Khem Birch, the writing is on the wall.

University of Pittsburgh-commit

Junior-High School

Forward

6’9”

185 lb.s

Winchendon School

Fitchburg, MA

@Kkay_B

Highlights

Long Story Short: A whirlwind in the post who excels on the boards and blocking shots at a high rate thanks to his size and length.  Deceivingly strong and an efficient scorer, but needs to work on perimeter shooting and building muscle to play in the NCAA and beyond.

Resembles: Kenyon Martin

Rating: 5 Star, A+ NBA prospect

Does Well:

• Very strong player with a great motor; tough, aggressive post player who strikes with great quickness
• Outstanding rebounder, knack for grabbing offensive boards for easy put backs
• Superb instincts and reacts swiftly, great awareness on both ends of the court
• Efficiently productive player who doesn’t need a ton of shots to score point or make an impact
• Skilled shot blocker thanks to combination of long arms and defensive instincts
• Post positioning is accurate every time, gets to the right spot to make the play
• Solid free throw shooter who gets to the line frequently and converts

Must Improve:

• Build strength and muscle to cement himself in post and bang against college level talent
• Extend shooting range and keep working on perimeter shooting stroke
• Bodying up and playing better on-ball defense in the post
• Ball handling and perimeter creating ability off the dribble

Translation To Next Level:

Birch has two years left before he hits the college scene for an NCAA team, but he could easily be a program changer and impact player right now.  He is a whirlwind in the post because of his speed, size, strength, skills, and instincts.  His mobility and quickness in the post is unparalleled.  He is a great defensive player who picks up steals and an exceptionally high number of blocks.  The majority of his points come from 10 feet and in, as they should.  He dominates games because his skill set and athleticism is a cut above the rest and he shows up every game with them.  An extremely talented, productive player who’s the whole package for a forward, and the cream of the crop for the 2012 prep class.

Final Thoughts:

Khem was the International player of the tournament in the 2010 Nike Global Challenge, averaging 23 points on 71% shooting, 13 reb. (5 per offensive), and 4 blocks a contest.  He is extremely active on the boards and gets a lot of points off of tip-ins.  He also has great hands and can be found on the finishing end of alley-oops.  He runs the floor very well for a forward as well.  He is better at facing up in the post than with his back to the basket, but it will come as he works on his post game.  He will be a dominating post player in the NCAA, but is a small forward prospect for his eventual transition to the NBA.  In order to make it to that level, he will need to extend his shooting range and consistency, as well as incorporating the 3-pointer into his game.

 

 

 

 

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