Strengths: Solid athlete who can run the floor very well and possesses above average leaping ability Because of his strength he is able to get excellent position on the blocks For his size he shows great agility around the basket Does a very good job at drawing contact in the lane and more importantly once contact occurs he has the strength and body control to finish Has shown the ability to hit the 18-19 foot jumper when needed Has soft hands which allow him to catch most passes thrown into the post Plays every game with passion and intensity A player who is not easily intimidated Due to his aggressiveness and size he is a great offensive rebounder Is a solid passer for a player his size and age although his decision making is still a work in progress On tip-ins and lay-in’s he displays soft touch around the basket Defensively he has very quick hands capable of intercepting most passes Smart defender who will often allow his man to front him once the pass is made and has enough quickness to quickly jump in front for the steal Owns a solid work ethicand has the desire to be great not just good

Weaknesses: Has a bad habit of picking up quick fouls due to over aggressiveness when guarding his man Needs to work on recognizing double teams better as he is often slow to react to them Fundamentally he is a little behind in his development as he has had to play out of position for his team Offensively he still has a tendency to rely too much on his back to the basket power game instead of concentrating on face up skills Height is inflated, although Schortsanitis is listed by “some” at 6′11″, he looks to be between 6′8″ to 6′9″ Despite his ability to draw contact in the lane, his below average free throw shooting inhibits him from taking full advantage of his opportunities While he has range on his jumper, he lacks consistency Tends to put the ball on the floor rather than immediately going up with the ball after receiving it in the post Although a solid rebounder he is still learning how to get rebounds out of position although with added game experience this should be less of an issue Defensively he is not a great shot blocker as he is still learning defensive footwork and timing

Notes: Schortsanitis made enormous strides over the last year. One year ago he was a great prospect capable of dominating his age group but lacked the skills and experience to play against professionals. He has really come a long way in a short time. His numbers are completely mind blowing to Europeans. Playing in the Greek League which is the 3-4th best league in all of Europe, Sophocles averaged 11 points 6 rebounds in 21.5 minutes in 23 games. He shot 58% from the field and had more offensive rebounds than defensive 3.3 to 3. He totaled five doudle doubles, with his best game 20p 11r against Panionios.

Strengths: A Greek Baby Shaq? A super prospect with developing offensive skills. He plays with aggressiveness, intelligence. a solid inside game with post moves, baby hooks, and his shot from the 16-18 feet is excellent. Unselfish player with great agility. He sets up screens extremely well. Has the smooth moves of a forward combined with muscles that allow him to be dominant on the boards. He jumps impetuously for rebounds, both on offense and defense. He can handle the ball well from the one paint to the other. His approach to devloping his game is very mature.

Weaknesses: Inexperience. Must stay focused. Gets into foul trouble easily (mainly due to his passion to play good defense). Needs to work more on his free throws in order not to face problems in the future. Still has a ways to go in terms of development, but with such a strong work ethic, there’s no telling how good he can be. Still isn’t asked much of because he is playing against much older and more experienced players. He is being nurtured along slowly to best facilitate his skills and potential. (Could be closer to 6′8″, but at just 16, he figures to continue to grow.)

Notes: The first thing that comes to mind when watching this kid is that its rare to find a body with such amazing strength and size at the age 16 (born June 22, 1985). Son of a Greek father and a Cameroonian mother, Schortsanitis impressed last year Iraklis American player, Tony Farmer ( former Golden State Warriors Forward), who gave him the name Baby Shaq, because of his beast-strength and his inside game. Another impressive element of his game is his fighting spirit on defense. He is a quick learner and a pearly character. He will probably be a 7 footer of 280 pounds full of muscles and strength. Schortsanitis will benefit greatly from the fact that he has competed against professionals in a very tough league from age 15. He has similar game to Eddy Curry of the Chicago Bulls. Right now, he is a “Baby-Shaq” that spends hours upon hours in the gym lifting weights or training both with the youngs and the pro players.

Sofoklis has African blood, his mother is from Cameroon and his father from Greece. His real height is 204 cm, his weight is 120, maybe 130 kilos! He has incredible power, strength and body control, so at the junior level he’s an illegal weapon! He can slam the ball after an offensive board or a teammates dish, and has confidence underneath to find a solution. He could improve his range, but has decent touch and is able to control the ball in the open court at high speed. He is playing with the majors already with Iraklis Thessaloniki in the Greek League averaging 6.4 minutes and 2.6 points per game.