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HoopHall Classic Scouting Reports (Part Five): 2012 Prospects & Beyond

HoopHall Classic Scouting Reports (Part Five): 2012 Prospects & Beyond
Jan 30, 2011, 06:30 pm
We complete our complete our coverage of the prestigious HoopHall Classic by looking at the remaining prospects seen from the 2012, 2013 and 2014 classes, including Damien Wilson, Omar Calhoun, Evan Nolte, Nigel Williams-Goss and Kevin Zabo.

-HoopHall Classic Scouting Reports (Part Four): 2012 Elite Prospects Shabazz Muhammad, DaJuan Coleman, Kaleb Tarczewski, Kyle Anderson, Savon Goodman, Winston Shepard
-HoopHall Classic Scouting Reports: Elite Prospects (Part Three) Nick Johnson, Mikael Hopkins, Julian Royal, Amir Garrett, Myles Mack, Pat Connaughton
-HoopHall Classic Scouting Reports: Elite Prospects (Part Two) [Tony Wroten, Shannon Scott, Dai-Jon Parker, Michael Carter-Williams, Deuce Bello, Rakeem Christmas, LaQuinton Ross]

-HoopHall Classic Scouting Reports: Elite Prospects (Part One) [Michael Gilchrist, Anthony Davis, LeBryan Nash, Myck Kabongo, Wayne Blackshear, Ben McLemore]

Damien Wilson, 6-4, SG/SF, Oak Hill Academy, 2012
Uncommitted


Joseph Treutlein

A long swingman with outstanding physical tools, Damien Wilson is a dynamic athlete with a raw skill set and a lot of long-term upside. Possessing superb explosiveness and reactiveness, Wilson is capable of doing some intriguing things off the bounce despite still being at an early stage of development.

As far as his own offense goes, Wilson is very limited, not having a very reliable outside shot and lacking much in terms of advanced moves off the dribble. What he does have is incredible straight-line speed with the ball and the ability to effortlessly elevate around the rim, making him very dangerous in transition and on simple straight-line drives to the basket.

His first step is nothing short of outstanding and he's actually capable of going both left and right, capable of doing damage both in transition and in the half court. Things get dicey when he has to change direction, but if left unimpeded to the basket he finds himself at the rim in no time at all, showing no problems getting by anyone at this level.

Defensively, he does a good job using his length and speed crashing the passing lanes as a help defender, though his overall effort is just adequate, with him being nowhere near his potential on this side of the ball.

Looking forward, Wilson is still clearly very raw and will need to refine both his ball-handling and shooting to develop into an NBA prospect, but his physical tools are outstanding, making him an intriguing player to watch for the long term.


Omar Calhoun, 6-3, Shooting Guard, Christ the King, 2012
Uncommitted


Joseph Treutlein

A pure scorer with great offensive instincts, Omar Calhoun is a very talented player with an outstanding perimeter shot. Standing 6-3 with very good length and a solid frame, Calhoun already has a decent skill set as a high school junior, along with a good approach to the game.

On the offensive end, Calhoun's game heavily revolves around his jumper, which has effortless three-point range and outstanding mechanics. He can get his shot off in a variety of ways, capable of draining a smooth jumper coming around screens, pulling up, stepping back, and with a hand in his face. He gets a lot of his shots within the flow of the offense, not being one to over-dribble or create many shots off advanced moves, as his ball-handling is just adequate.

He doesn't show much in terms of attacking the basket in the halfcourt, relying strongly on his perimeter game, but he does show nice passing skills for an off-guard, dishing out a lot of simple assists in the flow of the offense and also doing a good job in pick-and-rolls.

Defensively, Calhoun is very attentive and plays solid, fundamental man-to-man defense, but he's somewhat non-descript on this end of the floor, going through the motions and doing his duties adequately, but not impacting the game nearly as much as he could if he exerted more energy helping off the ball with his physical tools.

Looking forward, Calhoun has a nice set of skills and solid physical tools, and he should be able to score effectively at any level of college ball. His long-term potential will likely depend on how hw diversifies his scoring game, or if he makes an unlikely transition to the point guard position.


Evan Nolte, 6-7, Small Forward, Milton, 2012
Uncommitted


Joseph Treutlein

A wing player with good size, great length, and solid athleticism, Evan Nolte is an extremely high basketball IQ player with deep three-point range. Playing a smart style of basketball with a very high effort level, Nolte does a lot of little things on both ends of the floor, making impact plays without having the ball in his hands.

On the offensive end, Nolte is an excellent floor spacer and passer, playing well in the flow of his team's offense. He shows great passing ability both in transition and the halfcourt, capable of making crosscourt passes and dishing out excellent outlets to start breaks.

As a scorer, Nolte shows good mechanics from three-point range and recruiting services are very high on his shooting ability. He missed his two attempts in the game we saw, but it's clear in watching him the ability is there. In terms of attacking the basket, Nolte looks somewhat limited to straight-line drives and cuts off the ball, with his advanced ball-handling still being underdeveloped.

On the defensive end, Nolte plays all over the floor, doing an excellent job using his length and positioning to cut off passing and driving lanes, getting his hands on lots of passes, and breaking up a ton of plays. While he is solid in man-to-man defense as well, he really shines most in team defense, showing great understanding and positioning overall.

Looking forward, Nolte is a smart and hard-working player with a great complementary skill set on the offensive end, which gives him all the makings of a very good college player. His long term potential will depend on how he develops his shot creating ability, but he still has plenty of time to do so.


Nigel Williams-Goss, 6-3, Shooting Guard, Findlay Prep, 2013
Committed to UNLV


Jonathan Givony

One of the youngest players at this event and one of the more unique stories you'll find in high school basketball, Nigel Williams-Goss is a high school sophomore who starts for arguably the most talented team in America.

Standing around 6-3, but possibly still growing considering his youth, Williams-Goss is an average athlete with a strong frame who probably still hasn't reached his full physical potential at this early stage of his development.

Sharing Findlay's backcourt with top point guard prospect Myck Kabongo, Williams-Goss acts as the full-time playmaker when Kabongo goes to the bench. He shows nice passing ability and an excellent basketball IQ, playing with confidence and maturity that we didn't see players 2-3 years older than him at this tournament, even being the one assigned to shoot his team's free throws after technical fouls.

Williams-Goss shows nice versatility, as he's capable of making shots, scoring inside, and even posting up his opponent when the situation calls for it. He's a committed defender who crashes the glass extremely well and puts great effort in both on and off the ball. The experience he's gaining playing at this level is invaluable, as he's matching up with some of the best high school players in America both in practice and in games before he even turns 16 years old.

On the downside, Williams-Goss appears to be just an average athlete at this stage, not looking overly quick or explosive, and showing a frame that is unlikely to develop much further. As other players begin to catch up to him physically, it will be important for him to continue to round out his game, which is why playing at this level is probably a very smart move long-term, rather than just dominating his age group with his sheer strength and smarts.

Its difficult to project the say with any certainty what type of upside Williams-Goss possesses at this stage, but it's a pretty safe bet to say we'll be evaluating his progress at some point in the future.


Kevin Zabo, 6-2, Point Guard, St. Mark's, 2014
Uncommitted


Joseph Treutlein

A freshman playing a key role on one of the best high school teams in the country, Kevin Zabo is obviously very advanced for his age both in terms of his body and his approach to the game. Having great length and a very good frame for someone so young, Zabo already has close to ideal physical attributes for the point guard position, a scary thought when you consider what he may look like in three years.

On the offensive end, Zabo starts at point guard for an extremely demanding coach, though he probably makes as few mistakes as any other player on the team. Playing a facilitating, game managing role as opposed to dominating the ball and breaking down the defense, Zabo brings the ball up the court and quickly gets his team into their offense, not wasting much time and spending a good chunk of his minutes moving off the ball.

As a passer, Zabo reads the defense well and shows solid court vision, making a lot of simple, smart reads but never doing anything extravagant.

As a scorer, Zabo is equally restrained, spending a lot of his time behind the arc where he is an excellent spot-up shooter, knocking down 5-for-8 from three in the game we saw, including one contested pull-up jumper. He appears to have the speed to take his man off the dribble but usually opts for quick drive-and-kicks rather than taking the ball all the way to the basket, preferring to defer to much of the other talent on his team.

Defensively, he shows good fundamentals, effort level, and awareness, doing a good job in both on and off ball defense and looking very mature for his young age.

Looking forward, it's obviously still very early in his development, but the way Zabo is able to effortlessly contribute against this level of competition given is age is remarkably impressive, even if it's in a very role-defined manner. Expanding his game to include more shot creation for himself and others down the road is obviously something he'll need to do, but he has more than enough time to do so.

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