Tenth 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 6'5'' Italian guard Simone Fontecchio ('95), from Canadian Solar Bologna. Here we go.
BODY/ATHLETICISM: Long armed athlete with a slightly built frame. Has good jumping ability and finishes above the rim. Has a quick first step and sprints the floor well using his athleticism. Needs to add strength to his upper body in next few years.
SHOOTING: Fontecchio shows a nice follow-through on his jump shot but needs to quicken up his release and get it higher to be able to shoot over defenders as long as he is. Has good readiness and sets his feet well waiting for a pass in catch and shoot situations. Uses his strong legs to elevate himself over the defense when penetrating and pulling up for a jump shot. Has range out to 23 feet and showed he could knock these down when left open.
POSITION OFFENSE: Runs the lanes very well in offense, and will finish at the rim, showing a nice two handed dunk against Greece. Uses his length and quick first step to get pass his defender and pull-up for his jump shot. With his range out to the 3point line he makes the defense play him honest. Needs to develop more of a post-up game as he has the height and length advantage against most opposition on this level, he just needs to add more strength to his upper body to be able to finish inside. Has good patience on offense and will not force the pass to a half-open teammate or drive into traffic, reads the game quite well.
DEFENSE/REBOUNDING: Has good lateral quickness on the defensive end. Showed he can stay in front of smaller, quicker guards with his length. Needs to be more of an effective rebounder at both ends, and can be with his athleticism at the guard spot, only averaging 2 rpg this tournament. With his physique he has the potential to develop into a lockdown defender and is something he will need to work on if he’s to succeed at the next level.
MISCELLANEOUS: With his long, lean body and ability to add strength and not bulk up too much Fontecchio has the physical tools needed to be a factor at the next level. He runs the floor well and has good patience on the offensive end, using his head smarts to read the defense and take what they give him. Doesn’t seem to be very vocal and not much of a leader which is something he should continue to improve at.
OVERALL RATING: 6 – Has great physical attributes at the U16 level that allow him to be an affective player at the SG position. If he continues to work on quickening up his shot and range, finishing at the basket, rebounding and becoming a lock-down defender he has a high enough ceiling to continue his career at the LegaDue or even SerieA level when he matures.
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