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	<title>European Prospects &#187; Daniel Hackett</title>
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	<link>http://www.europeanprospects.com</link>
	<description>News about Young European Basketball Prospects</description>
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		<title>Reebok Eurocamp: the NBA Draft prospects</title>
		<link>http://www.europeanprospects.com/1987-born/nando-de-colo/reebok-eurocamp-the-nba-draft-prospects/</link>
		<comments>http://www.europeanprospects.com/1987-born/nando-de-colo/reebok-eurocamp-the-nba-draft-prospects/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Jun 2009 21:46:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Christophe</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daniel Hackett]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Henk Norel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jonas Jerebko]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nando de Colo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reebok Eurocamp]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rodrigue Beaubois]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sergiy Gladyr]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vladimir Dasic]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.europeanprospects.com/1987-born/guard-1987-born/nando-de-colo/reebok-eurocamp-the-nba-draft-prospects/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In our first part of the review on the recent Reebok Eurocamp in Treviso, I took a look at those players being automatically eligible or early entrance candidates and that have a correct chance of being drafted. The review contains only information on the European players, so Patrick Mills or Patrick Beverley have not been [...]<p><a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com/1987-born/nando-de-colo/reebok-eurocamp-the-nba-draft-prospects/">Reebok Eurocamp: the NBA Draft prospects</a> is a post from: <a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com">European Prospects</a>
<br>
Follow me on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ChristopheEPcom">Twitter</a> to get even more updates or become a fan on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/EuropeanProspects/143669692330217">Facebook</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In our first part of the review on the recent Reebok Eurocamp in Treviso, I took a look at those players being automatically eligible or early entrance candidates and that have a correct chance of being drafted. The review contains only information on the European players, so Patrick Mills or Patrick Beverley have not been included in this report. </p>
<p> <span id="more-455"></span>
<p>When starting with the guards, the names of the two French players from Cholet, <strong>Nando de Colo</strong> and <strong>Rodrigue Beaubois</strong> come into your mind as first ones. Both of them did not play the full tournament but both of them grabbed their chance to show what they are able to do. While Beaubois had to set out with a minor wrist injury after day one, de Colo still played on the second day but has left Treviso on Monday.</p>
<p><strong>Rodrigue Beaubois</strong> showed in his only game of the camp the absolute will to impress the NBA executives in attendance. He was present everywhere on the court, scoring, rebounding, passing and even going for two block shots on defense. However, this high energy game produced some mistakes so that his overall performance on that game was only medium. His display of potential though impressed with next to his above average athletic abilities a real potential as scoring guard. </p>
<p>Even if his shot was not there, Beaubois had several more opportunities to put points on his stats line, either by driving of his left hand or going for out of the dribble jump shots. The problem is though that Beaubois struggled when it comes to PG play. Being only 1m86 tall, his size may be a serious issue to play on the 2 spot on the NBA level. His impressive wingspan and leaping abilities helps him though to play bigger than he really is. </p>
<p><strong>Nando de Colo</strong> looked as the better short-term option for a PG position. Displaying a better size but less athletic abilities, de Colo looked awesome when it came to creating opportunities for his team mates. Both on set plays, where he excels in pick and roll play, or on the break, his great court vision combines with a very precise passing on the right heights for his cutters. Several highlight plays have been remembered by the assistance.</p>
<p>The best thing about de Colo is probably his talent in these pick and roll situations. Next to his good view for his team mates, he has a good jump shot, which however has not the highest release point, that he can take out of the dribble. If the hedging defenders are not aggressive enough to come around the screen, he can pull it up easily until the NBA three point range. If the hedging on the screen is stronger, he has the nice feel for throwing the pass in the right moment for the rolling screener to give him open looks. </p>
<p>Defensively, de Colo may have some trouble to match up with ultra quick guards. He knows however how to draw a charge which helps him probably more in the European game than on the NBA level. He can definitely be considered as one of the top PGs out of this talent group.</p>
<p><strong>Daniel Hackett</strong> showed an interesting camp in my eyes but was a bit behind de Colo when it comes to determine the top PG of the three days. Claiming the leader position on the team, Hackett tried to make his team mates better, talked a lot to them, organized huddles and motivated them in defense. However, it looked always like he was trying to much himself in the end forcing some decisions especially when it came to his own scoring. He finished the camp with an below average 7/17 shots.</p>
<p>Another player using the ball a lot was the Ukrainian SG <strong>Sergyi Gladyr</strong>. The 1989 born early entrance candidate managed however to put his name on the table and NBA Draft.net gives him now a spot in the second round. Gladyr is a typical SG scorer running through the screens to get open shots. Being rather quick and athletic, he has no problems to get open and his quick and high release gives him possibilities to take the shot even when the defender is on him. But he can also create opportunities for himself, either on the drive or for example with step back three point shots. He needs to work a bit on his shot selection though as his game looks at the moment a bit too forced instead of letting the opportunities come to him. So you can see him a bit too much going for difficult shots right now. A change to a more competitive team than his current Mykolaiv team in Ukraine would certainly help him to improve in this area.</p>
<p>The Swedish forward <strong>Jonas Jerebko</strong> was one of the most awaited participants in Treviso this weekend. And the player from Angelico Biella arrived on Sunday to participate in all of Monday’s action. He immediately showed his great feel for the game, never forcing anything but taking his open opportunities and converting them perfectly. His jump shot looks great, having a very high release point due to his size and jumping skills. Catch and shoot threes out of inside-outside dishes look very well for him. His athleticism gives him additional possibilities on the drive where he is not afraid to finish with dunks in traffic but also go for the elegant running hook shot. Jerebko has certainly not lowered if not increased his Draft stock by his only game he played in Treviso. <a href="http://www.svenskbaskettelevision.se/news_show_headcoach-luca-bechi-om-jerebko.html?id=7680288" target="_blank">Svensk BasketTelevision</a> visited the 2m06 tall forward just before the camp in Biella and had also this following interview with his current head coach in Italy.</p>
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<p>The Montenegrin PF <strong>Vladimir Dasic</strong> started the camp on a very disappointing note but improved over the days in Treviso to show again why he is considered by several observers as a legit NBA prospect. His physical attributes are above average for the European game combined with a high quality skill set give him a great natural born basketball talent. The question mark on him is of course his mental toughness to play Basketball on the highest level.</p>
<p>Dasic showed a full set of tools to score, strong and powerful drives, long distance shot, footwork and ball handling. Everything is present to become a real good player. His hands are really good for a player of his size and you could see him going for finger rolls, tips ins and even some kind of miraculous baskets after having lost the ball in the air already. On his drives, he also showed a spin move going in both ways which gives him lots of opportunities to beat his opponents. His athleticism helps him to create on the fast break too where you can see him in the action from the box out situation until the transition game by bringing the ball up over mid-court.</p>
<p><strong>Henk Norel</strong> came to Treviso fresh of an injury that prevented him playing for several weeks. This did not hurt him though to go for highly aggressive style of basketball. Being match with bigger and stronger players in the post, you could see him erupt for great steals out of the post play due to his great speed and arm movements. It is always difficult for Centers to play well in this type of settings, but Norel did a tremendous job to create opportunities for himself and his team mates by running with a second of rest up and down the floor, setting hard screens, working on the offensive glass and finishing on his own when an opportunity came to him.</p>
<p>The major asset of Norel is that he seems to understand the game very well. He sees how to create a good positioning for himself in the paint and is tough enough to use his elbows to get this done. Sealing bigger players is not a problem for him on this level. Additionally, Norel displayed a nice long distance shot even going for a camp-high 11/15 from behind the NBA three point line during the shooting exercises. It remains however rare that he takes that kind of shot in a game situation, he is more active down low on the block where he showed several interesting post moves including a left handed jump hook. Facing the basket, he prefers the jump shot out of mid-range than attacking his player on the drive which seems to be a good choice as his ball handling does not allow him to go for penetrations without risking to many turnovers.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com/1987-born/nando-de-colo/reebok-eurocamp-the-nba-draft-prospects/">Reebok Eurocamp: the NBA Draft prospects</a> is a post from: <a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com">European Prospects</a>
<br>
Follow me on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ChristopheEPcom">Twitter</a> to get even more updates or become a fan on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/EuropeanProspects/143669692330217">Facebook</a></p>
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		<title>Euro NCAA report</title>
		<link>http://www.europeanprospects.com/1987-born/1988-born/forward-1988-born/rihards-kuksiks/euro-ncaa-report/</link>
		<comments>http://www.europeanprospects.com/1987-born/1988-born/forward-1988-born/rihards-kuksiks/euro-ncaa-report/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 01 Mar 2009 20:53:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Christophe</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daniel Hackett]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dogus Balbay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jeffery Taylor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nikola Dragovic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rihards Kuksiks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Terrence Oglesby]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Arizona State]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Clemson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kristof Ongenaet]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nikola Vucevic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Syracuse]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Texas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UCLA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[USC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vanderbilt]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.europeanprospects.com/1988-born/forward-1988-born/rihards-kuksiks/euro-ncaa-report/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Over the past few weeks, I checked out the performances of some of the Europeans currently playing NCAA College basketball. The selection I made is not putting them in any order and is far from being complete but it covers those guys that I had the opportunity to see. So any additional comments by readers [...]<p><a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com/1987-born/1988-born/forward-1988-born/rihards-kuksiks/euro-ncaa-report/">Euro NCAA report</a> is a post from: <a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com">European Prospects</a>
<br>
Follow me on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ChristopheEPcom">Twitter</a> to get even more updates or become a fan on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/EuropeanProspects/143669692330217">Facebook</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Over the past few weeks, I checked out the performances of some of the Europeans currently playing NCAA College basketball. The selection I made is not putting them in any order and is far from being complete but it covers those guys that I had the opportunity to see. So any additional comments by readers that have seen these players more often than me are welcome.</p>
<p><span id="more-361"></span></p>
<p><strong>Kristof Ongenaet</strong> (2m03 &#8211; PF &#8211; Syracuse &#8211; 1985 Senior &#8211; Belgium)</p>
<p>If your team needs a hustle guy, check out Kristof Ongenaet. The Belgian inside player has a very special background as he passed by the small Junior College of Cuesta JC and signed afterwards with the prestigious Syracuse. Ongenaet is currently being used as defensive power player in order to close the paint and dive for lose balls or offensive rebounds. Being too short to play at C, Ongenaet is however extremely present in the paint and is working extremely hard on every ball.</p>
<p><strong>Dogus Balbay</strong> (1m83 &#8211; PG &#8211; Texas &#8211; 1989 Sophomore &#8211; Turkey)</p>
<p>The Turkish PG has made a different career development decision than most of his fellow players and moved to the United States for his HS Senior year. After having lost one season due to an injury and suspension, Balbay starts now to adapt to the level of the Big 12 and has taken over the starting PG job at Texas since mid-February. He has bulked up his upper body in order to play against the very athletic guards of the conference, having lost maybe a bit of his speed.</p>
<p>Offensively, his game is still based on drives, drives and drives. His long distance shot is still non-existing and he even struggles from the FT line being below 40% over the season so far. He is being let open above the FT by the defense which takes him away his good drive. But still, he manages to create of his penetration and he can go for some acrobatic lay-ups as we were used to see by from him with the different Turkish youth teams. He looks also more under control right now and does not go for every drive possibility being more relax and looking for the open team mates. The lost year seems now forgotten but Balbay absolutely needs to work his shot in order to become a serious player for the high level.</p>
<p><strong>Rihards Kuksiks</strong> (1m98 &#8211; SF &#8211; Arizona State &#8211; 1988 Sophomore &#8211; Latvia)</p>
<p>A player who has developed very well over this season is the Latvian shooter Rihards Kuksiks. Showing an interesting size for playing the SG, Kuksiks is essentially used as SF or even PF by his Arizona State team. His progress in defense may be a reason for this but it can also create some offensive match-up situations. But the main reason to follow Kuksiks is his three point shooting ability.</p>
<p>So far, he is scoring more than 46% of his long distance attempts which shows his great progress in this area in terms of confidence. His shots come mostly in catch-and-shot situations as he is not the guy to create the space himself by penetrating. Excellent player to attack the zone, Kuksiks loves the receive the ball and fire it up immediately. He is definitely a player to follow for a future shooter role on the Euroleague level.</p>
<p><strong>Nikola Dragovic</strong> (2m06 &#8211; PF &#8211; UCLA &#8211; 1987 Junior &#8211; Serbia)</p>
<p>The Serbian forward, who I last saw with the U20 NT in 2007 in Slovenia is doing a good job right now at UCLA and is getting more and more minutes as a wing scorer, especially from the three point line. Dragovic is not the guy that creates his own open three, but he is living more of the creation of his team mates. He excels in these catch and shoot or pick and pop situations when he gets the ball for the long shot.</p>
<p>With his good size, he works on the offensive glass too where he is quite explosive of two feet. It will be interesting to see how he develops over his last year at UCLA in 2009/10 and it would not be a surprise to find him afterwards in some EL team as rotation guy.</p>
<p><strong>Daniel Hackett</strong> (1m96 &#8211; PG &#8211; USC &#8211; 1987 Junior &#8211; Italy)</p>
<p>Well, Daniel Hackett is not the player I personally like, but the Italian guard is going his way. Playing mostly as a PG, with great size and good athleticism, he can dominate his defender when posting him up down low. Hackett is a guy, that is always in the hot situations on the court and not afraid to talk to everybody and use his elbows. He needs the ball in his hands and wants to take the big shots.</p>
<p>On the offensive end, you can see him drive of his right hand a lot despite being left-handed. He can hit the jump shot out of those drives, even in the step back of fade away style. Not that much of a three point shooter, he can hit the open shots when getting a good pass. In his role as a PG, he is more like a scoring guard than a pass-first players. Having one year ahead of him, he may develop his playmaking skills a bit more in order to become a more complete player for his entrance to the professional level in 2010.</p>
<p><strong>Nikola Vucevic</strong> (2m08 &#8211; PF/C &#8211; USC &#8211; 1990 Freshman &#8211; Montenegro)</p>
<p>A few words about this young man who joined USC this summer. Vucevic is the son of Borislav Vucevic who had an extensive career in Belgium. Nikola is playing essentially in a role as hustle guy in the paint to grab offensive boards and block shots. Being only a Freshman, his time on the court is of course limited so I can not tell a lot more about him than this.</p>
<p><strong>Terrence Oglesby</strong> (1m88 &#8211; SG &#8211; Clemson &#8211; 1988 Sophomore &#8211; Norway)</p>
<p>Terrence Oglesby is Norwegian, at least he played for the Norwegian U20 NT this summer. So I followed him a bit throughout this season and the Sophomore guard from Clemson is an important factor for his team. His role is essentially the scoring one, where he excels in running through the screens to come up with long distance shots. Being only in his second year at Clemson, Oglesby will probably develop into one of the best shooters in all College basketball over the next two years. Unfortunately, his size limits him a bit for the next level to play on the SG position so he has to develop more of PG skills in order to play on the highest professional level.</p>
<p><strong>Jeffery Taylor</strong> (2m01 &#8211; SF &#8211; Vanderbilt &#8211; 1989 Freshman &#8211; Sweden)</p>
<p>The Swedish Forward is showing a lot of promise for his Freshman year at Vanderbilt. His great athleticism , wingspan and defensive pressure makes him one of the players to follow closely over his four years. Additionally, he is scoring nicely in double figures which is already a terrific achievement for him being in his first year only. Not that much of a shooter, Taylor can handle the ball very well and likes to drive it on one-on-one situations and is not afraid to run the break.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com/1987-born/1988-born/forward-1988-born/rihards-kuksiks/euro-ncaa-report/">Euro NCAA report</a> is a post from: <a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com">European Prospects</a>
<br>
Follow me on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ChristopheEPcom">Twitter</a> to get even more updates or become a fan on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/EuropeanProspects/143669692330217">Facebook</a></p>
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