DraftExpress: RT @GoodmanCBS: Khem Birch talks: Ex-Pitt big man sets record straight with CBSSports, talks about schools in mix -- http://t.co/A5wxHUgS 2011-12-29 10:56:48
DraftExpress: That was fast RT @GoodmanCBS: Khem Birch tells CBSSports he's transferring from Pittsburgh. En route to Toronto now http://t.co/RminvyMj 2011-12-16 09:34:22
DraftExpress: Khem Birch has been a major disappointment from what I've seen. RT @The_Big_Show22: What about the opposite way? Who's the most over-rated? 2011-03-29 11:46:00
DraftExpress: National Prep Showcase: Elite 2011 Prospects: http://bit.ly/6n6vgv - Khem Birch, P.J. Hairston, Jakarr Sampson, Michael Carter-Williams,more 2010-11-23 12:08:47
DraftExpress: Minor upset brewing as a stacked Notre Dame team is down 69-65 to Westwind. Top-5 recruit Khem Birch doing absolutely nothing. #prepshowcase 2010-11-20 06:19:17
2011 McDonald's High School All-American Dunk Contest Videos April 1, 2011 Canadian Khem Birch was the final contestant.
Khem Birch runs behind Michael Gilchrist who passes the ball off the side of the backboard before Khem catches it in both hands and then slams it home. [Read Full Article] 2010 National Prep Showcase: Elite 2011 Prospects November 23, 2010 Jonathan Givony
When evaluating Khem Birch's performance from the perspective of the second best prospect in the class of 2012--or a top-10 prospect in 2011, which he recently reclassified to—it's easy to be disappointed by what he showed this weekend. Birch did not rebound the way a player with his physical tools should at this level, and he looked quite disappointing in terms of his development offensively as well.
With that said, it's important to remember that Birch is playing on a team without any type of system and no semblance of a point guard on their roster, forcing him to fend for himself when it comes to creating shots for himself. At this point in Birch's development, that's simply too much to ask of him.
Birch still showed many of the things that make him such a highly touted prospect this weekend—mainly his terrific length and explosiveness around the basket, and his fantastic shot-blocking instincts. He's a quick leaper who runs the floor well, finishes with authority and is extremely reactive in the paint, allowing him to come up with a number of highlight reel caliber plays.
Besides his ability to score in transition, off cuts to the basket, and through his work on the offensive glass, Birch remains a very raw prospect. His footwork and post moves are underdeveloped, as is his passing ability and overall feel for the game. He struggles to put the ball on the floor or score outside the paint, which makes his comments about developing into “a 3/4 in college” fairly questionable.
Defensively, Birch has incredible tools, as he's unbelievable explosive and can hedge the pick and roll with great quickness. He has plenty of room to grow here, though, as he'll need to improve his fundamentals through good coaching before he reaches his full potential. He rarely boxes out his opponents, and gives up quite a few offensive rebounds by wildly chasing blocks. When he does block a shot, it's always emphatically into the third row, rather than trying to secure the possession for his team. While he has added strength in the past year, his body still has a ways to go, as at 6-8, he'll definitely need more bulk to handle the rigors of the college game. Additionally, his motor seems to run hot and cold at times, as it doesn't always look like he's giving 100%.
Birch clearly has elite physical tools, and players of his nature are extremely hard to come by, which is why he's such a highly touted prospect. It's only the beginning of the road for him, though, and being thrown into the college game a year earlier (if he's able to get eligible) only means he must work even harder now to be able to live up to the high expectations that inevitably come along with his recruiting rankings. [Read Full Article]
FIBA Americas U-18 Championships: Top International Prospects July 1, 2010 We wrote about Birch earlier this year after the National Prep Showcase. There isn't a great deal to add, besides confirming what we already know. He's an exceptionally gifted athlete with long arms and terrific leaping ability, but he must continue to fill out his frame, polish his skills and improve his basketball IQ. Right now his main utility is as an offensive rebounder and shot blocker—two areas in which he clearly excels—which will make him a coveted prospect at the college level and gives him desirable skills to build on down the road. [Read Full Article] 2009 National Prep Showcase: Best of the Rest November 25, 2009 Jonathan Givony
One of the most athletic players in New Haven, Canadian Khem Birch (? Scout, ? Rivals, #11 ESPN) did not take long to leave a very strong impression regarding the type of player he could develop into down the road.
Currently standing around 6-9, Birch possesses a superb wingspan and a very lanky frame that he still has plenty of time to grow into. He's a very bouncy young guy, running the floor extremely well and looking extremely quick getting off his feet.
Birch doesn't possess much in the ways of offensive skills at this very early stage of his development, but he does find plenty of ways to impact the game, mostly through the work he does on the offensive glass, where he is an absolute menace going after loose balls well out of his area. Rarely do you see this type of aggressiveness out of a player so young, which combined with his terrific physical attributes and soft touch, leaves a lot of room for optimism regarding his future. He's an excellent finisher on top of that, running the floor well and presenting himself as a terrific target on the fast break for easy looks around the rim.
Defensively, Birch is limited by his lack of strength, but is still quite an impressive presence around the basket as a weak-side shot-blocker with his superb length. He's very intense as a man to man defender as well, not backing down from players older and stronger than him, really competing and showing nice toughness.
Birch is mostly all upside at this point, with some very clear-cut strengths and a bundle of weaknesses that hopefully will work themselves out as he matures. Our enthusiasm is slightly tempered by the fact that he has academic issues and is a year or two older than most players in his class, having recently turned 17 in September, but there is no denying the potential he possesses. Will he grow another inch or two over the next year or two? Will his narrow frame be able to carry much more weight, particularly in the lower body? Will his perimeter game and post-moves develop? These are the things we'll have to wait and see about in order to get a better gauge for his true potential. [Read Full Article]
[