Kristian Cooper 6’4 190 2020 VA Playmakers AAU/Matoaca High School (Chesterfield VA)
Kristian is a long, bulky and athletic forward with a 6’10 wingspan and broad shoulders. He runs the floor extremely well for a young man his size and has amazingly light and quick feet. Kristian offers a lot of offensive versatility with solid back to the basket options at his disposal along with the ability to put the ball on the floor effectively and score with the jumper out to the three point arc! He has the strength to establish deep post position and overwhelm most defenders and have his way inside. Has a powerful drop step move and finishes at a very high rate inside. You can see bodies stagger backwards as if thrust off his powerful frame as he asserts his will around the rim. One play in particular demonstrated his combination of quickness and power; he was working against a defender in the post and abruptly spun off him, then with his terrific length lunged to the rim and easily converted the layup rendering the defender helpless to do anything about it. Not only was the spin itself very quick and set up nicely, he ate up a lot of ground quickly as he extended to the rim. Kristian is also a good passer from the post, recognizes double downs and passes out of them or can use the dribble if doubled in the short corner to get space and pass out of trap situations. He handles the ball well enough to make a move on the perimeter in isolation or take a rebound and lead the break or go coast to coast with impressive speed and fluidity in the open floor, eyes up the floor looking to make the pass ahead or ready to go end to end with the dribble and capably make a play in transition. Sees the floor and passes well for his size! Kristian is equally comfortable catching the ball out to the three point line where he has a sweet, fluid stroke on a very good jumper. He has a soft touch and looks very confident facing the rim and executing playmaking skills. His smooth shooting stroke is in sharp contrast to his punishing finishes inside! Kristian handles the ball well and can get good looks off the bounce, even pull up and hit the jumper off the dribble. He is an active rebounder, goes out of his area regularly with great timing and intensity to gather in rebounds. He has excellent footwork and that, coupled with his mobility and length allows him to defend multiple positions effectively. He has a quick and powerful first jump and good timing on blocked shots. Does a good job moving his feet and getting into help position, boxes out regularly and really works hard on both ends of the floor. The sky is the limit for Kristian, he should be an impact player as early as next season and soon draw the attention of college coaches at all levels.