(white, right) Jr. PG/SG DeShawn Munson (6-3, 180 lbs, offer from Tennessee, looked at by Illinois)- Munson hails from the same parts as past prep greats LaPhonso Ellis and Darius Miles. Munson has a long way to go until he can reach their status as elite preps and eventual pros. Unfortunately, East St. Louis is not exactly a hotbed for scouts to watch prep talent. Lately, scouts and some coaches have made there way to the city with a higher crime rate than Detroit. This is not quite the Derrick Rose from Englewood story we read so much about this past year, but for Munson to make his way through all the negatives around him to become a legitimate college prospect is amazing.
Right now, Munson is in between positions. Munson plays a lot of small forward in high school due to his size in what most likely is a pretty mediocre conference at best but in AAU, Munson will play both guard positions. In the end, Munson will most likely be a point guard. At 6-3, this is the size that scouts love in point guards. Point guards like Derrick Rose, Russel Westbrook, and Derron Williams are leading the revolution of point guards of the future with great size, strength, and speed. While Munson is not the fastest or quickest guy on the floor, he does have the size at the guard position and athleticism to be great. DeShawn is very crafty around defenders and he worms his way through defense to set up other players or create shots for himself. Munson has good hang-time but is not a huge leaper. His ability to create at any position he plays on the floor makes him a huge asset on the offense end. I have heard that Munson can deliever some nifty passes and might even throw in a no look pass here and there. While his point guard skills are raw, his creativity is above the curve for his age.
Creating off the dribble is a skill set that Munson possesses that one day will make him a permanent point guard. His decision making to attack defenses and not settle for jump shots is something I like in a guard because that leads to dump off passes in the post, closer, more efficient shot attempts, and drawing contact- all good things. However, one thing that has been holding Munson back from making that jump to pure point guard is his lack of outside shooting. Munson has a decent mid range game and can make moves in the paint, but stick him on the perimeter and he's about as useful shooting threes as dwarf reaching for candy on the top shelf at the grocery store. As the three point line extends about a foot from high school to college, it will be imperative that Munson improves his outside game. As you can see, a player at 6-3 doesn't play small forward that often, despite the competition. So that really tells you how much teams he plays for trust him on the perimeter. This is also a testament to his attack and drive ability as defenses probably play off him and force him for outside shots but yet he still is able to get into the lane.Overall, Munson owns skills that many elite point guards have such as ball handling and creating off the dribble. Munson still has 2 years of high school left to develop from a low three star recruit to a solid four star recruit. Holding Munson back is his outside game and if he can't improve that, my prediction from sleeper to phenom for Munson will be about as accurate as that 89 year old minister that thought the rapture a month ago. With his ball skills and size and above average strength for a 16 year old, Munson has the making to be a high major impact player.
NEXT WEEK: U16 TEAM USA MEN'S BASKETBALL, A.K.A. TEAM CHICAGO
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