RealGM: From The Rafters - Prospect Reports: Richard Hendrix And Alonzo Gee Of Alabama

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Prospect Reports: Richard Hendrix And Alonzo Gee Of Alabama

Authored by Christopher Reina - 19th February, 2008 - 7:42 pm

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Alabama has undoubtedly struggled in the win-loss columns this season, but they have been consistently competitive and feature a pair of juniors that could be late first rounders/second rounders in Richard Hendrix and Alonzo Gee.

Hendrix is the more celebrated prospect with his finely-tuned NBA-ready skills at the power forward position.

With Jermareo Davidson no longer in Tuscaloosa, Hendrix has been even more confident as a junior and has improved in nearly every statistical category from last season with the notable exception of his free throw shooting. He is shooting just 52% from the line, likely due to an unforgivable hitch in his technique.

Hendrix’s greatest asset is how well he uses his wide frame on the offensive end of floor and his overall footwork. He uses his body to get wide and seal defenders in the post and has extremely soft hands on the catch. Like Brook Lopez of Stanford and Kevin Love of UCLA, Hendrix does much of his work to score in the post before he even receives the ball.

He has great awareness of where he is on the floor and can score in multiple ways, whether with nice touch off the glass with either hand or a power dunk. Hendrix flashes well to the ball and is able to get himself open despite the constant attention unlike fellow SEC power forward Patrick Patterson.

He must become a better jump shooter which will make him a more useful player on the mid-post and on the pick and pop.

As you’d expect from a player with his skill-set, Hendrix is an effective passer with great vision and anticipation of everything that transpires on the floor.

He is a hard-working, mentally sound player but lacks some of the athleticism and quickness needed for a player of his height to truly excel on the NBA level. A success story like Carl Landry in Houston definitely does help his case, however.

While Hendrix is extremely consistent, Gee is anything but. There will be extended stretches where he looks like a top-15 pick but others where you think his next destination will be Europe. He will pour in 32 and 27 against Florida and Tennessee and then score just 5 at Rupp Arena on 1-9 shooting.

He has a good 3-point shot and too often adversely falls in love with it which doesn’t take full advantage of his strength and athleticism. He is shooting 32% from behind the arc, but his mechanics and form suggest that he should be a 40% shooter from this area; however, many of his misses are simply due to poor shot selection. He isn’t afraid to shoot tightly contested 3-pointers, which is a positive somewhere in theory but doesn’t do his percentage any favors.

He has improved his dribble drive moves considerably over the course of this season. When he makes a concerted effort to dribble into the lane, he is truly a dangerous wing and is a far better overall offensive player.

Gee can beat even the most athletic SEC defenders off the dribble with a variety of crossovers and hesitation moves, all built off a fast initial step. He can take it all the way to the bucket or can turn it into a post play for a turnaround from about 10-feet and in.

When he gets into the lane, he has great body control especially because he’s almost strictly a two-foot jumper.

If he draws a crowd, Gee is a good passer and typically finds the open man.

As you’d expect from a player with his level of athleticism and strength, Gee is also a very good rebounder. He has a very good sense of how to get into space to really elevate for the ball.

Gee is clearly much more of a work in progress but has more upside than his teammate. He will be more closely scrutinized and a bigger gamble but can become a diet-Carmelo if he continues to stress to himself the importance of using his dribble to get into the paint.

Past Prospect Reports

Prospect Report on Marreese Speights Of Florida

Prospect Reports on Dozier, Douglas-Roberts and Dorsey of Memphis

Prospect Report on Derrick Rose of Memphis

Prospect Report on Michael Beasley of Kansas State

Prospect Report on D.J. Augustin of Texas

Prospect Report on Jordan Hill of Arizona

Prospect Report on Jerryd Bayless of Arizona

Prospect Report on O.J. Mayo of USC

Prospect Report on Davon Jefferson of USC

Prospect Report on Eric Gordon of Indiana

Christopher Reina is the executive editor of RealGM. He can be reached at Christopher.Reina@RealGM.com where he may use your draft questions in a future mailbag edition