NBA Comparison: Kirk Haston

Strengths: Bigman with solid fluidity, mobility and footwork … Surprising agility for a player out of the Patriot League … Has good experience with four seasons of college ball under his belt … Polished offensive game … Excellent touch and a skilled offensive player showing the ability to consistently knock down shots from 15-18 feet … His statistics show that he’s a solid contibutor on both ends of the floor … Solid passer for a bigman … Dominated the Patriot League averging 18.7 ppg , 11.1 rpg, 2.4 bpg and 2.3 spg, earning conference player of the year …

Weaknesses: While a fluid athlete, he lacks the explosiveness and overall quickness and athleticism to stand out at the next level … Lacks upper body strength. Appears to shy away from contact at times. A finesse player who is most comfortable facing the basket and knocking down mid-range shots … And lack of physicality may limit his effectiveness on the boards and defensively … Averagd 2.4 blocked shots per game, but there is some question about whether he could do that against a higher level of competition … Known for being a quality shooter, however his 25% 3 point shooting in his senior year was surprisingly bad … Had strong #s but level of competition concerns could temper scout’s reviews of him … His inability to step up in the NCAA tourney did his stock no favors …

Notes: Viewed by scouts as a likely draft pick and probable mid second rounder … Struggled in Bucknell’s lone tourney game against Butler’s Andrew Smith hitting just 4-17 from the floor and finishing in single digits in pts (9).

Aran Smith 3/28/13