7 foot 8th grader Thon Maker

[GOBB]

Someone call Hakeem Olajuwon (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=AzE26V7y8SE)

Article on kid (http://rivals.yahoo.com/highschool/blog/prep_rally/post/Enigmatic-14-year-old-7-footer-a-top-middle-scho?urn=highschool-wp10047)

:eek:

I'm not making him out to be the next great thing. I'm just in awe of a kid this size, fluid in the 8th grade. Because I know Tyson Chandler was pretty tall and drew hype, some national attention. So make note I'm not making any crazy claims. Just posting a video of this tall ass 8th grader. Stuff like this always has me like wtf.

[B]

Thon Maker.

Name alone sounds like a truckload.

We play ball because Thon Maker says we can

[305Baller]

Someone call Hakeem Olajuwon (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=AzE26V7y8SE)

Article on kid (http://rivals.yahoo.com/highschool/blog/prep_rally/post/Enigmatic-14-year-old-7-footer-a-top-middle-scho?urn=highschool-wp10047)

:eek:

I'm not making him out to be the next great thing. I'm just in awe of a kid this size, fluid in the 8th grade. Because I know Tyson Chandler was pretty tall and drew hype, some national attention. So make note I'm not making any crazy claims. Just posting a video of this tall ass 8th grader. Stuff like this always has me like wtf.

oh you wont say it but i will, media, leave the NEXT CHAMBERLAIN alone and let him blossom into the NEXT CHAMBERLAIN without annointing him anything stupid like King James or NEXT CHAMBERLAIN.

[305Baller]

[QUOTE=B

[DuMa]

I like his name already. Looks like they are gonna develop him right.

[B]

His neck is longer than my forearms.

[BarberSchool]

I'm sold.

A dominant point-center who will be the 2024 NBA MVP.

The kid moves a bit slow, but has coordination and fine touch. As he fills out, the explosiveness he's lacking will materialize.

[ProfessorMurder]

Holy ****.

[Meticode]

God he's so skinny, I know he's only 14, but damn.

[FrenchDude]

He looks like Manute Bol.

[GOBB]

[QUOTE=B

[mattvNJ]

i don't under stand how people get that tall at that age haha... he moves very goofy like, but yea like said before if and when he fills out hell become a beast if all goes to plan and they develop him the right way.

[jlip]

How old are the other players such as this guy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=AzE26V7y8SE#t=0m47s) who is actually the same height as he is?

[Collie]

Looks very mobile and already has skills.

[acerlghp]

:eek: that's just too tall

[josh99]

He's not good, he just plays against 6'6 white guys. No seriously, that guy is frickin skinny.

[GOBB]

How old are the other players such as this guy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=AzE26V7y8SE#t=0m47s) who is actually the same height as he is?

He's at a basketball camp so I believe those dudes are older.

[Collie]

He's not good, he just plays against 6'6 white guys. No seriously, that guy is frickin skinny.

Nah man, I saw some 6-10 dudes in the video.

[DMV2]

I like his name already. Looks like they are gonna develop him right.
Is it because his first name is almost the same as a famous Vietnamese name?

I actually have his first name but only with the Viet spelling variation.

[Pushxx]

It pained me to watch how slow and strangely his body moved.

I was cringing waiting for his arm to snap off or something...damn. He has absolutely no leg power.

[9512]

He is probably a lock-in to make millions of dollars in the NBA for 10+seasons. Whether he is the next Hakeem or Kwame, it don't matter.

[ZenMaster]

Crazy, I coach a 6-6 /6-7 8th grader who's pretty athletic and pretty strong and it's crazy seeing a guy that much taller at the same age. He looks like Manute Bol.

[BarberSchool]

he moves very goofy likeHe just doesn't have quite enough muscle to pull those bones explosively yet. It's not like he moves like Hasheem Thabeet's knock-kneed @ss. His frame looks right, and his coordination is far far better than any 7-footer I used to play against in AAU ball during 8th grade.

[ALBballer]

Very KG like...

[(e)]

Dude needs to hit the weight room before his damn legs snap. But really it looks like he's got tons of potential

[jstern]

It's so rare to be 7 foot, so I wonder what percentage of future 7 footers teenagers who put in the effort actually make it to the NBA. I just can't imagine not making it if putting in a good effort.

[IGOTGAME]

He's not good, he just plays against 6'6 white guys. No seriously, that guy is frickin skinny.

the comp is horrible but he looks good athletically.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MydoC4AxyDI

[GOBB]

the comp is horrible but he looks good athletically.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MydoC4AxyDI

Is he African? And if so, is he really the age he is said to be?

[IGOTGAME]

Is he African? And if so, is he really the age he is said to be?

I think he is Australian.

[inclinerator]

he moves like kevin durant, even his jumper looks like durants

[konex]

I was pleasantly surprised to see he has a lot of skill to go along with his size :applause:

[ClutchOver9000]

that is freakishly tall for only being in middle school...

and to reiterate for the previous posters, kid looks really really thin...

[DuMa]

damn he is developing into a nice player.

[el gringos]

You hasseled me over a typo about Jared Cunningham being a top 2012 draft pg prospect when I accidentaly wrote 2015- and now you are talking about a kid that at earliest could (very slightly possibley) be involved in a 2017-18 draft



Its ok that you don't know who Jared Cunningham is

[1rkrage]

I was pleasantly surprised to see he has a lot of skill to go along with his size :applause:
poor kid has no chance to make it in the NBA now :coleman:

[inclinerator]

thong maker

[jlauber]

Virtually EVERY 7-3+ NBA player has either been crappy, injury-prone, or BOTH. The vast majority were BOTH.

[MeLO MvP 15]

I know everyone has different growth patterns, but most people grow a couple of more inches in high school. I think I grew like 5 inches from freshman year to senior year.

And btw, Idk why but I mis-read the title at first as "7 foot 8 incher" and was expecting those Indian brothers.

[GOBB]

You hasseled me over a typo about Jared Cunningham being a top 2012 draft pg prospect when I accidentaly wrote 2015- and now you are talking about a kid that at earliest could (very slightly possibley) be involved in a 2017-18 draft



Its ok that you don't know who Jared Cunningham is

What?

[LoneyROY7]

Somebody get this kid a steak.

[Psileas]

Is he African? And if so, is he really the age he is said to be?

His appearance (face, extremely dark color, thinness, height) screams African descent (regardless of whether or not he's considered Australian), and I wouldn't be surprised at all if his roots stem from the Dinka tribe. He looks quite a bit like a junior Manute Bol.

A bit OT, but, coincidentially, while looking at the same video channel, I spotted this video of a 19 year-old bigger than Shaq:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myBjA-sPAJ8&feature=relmfu

[Rake2204]

His appearance (face, extremely dark color, thinness, height) screams African descent (regardless of whether or not he's considered Australian), and I wouldn't be surprised at all if his roots stem from the Dinka tribe. He looks quite a bit like a junior Manute Bol.

A bit OT, but, coincidentially, while looking at the same video channel, I spotted this video of a 19 year-old bigger than Shaq:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myBjA-sPAJ8&feature=relmfu
At what point do you think dunking in high school suddenly becomes less of a big deal, where people more or less shrug at a slam as opposed to freaking out? Is 7'4'' the cutoff? 7'0'' flat? At what point is it no longer humiliating to get slammed on? All those kids were getting dunked on in that video but they all seemed to resign themselves to the fact it was going to happen (and rightfully so). But where's the cutoff?

I was watching a Lenny Cooke video the other day and he was an NBA talent, so one may believe his repeated dunks may have been ho-hum and expected, but the crowd was still eating them up.

[CelticBaller]

Beast :applause:

[bdreason]

At what point do you think dunking in high school suddenly becomes less of a big deal, where people more or less shrug at a slam as opposed to freaking out? Is 7'4'' the cutoff? 7'0'' flat? At what point is it no longer humiliating to get slammed on? All those kids were getting dunked on in that video but they all seemed to resign themselves to the fact it was going to happen (and rightfully so). But where's the cutoff?

I was watching a Lenny Cooke video the other day and he was an NBA talent, so one may believe his repeated dunks may have been ho-hum and expected, but the crowd was still eating them up.


Dunking is pretty common at the High School level. I'm a 6'3" white boy and I was dunking my Freshman year (not in games).

[jlauber]

Dunking is pretty common at the High School level. I'm a 6'3" white boy and I was dunking my Freshman year (not in games).


Check out the 5-9 Calvin Murphy...

http://apse.dallasnews.com/contest1999/writing/100-250.hartford2.html


Murphy learned to score in Norwalk and on urban courts across the state.

"There was a single light on a pole and I'd shoot out behind Central Junior High, which was three doors down from my home," he says. "I'd play 24 hours straight if I could. In the winter I'd be out there with that snow shovel, clearing out a space to play."

His first dunk came in the 10th grade.

He was 5-8.



Or David Thompson...

http://espnradio.espn.go.com/espnradio/story?storyId=1189748


Nicknamed the Skywalker for his incredible leaping ability, David first dunked a basketball when he was 5' 7 and in the 8th grade

And speaking of White players...

how about the 6-4 Jim Pollard...who played in college in the 40's...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Pollard


In the NBA, Pollard was considered one of the best forwards in the 1940s and 1950s, and was known for his leaping ability[1] (Pollard would occasionally dunk from the free throw line during warmups[2]) earning him the nickname "The Kangaroo Kid".




Gus Johnson back in 1963?

http://www.cornerclubmoscow.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1&Itemid=2


When Johnson played at Idaho in 1963, he already had a reputation as a leaper of the highest order. One evening at the Corner Club, a local tavern on Main Street in Moscow, Johnson was requested by owner Herm Goetz to display his rare ability to the patrons. The Corner Club was a very modest establishment, converted from a white-stuccoed small chapel in the 1940s with hardwood floors and a beamed ceiling. From a standing start near the bar, Johnson touched a spot on a beam 11'6" (3.505 m) above the floor. This spot was ceremoniously marked with a nail by Goetz, who then proudly proclaimed that anyone who could duplicate the feat could drink for free. A 40-inch (1.016 m) diameter circle was painted on the floor, and both feet had to start inside the circle to ensure a standing start. A full 23 years went by with many attempts at Gus Johnson's Nail, including Bill Walton in the summer of 1984, but there were no successes.

That was until 1986, when the College of Southern Idaho basketball team from Twin Falls stopped in town in January on their way to a game against NIC in Coeur d'Alene. Joey Johnson, a younger brother of then NBA star Dennis Johnson, was brought into the Corner Club for a try. The 6'3" (1.905 m) guard had a 48" (1.219 m) vertical leap and could put his chin on a basketball rim (10 feet (3.048 m)) with a running start.

Johnson laced up his shoes and touched the nail on his first try but was disqualified because he did not start with both feet inside the 40-inch circle. The next attempt came from a legal static start but was just a bit short. On his third try, Johnson grabbed and bent the legendary nail, a landmark event in Vandal sports history. Goetz pulled the nail out of the beam and pounded it back in, a half inch (13 mm) higher.



BTW, how high could that Joey Johnson leap?

http://tucsoncitizen.com/wildaboutazcats/2010/07/25/johnsons-potential-literally-through-the-roof/

[QUOTE]Joey Johnson, a former ASU player, was once measured with a 52-inch vertical leap. That measures to 4 feet, 4 inches. The elder Johnson was listed at 6 feet, 3 inches, during his playing days. Add that up: Just by him leaping, the top of his head could go to 10 feet, 7 inches. The standard height of basketball rim is 10 feet.


He dunked a basketball in 1993 on a rim hoisted 11 feet, 7 inches, which was a world record until Harlem Globetrotters Michael

[Meticode]

It looks like if he took a charge to the chest, he would die.

[tommyhtc]

absolutely irrelevant crap on the 60s...



as much as I respect old posters, this seems pretty abrupt

[maybeshewill13]

It looks like if he took a charge to the chest, he would die.

Lol if Lebron came barreling down the court into this kid he wouldn't have any ribs left..

Hope he puts on a lot of weight as he matures.

[knickswin]

he kind of looks like kevin garnett . . .

it's hard to tell how he is offensively just from these videos. obviously, that hakeem pivot fake was beautiful. plus he's very young. but you can't always tell that much just from a few clips. I remember seeing a few clips of tyson chandler from high school where he looked fluid and looked like he had some game, but he was a mess compared to NBA post-up players.

[jlauber]

as much as I respect old posters, this seems pretty abrupt

Great reply. Now, go do some actual RESEARCH and get back to me. Virtually EVERYTHING we see in the game TODAY, was being done in the 60's...

[rhotar]

I know this kid from Australia, he is actually around 18-19, he finished high school a year or so ago...he use to live in perth and then moved over to sydney and then to america.

[LosBulls]

I was pleasantly surprised to see he has a lot of skill to go along with his size :applause:
Damnit, konex. :facepalm

[el gringos]

What?you complained about a typo and said it was ridiculous to talk about a 2015 draft (because you didn't know who Jared Cunningham or tony wroten was) yet you are talking about an 8th grader? It takes a while sometimes on ish to spot the jokes, thank you for making yourself eaSy to judge


Its ok you.don't know Jared Cunningham

[Magic731]

If he's Australian, hopefully he can lace up for us in the Olympics sometime soon and bring us to gold.

[alenleomessi]

Well he needs two things - Hakeem and some god damn food

[outbreak]

If he's Australian, hopefully he can lace up for us in the Olympics sometime soon and bring us to gold.

He's a Sudanese immigrant. Personally I don't buy his age if that's the case, I work in the languages field and alot of immigrants from around that area don't have a recorded d.o.b so make up what seems about right. Not saying anything sinister just alot of the parents when entering Australia don't have a recorded date. He looks solid but there wasn't any clips of him posting up, rebounding, blocking or being physical at all.

[DCL]

sh!t, he might hit 7'8" by the time he's done. 7'4" at least.

[blablabla]

why is everybody talking about hakeem
kareem should teach him how to hit a skyhook he'd be unstoppable

[Teanett]

garnett!

[04mzwach]

Where does he live again? Never hurts to be a part time agent. :lol

[alenleomessi]

why is everybody talking about hakeem
kareem should teach him how to hit a skyhook he'd be unstoppable
yeah because hitting skyhook is easy thing to do :rolleyes:

[GOBB]

you complained about a typo and said it was ridiculous to talk about a 2015 draft (because you didn't know who Jared Cunningham or tony wroten was) yet you are talking about an 8th grader? It takes a while sometimes on ish to spot the jokes, thank you for making yourself eaSy to judge


Its ok you.don't know Jared Cunningham

http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showthread.php?t=257532

You're dead wrong. You can apologize now.

This thread isnt making any predictions. Its simple showing a kid in 8th grade incredibly tall. I even said this. Guess you are a terrible reader? Judging by the link I showed you? You are.

[Force]

At 7 feet, he's too young to really judge too deeply. He moves well for that height. Let's let him finish puberty though. He has no power or strength at this point, it will start coming in 3 or 4 years and even then it won't be anything near what his potential should be. Let's revisit this one later

[DCL]

hakeem didn't even touch a friggin basketball until the age of 15.

but then again, hakeem was like 1 in a billion.

[blablabla]

yeah because hitting skyhook is easy thing to do :rolleyes:
I never said it was easy but if he starts practising in 8th grade he would be dangerous in college

[Rake2204]

Dunking is pretty common at the High School level. I'm a 6'3" white boy and I was dunking my Freshman year (not in games).
Perhaps I worded my initial post poorly. By "people" I was referring to fans. I am also 6'3'' and I was also dunking as a freshmen, but if I were to pull it off in a game, the crowd would go nuts, as in, they'd cheer louder for that than they would a layup. The teams I coach now at a middle-sized high school always have at least 3-5 players who can dunk in practice, but when they pull it off in games, the crowd still goes crazy, because it seems like a relatively rare commodity. I was just curious at what point the fans stop really treating the dunk any differently than a layup.

I'm guessing it'd have to do with the size difference of a player more so than his overall height. As in, I think things got a little ho-hum when our 6'7'' guy (big for our conference) had a non-powerful dunk against a team with its tallest defender being 6'3''. I suppose, thinking logically, I'm pretty sure fans are always loving power dunks or athletic slams, but the lame ones lose their luster after about 6'2'', thus leaving the excitement over a 7'4'' guy dunking to be limited.

[GOBB]

Yeah I kind of figured he was from Africa somewhere and if that is the case then his age comes into question unfortunately.

[jlauber]

If Don Nelson were coaching today, that kid would be playing in the NBA right now.

[AcquiringSteak]

wow nice thread, dude is straight beasting now

[DOUBLE DRIBBLE]

76ers already tanking the next 6 years so they can nab the #1 pick and select another Center.

[Akrazotile]

76ers already tanking the next 6 years so they can nab the #1 pick and select another Center.


GOAT organizational vision :bowdown:

[Lakers Fan]

Those handles and crossover! :eek:

From a 7 footer. Garnett Part Deux. :lol

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2529416-71-hs-center-thon-maker-crosses-up-defender-sinks-jumper-at-fab-48

[PejaNowitzki]

....