Watched 3 games... forgot to post this yesterday.
32 minutes (One 2OT game)
20.3 PTS
7.0 REB (1.3 offensive)
2.0 AST (+5.7 potential)
2.7 TO
1.7 STL
2.3 BLK
50% 2FG (8 attempts)
36% 3FG (3.7 attempts)
78% FT (10.7 attempts)
TL;DR: I don’t think he looks like a 5* yet, but he’s got a ton of really impressive pieces in place on both ends to become a high 4*. Could easily end up a 5* if he keeps grinding and improving his shooting and decision-making. Could also end up a Yale-level player if he doesn't keep improving. Soph-->Junior summer is the most important in a recruits development.
Overall: He’s playing against public school teams, so there isn’t as much to glean as normal. He’s totally physically dominant at this level–the free throws are the evidence. But I see a lot to like and keep an eye on this summer before we decide to offer or not. Great size for a 3, fantastic athleticism. Defensive potential is there. Free throw shooting is fantastic. 3-ball is a work in progress (streaky), but a lot to like for potential. On-balance and pretty consistent. Handles are supposedly improving. I’d call them fine, but decision-making with the ball in his hands is not up to par for a 4* player in his class. He’s a willing passer who has some nice reads in his bag and seems to be a consummate teammate, hyping up his teammates all game. Sophomore to junior year of HS is the biggest summer in a player’s development. If he capitalizes, he’s a high major recruit.
The big question for me is going to be is he a Mike McGuirl/Matt Knowling type of CIAC player, or is he a Mustapha Heron to of CIAC player? Realistically, probably somewhere in between, but I’d lean more towards Heron because Torre’s just a more advanced shooter than the other two. We’ll learn a lot about his game this summer with Expressions. IMO a reclass to 2025 may not be in his best interest if he’s truly looking to maximize his effectiveness his freshman year. He looks like a 3* in the 2025 class right now IMO.
Offense: 3-point shooting is the biggest surprise. His shot is on-balance and seems to be pretty accurate. It is a SLOW shot (achingly slow) that got blocked twice in the full game I saw against public school competition. Inconsistent… was 3/7 one game, 0/0 the next, and ¼ after that. That’s not great, but the mechanics are fine, so I expect we’ll see that improve as he continues building his bag. He has a habit he must be trying to fix of combing his hair on his release. Shoots better when he nixes that, even on FTs. Free throw shooting is excellent overall. Handles are fine for a wing recruit, but could use some work to become elite. While he’s a dynamite individual scorer in transition with a deep bag (spin move, euro-step, running back tuck, etc), his decision-making with the ball in his hands is pretty bad compared to his peers. Ran into traffic with no plan a couple times for TOs or near TOs many times. Overall just a lot of live ball TOs that he needs to clean up. Overall a bit TO prone vs pressure. I was pleasantly surprised by some of his passing too; has a drive and dish and a quick pocket pass in his arsenal, though he can only pass with his right hand. Can drive a bit with his left hand but can’t finish with his left at all. Totally a dud in that regard and it is impacting his finishing ability. Does the Jalen Adams thing where he makes a tough righty finish instead of the easy left.
Defense: Hard to get a read on his rebounding right now just because he’s bigger and stronger and more athletic than the competition. The fact that he has way more defensive than offensive boards is usually a good sign of technique and desire at any level, though. So I’m hopeful. I imagine he’ll be good with his strength and size wherever he plays in college. Has a habit of staying too upright in 1v1 defense or going arou dscreens (very common in recruits; Steph was a god awful defender in high school). Knows the reads to make, but doesn’t always make them fast enough in help defense. Overall, high potential on defense with a lot of nice pieces in place, but he’s probably not developing it playing against this competition very much.
