Name: John Riek Position: Center Height: 7-2 (2.18m) Weight: 240 (109kg) College Team: Tennessee Temple Crusaders Nationality: Sudanese Birthplace: Khartoum, Sudan Birthdate: 11/1/1989 (Disputed!) Drafted: Declared for the 2008 NBA Draft but withdrew... Automatically eligible for the 2013 NBA Draft but was not drafted by an NBA franchise...

Strengths: Athletically, Riek is a good runner of the court able to keep up with most shooting guards … That unique ability for his size allows him to be a great help defender when rotating over from the weak side … Possesses good hands that enable him to catch even difficult passes in the post … From an offensive standpoint he has really worked hard to develop a steady turnaround with moderate results, but the promise is there … Physically, with his long arms and decent athleticism, Riek should continue to be a force as a shot blocker on any level of basketball … A surprisingly efficient rebounder when out of position - considering his size, his lateral movement to adjust is impressive … Fundamentally, he understands the value of keeping the ball high after rebounds and when receiving the ball on offense … When aggressive he can be a great finisher around the basket … Very fluid in his movements without the mechanical or stiff feeling that others with his height possess … From a potential standpoint Riek should have a lot of room for growth in both fundamentals and thinking the game …

Weakness: Struggles to gain great position with physically strong defenders … This may improve if he continues to add upper body strength to his frame … Lacks the feel for the game that most at his age level possess … Offensively, his game is vastly undeveloped … His back to the basket skills show promise but lack any variety or great execution … Timing on his blocks can be suspect as he tends to bite on pump fakes and hesitation moves … Post footwork needs a good deal of refinement - as of now it borders between choppy and awkward … Struggles to finish after absorbing contact in the post … Finds himself in foul trouble due to a tendency to be overaggressive on defense … Lacks the court vision to quickly react to double teams … Riek’s true age will have a tremendous effect on his draft status - although listed at 19 many in various basketball communities have expressed serious doubts and have placed him from 23 to 25 years old …

Matthew Maurer - 1/3/08

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Article: John Riek: Cheating the System?