Sixth 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 6'3'' italian small-forward Nicola Akele ('95), from Bears Maestre. Here we go.
BODY/ATHLETICISM: Akele is a slightly built athlete, who has a large wingspan and is very wiry. He is quite explosive and uses his athleticism to his advantage at both ends of the floor. He has an upper body that will allow him to add strength without bulking up too much and losing any of his quickness.
SHOOTING: Has a nice follow through on his jump-shot but his form is not real tight and his elbow sticks out to the right, probably partly in due to the length in his arms, which is something he will need to correct. Showed a mid-range game out to 17ft but nothing further. Has good footwork coming into his shot off a pass for a catch and shoot, and also uses his quickness to beat his man off the dribble, and has good form on his pull-up jumper, staying low and balanced.
POSITION OFFENSE: Right now he is clearly a slasher type player and must continue to develop his range out the the 3pt line if he is too be a factor on the next level. He has a nice post game for a 2/3 and uses his length and explosiveness to score over his defender. He showed a one dribble middle jump-hook against Greece. Is very active on the offensive boards and keeps his defender honest by going every time trying to create second chance opportunities for his team. Moves well without the ball and reads his defender well. If he’s being overplayed he will backdoor or if he has a smaller guard on him he will slash to the basket looking for a post-up action.
DEFENSE/REBOUNDING: Akele is very active on the defensive end and uses his arm length to get a hand in the passing lane. He rebounds well for a 2/3 but does not always box out first, relying solely on his athleticism and sometimes gives up a long rebound because if it. With his great physique for a guard he has the ability to become a really good lock-down defender on the opposition’s best scorer and this is something he really needs to concentrate on improving to add to his game.
MISCELLANEOUS: Sometimes relies too much on his athleticism to get by in this age group, but will need to develop other parts of his game if he is to be successful at the next level. He has a good feel for the game and reads the defense well when cutting or attacking the basket. Shows a willingness to listen to his coaches and encourage his teammates, which is what earned him the Fair Play Award at the tournament.
OVERALL RATING: 6 – Akele needs to expand his offensive game out to the 3 so he is not so predictable and easy to guard at the next level. His length, athleticism and feel for the game are big advantages he has now at the U16 level, but to move up to the LegaDue or SerieA level in future years he will need to become a lock-down defender, something that he has the physical tools to be able to do.
Photo: N.A.
