Twelfth 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 6'10'' Spanish power-forward Ilimane Diop ('95), from Caja Laboral. Here we go.
BODY/ATHLETICISM: Very long athlete. At 6’10” he is very slightly built but his wing span must be close to 7’4”. He is quite coordinated for being so lanky at his age and has some large hands. Has good athleticism for his size and showed some nice dunks during the warm-ups.
SHOOTING: Diop has a very soft shooting touch for someone with such long arms and big hands and shows quite good form on his free-throws. He did not play many minutes in these two games (16 mins combined).
POSITION OFFENSE: His center of gravity is too high when he catches the ball down low on offense which causes him to have no explosiveness and move slower than he really is. Doesn’t have a go-to move in the post and was called for traveling a few times when he was rushing his moves to the basket. He doesn’t keep his hands ready for the penetration and dish pass and doesn’t stay low and get to the proper receiver points on the floor looking for the ball, which limits his effectiveness. His is quite active on the offensive glass which is a something he needs to be great at, but due to his slight frame he gets muscled away from the basket at times and gets called for over the back fouls when he is reaching over for the offensive rebound.
DEFENSE/REBOUNDING: Diop is active on the defensive end of the floor and does a good job of keeping his arms spread out so he takes up as much space as possible in the paint. For being 6’10” he has decent foot speed that will continue to improve and does a good job of staying on the ground and not jumping at shot fakes to block shots. Because of his long frame he can get called for quick fouls as opponents attack his arms and try to create contact, causing the referee to make a decision. He boxes out well on every possession and creates the contact himself to better his position which is a positive given his slight frame.
MISCELLANEOUS: He is a raw talent that has a great basketball body that he will grow into eventually. His balance, footwork and strength are all intangibles he needs to work on especially on the offensive end of the court. He seems to be very coachable and willing to learn which is a great trait to have.
OVERALL RATING: 8 – Diop is all about potential. He has a real high ceiling due to his height and incredible length. He is definitely a project player but with the right work ethic and good coaching the sky is the limit for him. Probably wont be an impact player on the U16 level this year but in a few years when he is stronger and more agile he has the potential to be selected in the NBA Draft.
Photo: I.D.
