2 guys are standing out to me:

Stanley Burrell, 6-3, 190.- Quick, nice first Step. They said he was a lock down defender in college. He was an undersized 2 in college, but is playing the point in the camp.

Cross-Country Workout Swing: Part One, PTC @IMG Academy
May 17, 2008
Burrell left a strong impression with the way he played at Portsmouth, and he continued to impress here at the Pro Training Center at IMG Academy as well, as he is very good at a couple of things he does well. The first thing you notice about him is his chiseled frame—clearly indicating the amount of time he’s spent in the weight room. Beyond his strength, he looks very fundamentally sound, mature, and is also a very good shooter. Defensively, he is off the charts as you would expect considering his status as Atlantic-10 Defensive Player of the Year. He might have been the hardest working player here in the various drills, and seemed very genuine in the way he cheered his teammates on. He’s a confident guy, and also very well spoken. As a very undersized shooting guard, without incredible ball-skills or athleticism to compensate, it’s probably going to be tough for him to make the NBA. But it’s not tough to envision him finding a lot of success overseas, and continuing to improve over the next few years thanks to his work ethic.

Fran Elegar, Drexel, 6-9, 220:

Rank Category Total
25 DRB/g 6
7 FTA/Pos 0.56
18 Fta/g 6.9
16 Fta/40 9.2
16 Fta/40p 9.3

All-Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, Second-Team
April 16, 2008
Frank Elegar is someone we hadn’t written about prior to Portsmouth, but has long been on our radar screen. That said, he definitely exceeded expectations with his performance, quickly emerging as one of the more intriguing players in the tournament. Elegar possesses very good mobility and fluidity for his size, along with solid explosiveness and quickness, though his most impressive asset is his freakish 7’4 wingspan, which he uses well in all facets of the game.

On the offensive end, Elegar shows nice flashes of post-up and face-up moves, mostly post-up, where he has the makings of a nice finesse game. Not being the thickest player in the world and probably being in need of more upper and lower body strength (lower more so), he isn’t really able to establish dominant position or push his opponents around, so he relies on hook shots, turnaround jumpers, and up-and-unders, which he showed flashes of here and throughout his career. He’ll occasionally try to mix in some face-up moves off one or two dribbles as well, but he doesn’t usually get very far, and that’s definitely an area he could improve on. He also doesn’t show much of a mid-range jumper, and for the frequency he gets to the free-throw line (second most free throw attempts per possession in our entire database), he could also improve on his 67% from the line.

Elegar does show nice flashes in multiple areas, but his post game could still use some refining and his footwork doesn’t always look especially fluid. Because he really lacks go-to shot-creating moves, he can go through spurts where he isn’t able to contribute in the scoring column, resulting in inconsistent performances. For example, during a week in early January, he posted 33 points on Delaware, followed it up with 2 points against Northeastern, and then rebounded back with 29 points against Towson.

Elegar does contribute in other areas of the game, and he notably upped his rebounds, steals, and blocks per game this season without an increase in minutes, and it’s definitely apparent how he uses his physical tools to make an impact in these hustle areas of the game. He tries to pull down rebounds in a crowd, contests shots in the post and on the perimeter, and uses his length in the passing lanes. On the boards, due to his thin frame, he isn’t the best boxing out, and he relies too much on his physical tools here, resulting in inconsistent performances in this area as well.

Defensively, Elegar shows nice versatility as a post defender, showing good fundamentals and playing a very active game, using his length to front, poking at the ball from behind when his man has the ball, and using his length to contest shots. He can be backed down due to lack of strength at times, though. On the perimeter, he shows an active stance, but he isn’t tested much with his lateral quickness, playing center in college.

All in all, Elegar is definitely someone who teams will be studying closely, as with his physical tools, he can possibly make an impact in the NBA, especially if he can progress in his skill development in one way or another. If he can continue to play with a consistently high motor at Orlando and in summer league, he could possibly earn himself a roster spot this year, and if not, he is someone who we’d keep an eye on for the future if he continues to develop his game.

He averaged 14, 8, and 1.9 blocks last year.


[Edited by - joec32033 on 30 May 2008 10:29]