is perfect. Specially, his core and chest parts are dazzling. He needs to improve on lower body and generally. has to be more stronger.
Pros
Has a unique ability to cover ground and make plays in both full and halfcourt settings.
Can guard everything.
GREAT rim protector.
Can switch out and defend guards on the perimeter.
Active on and off ball defender.
Can finish in traffic with strong touch.
Good rebounder.
Can find teammates from painted area.
Explosive off of the ground. Quick leaper, second jump was faster than others’
His lateral quickness is very good for a player who measures in at 7 feet tall.
Reliable handler.
He plays with fire.
Decent mid range shooter.
Good hook shot.
Cons
He needs to learn the timing of the moves on defense.
Post.
PnR.
Handling.
Foul prone.
Has to be more active on offense.
Shooting.
He does not always read and react to the defense well and can waste dribbles without covering any ground.
Moamen Abouzeid — G— 6'1'’-2003-Egypt
Comparison: Norris Cole
Size
Shoulders and lower body are very good for a 16-year-old guard. He is absolutely strong. But his core, chest and arm are questionable.
Pros
Versatile guard with great leadership qualities.
Dazzling quickness.
Has the lateral quickness to stay in front of his man.
An advanced ball-handler who can get to the rim in traffic using either hand.
Great perimeter shooting ability.
Decent long-range shooter.
His shooting mechanism is really good. Specially, terms of arc and timing.
Good handler and passer.
Can score when isolated thanks to his strong first step and soft touch around the basket.
Works good in PnR-P positions.
Good on ball defender.
Good rebounder for his size.
Cons
Solid at everything but doesn’t stand out in any facet.
Inconsistent shooter.
Bad athlete.
Can’t finish in traffic.
Not used to creating offense for himself off the dribble.
Needs to improve all defense styles.
Playmaking ability has potential, but he has a lot to learn before he can be considered a quality full-time point guard.
Kiir Chol Deng — F— 6'8'’-2004-Sudan
I was able to watch only three games of him. Therefore, it would not be right to make a brief pros-cons list. His frame & strenghts balance is perfect for his age. Powerful, mobile, explosive and fluent. In the offense, he can dribble effectively from the wings very well. Effective around the rim. An effective PnR player, both as handler and roller. He can defend four positions in defense. Rim protection is average. Good rebounder. His shot is bad but I think promising. Game intelligence is very high.