Second episode of U-16 Pasqua Barocca Tournament scouting reports sent by Australian Danny Mills, assistant coach and director of coaching and youth teams of UPEA Orlandina Basket. In this article he analyzes italian 6'8'' power-forward Lorenzo Benvenuti ('95), from Nesti & Nelli Don Bosco Livorno. Here we go.
BODY/ATHLETICISM: At 6’8” Benvenuti has a strongly built upper body with wide shoulders and should have no problem adding bulk and strength to his frame. He is only an average athlete at best and does not have great explosiveness, but uses his body well to gain an advantage in positioning down low.
SHOOTING: He has a good touch around the basket and uses both his left and right hand to finish from 4ft and in. Has a good release point on his shot and shows good technique, but his catch and shoot action is slow and will need to get quicker in this area. He has range out to 18 feet on a pick n pop action but does not have the consistency in his form to make the majority of them.
POSITION OFFENSE: Has good size and strength for a PF at the U16 level. Has good patience at both the low post and high post and doesn’t force the pass but reads the defense well and takes what they give him. Showed a nice up and under move from the right low post and on penetration steps into the receivers spots well with hands ready for the pass. Uses more finesse than strength to finish around the basket.
DEFENSE/REBOUNDING: Due to his heavier set frame he doesn’t posses great lateral foot quickness and this will become a problem at the next level when he will need to step out and guard smaller quicker forwards on the perimeter. Uses his lower body strength to box out and gain good positioning for rebounding both defensively and offensively where he is quite active. Showed the ability to read the offense well and rotate over to help positions on penetration from the guards.
MISCELLANEOUS: At this level he is a consistent factor at both ends of the floor because of his head smarts and strength down low. As he matures he will need to tone his body up and become quicker to be able to compete with his opposition. Needs to increase his range out to 21 feet to able to knock down the open 3 and continue to quicken his shot.
OVERALL RATING: 6 – Benvenuti has a good feel for the game and played the pivot in the Italian team’s offense well. He rebounds well for his size – 6.5rpg and is active both offensively and defensively. He will need to develop his perimeter game in the coming years if he is to reach his full potential and play in one of the top two leagues in Italy, Lega Due or Serie A.
Photo: Il Tirreno
Article I: David Taylor, Germany (link)
