You can’t talk about basketball without talking about Pennsylvania. This state has always lived, breathed, and died for hoops, and who could blame them?
As they have seen some of the most impressive basketball players ever grow and take their talents to the NBA.
We’re talking about guys like Kobe Bryant, Wilt Chamberlain, Pete Maravich, and Paul Arizin, among many others. Pennsylvania is the ultimate basketball state. And as such, some of their young guns are likely to become NBA superstars in the future.
But most of them still need to go through college and the NCAA tourney first, which is you should keep an eye on our March Madness betting tips on Pickboss.com. With that in mind, we’re going to let you know everything there is to know about them.
Most Impressive Prospects Form Pennsylvania
5) Christian Fermin // C, VCU
Christian Fermin rose to prominence as a Junior, earning second-team all-Pennsylvania honors and gathering offers from other NCAA programs, such as St. Joe’s, Pittsburgh, Temple, and Penn State, before eventually committing to VCU.
His strong frame gives him an NBA-ready body already. However, he needs to work on his footwork and not focus just on his raw physicality and athleticism. He bodes well as a rim protector and could be a legit generational stopper at the next level.
4) Ryan Dunn // SF, Virginia
Photo: —When talking about Ryan Dunn, most people are quick to bring his size up, and for very good reasons. Nonetheless, he’s way more than just long, lanky arms. He’s an elite shooter and a much better ball-handler than people credit him for, and those traits cannot be overlooked.
Dunn’s wingspan and size allow him to be a positive asset defensively in most matchups. Of course, he’ll need to bulk up to thrive with the pros, and he might need to stay in college for at least another season before being NBA-ready, but he might as well end up being a first-round pick after another season in Virginia.
3) Adou Thiero // PG/SG, Kentucky
If John Calipari and Kentucky want you, then you must be pretty good. That’s why NBA scouts are already keeping an eye on combo guard Adou Thiero, one of the most intriguing prospects in the world. He was unranked when the Wildcats reached out to him, so it was rather shocking to see them interested in him.
Calipari raved about Thiero’s work ethic and physicality, two traits that usually translate into success at the next level. Still, he’s perhaps the rawest prospect of all we mentioned in this list, so it’ll be interesting to see how they bring him up and develop him.
2) Daniel Skillings // SG, Cincinnati
Talking about raw prospects, Daniel Skillings wasn’t even a full-time hooper not so long ago. But his physical traits make him a guy with untapped potential once he gets a hold of the game and the game slows down for him. He’s been on a rapid rise in the ranks thanks to his work ethic and natural instincts.
Simply put, there are no glaring holes or needs in Skillings’ game, so we wouldn’t be shocked to see him ranking even higher come NBA Draft time. He’s elite in transition and long enough to be a plus-defender at the next level. He doesn’t make a lot of mistakes, and the game just comes naturally to him.
1) Dereck Lively II // C, Duke
Even though the league is shifting more towards the perimeter nowadays, the big man will never be a dying breed, as some want to put it. If you don’t take our word for it, just take a look at Duke C Dereck Lively II, a physical specimen that could find plenty of success at the next level.
He’s got elite coordination for his size and has made a living out of swatting shots into the standings and making his presence felt in the restricted area. He will need to bulk up to handle the NBA’s physicality, but he could be an All-Defensive kind of big man.
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