Only a week or so removed from losing in the finals of the U-18 FIBA Americas Championship,
Dominic Cheek (#11 Scout, #11 Rivals, #5 ESPN) decided to pass on playing in the AAU tournaments in Vegas, but luckily for us, we had the chance to fully evaluate him in the USA Basketball tryouts in early July in Washington DC.
What we saw made a very strong impression. Cheek is a 6-5, long, athletic and very versatile shooting guard, obviously well coached as youd expect from a Bob Hurley pupil, but also extremely mature both on and off the court. He appears to be an excellent teammate, comfortable doing all the little things for his team, whether thats hustling for rebounds, making unselfish passes, stepping in for charges, or going after loose balls. Hes a very tough, active player who always seems to be around the ball at all times, and seems to play the game at his own speed, with an excellent temperament. He seems to have a lot of confidence in himself, but still isnt afraid to give up the ball and play within the flow of the offense.
Cheek is an excellent shooter, although he shoots the ball with awkward form, well on the way down of his jump. Hes money in the bank with his feet set, though, so its tough to argue too much with the results, even if his release is slow and he may suffer a bit when attempting to expand his range out to the further out college and eventually NBA line. He can handle the ball, but isnt what you would call a go-to scoring option at this pointhes more of a role player who does many different things out on the floor. How much he can improve his scoring ability over the next few years will probably decide how highly regarded a prospect he becomes.
Cheek is a very highly sought after recruit, for obvious reasons, and it will be interesting to see how his game develops over the next few years.
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