You Don't Know 'Em, But You Better Start To: Part 1

Over the next 5 weeks, I am going to preview some players around the city that are not grabbing national headlines now like a Jabari Parker or Thomas Hamilton, Jr, but after another season of competitive Chicago High School Basketball, you will know their name. For the sake of time, I will avoid including freshman and sophomores in this feature because they are so raw, that the player I see will be almost completely different two years from now. The greatest leap a high school player can have is from his sophomore to junior year. It is in this period that a dweebish high school kid could become a star in his junior year and climb up the recruiting charts. Without putting these players in order from most likely to shine to least, let’s start the list:

Jr. PF Russel Woods (6-8, 210 lbs, being looked at by Illinois, Purdue, DePaul, Marquette, and Wisconsin)-  Woods states that his early leaders are Purdue and Illinois despite not being offered by each program. That would be like saying Harvard and Yale are my early leaders for going to college when I have a 3.0 GPA. 

Maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration because Woods is talented enough to not only land those offers but to get even bigger offers from schools outside of the Midwest. The reason why he can be special is this kid’s size. Woods has a nice build for an incoming freshman in college, not an incoming junior in high school. The fact that he can add more muscle and speed to his game makes him a legit four star recruit threat. Right now, Woods is extremely physical down low and does not shy away from contact. He has a nice touch around the rim and can definitely finish with authority. The biggest impact Woods will have on a game is rebounding. Although he does not jump out at you as a freak athlete, he just has the hustle and desire you love to see in a kid as he continues to rise as a prospect. When looking at him, I get the impression that Woods is not someone that will let another player outwork him, especially on the glass. For an interior player, I love this part of a player’s game. There will be games that a frontcourt player cannot get his shot to fall or can’t finish around the rim and you will see it affect his game. The good frontcourt players will work that much harder on the glass to make up for a lackluster offensive performance. Case in point: Game 3 of the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks series in the playoffs where Joakim Noah scored 2 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. Noah did not let a poor, and at some points, disgusting offensive game interfere with his job defending and grabbing rebounds. Woods does not have the tenacity that Noah as in his career, but his commitment to make a difference on the glass is a big part of his game.

Woods possess great strength and rebounding skills at his age, but a lack of outside game is what make him unnoticed, for now, to scouts. Once Woods is outside of the paint, his game becomes very ineffective. He has not developed a consistent jump shot; even from 10 feet away from the hoop. With that, Woods is not quick enough to take opponents off the dribble and drive to the lane enough where he is a legit threat. Woods does his best work in the paint, backing down defenders and jump hooking or dunking around them. I haven’t seen a Woods back down this much since Elin came after Tiger with divorce papers (sorry Eldrick). If a defense can push him away from the basket, Woods becomes limited in what he can do. Russell is not shy or hesitant to take a jump shot; he is just not consistent enough to make defenses respect it.

Another factor working against Woods is his height. At 6-8, Woods has the ideal height for a power forward. However, Woods’ game right now is that of a center despite being labeled a power forward. If he will have any success in his collegiate years, it will be because he developed a jump shot to go along with his tenacity on the boards. Because he has faced little competition with defenders taller and stronger than him, it is tough to criticize Woods. However, if things do not change over the next two years, his collegiate career will be little and ineffective. Because of this, Woods will have to continue to get stronger, despite being a beast already, and bully his way through defenders and not around them. But unless Woods hits a major growth spurt putting him over 7 feet, he will need a jump shot like Rob Reiner needs a treadmill.

Right now, Woods plays AAU for Chicago powerhouse Mac Irvin Fire. Because of the notoriety of this AAU team, Woods will get plenty of attention. The up and down style of AAU basketball should showcase 

how much athleticism Woods has. Before his junior year starts, Woods will need to show progress in another facet of his game other than rebounding. Looking at him, Woods is definitely one of the stronger forwards at his age. The difference, in the end for Woods, between being a mid to high four star prospect and just some guy that wears a college uniform and sits on the bench his whole career as a low three star prospect is his midrange game. I am excited to see him develop into a multidimensional force down low. If he can accomplish this, Illinois and Purdue will be begging for his services.

NEXT WEEK: You Don't Know 'Em, But You Better Start To: Part 2