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The Sports Xchange

OVERVIEW

While he is still a neophyte on the basketball court, NBA scouts have made frequent trips to Spain to see the 18-year-old sensation in action. Most marvel at his awesome athletic ability, feeling that his quick grasp of the game and developing physical maturity will see him gel into an elite player, with patient coaching.

What they see is an athlete with incredible leaping ability, long wing span and impressive court quickness, much like that of a guard, rather than a forward. They see his passion for the game and the long hours he puts in watching videos of other athletes, looking to pick up the tricks of the trade.

His long trek from the Congo to Spain began in the city of Brazzaville, capital of the Republic of the Congo. It was not a very desirable place to be born and grow up during the 1990s. Poverty, high infant mortality, the civil war that erupted in 1997 and lasted two years without ever completely stopping, and the proximity of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (just across the Congo River), also in civil war since 1998, turned this small city in a very unsafe to live.

Ibaka is the son of two international basketball players, as his father in the Congo and mother in the Democratic Republic both excelled in the game. His father used to compete vs. Akeem Olajuwon, who went on to star in the NBA. Ibaka comes from a large family that consists of at least 18 brothers. Surviving and helping his family to do so were the only goals by Serge during his childhood.

In the Congo, despite the strong French influence after colonization, it is rare that people spend their youth to study and learn a trade; challenges arise in the shorter term. After the death of his mother in 1997 and the obvious danger of war, Ibaka wanted to play basketball and broke the barriers that were needed to achieve this.

With the help of his grandmother and one of her sisters, Ibaka was mentored by Maxime Mbochi, a famous former player and national selector, forged the foundation for Serge's technical basketball skills. "Players from Africa tend to have their weakness in the technique and fundamentals. This is not the case for Serge, as Mbochi did a great job in training him," said Pere Galician, Ibaka's agent.

Ibaka's progression was sudden. At age 16, he starred for Avenir du Rail, a team that won the "Championships Africa," a sort of Euroleague on the continent. Despite playing against adults, the youngster led the tournament in rebounds and earned the designation of being best pivot player in the competition.

At 16, Ibaka was a member of Prisse Mason, a third-level team competing on the French circuit. He later signed a professional contract to compete for C.B. L'Hospitalet in the Spanish League circuit. However, he did not receive his release from his team back in the Congo, nor from Prisse Mason, who claimed they still owned his rights.

In most African countries, federations have much power over the players, sometimes holding them for "ransom," demanding a hefty price for the athlete. The Spanish news service El Periódico de Catalunya reported that the FIBA revoked Ibaka's transfer after he played in one game for L'Hospitalet, making him ineligible to play professional basketball.

Both L'Hospitalet and Prisse-Mâcon, the French team that brought him to Europe from Africa, fought for Ibaka's rights. L'Hospitalet reportedly offering 30,000 Euros to solve the situation, but the French squad demanded a payment of 150,000 Euros. The manager of C.B. L'Hospitalet, Joan Tallada reaffirms "it was very, very complicated" in obtaining his release.

Ibaka was prevented from playing in Junior Championship in Spain. While the matter was being resolved, he competed with DKV Joventut in the Circuit U-20 ranks. After much haggling, Ibaka was finally cleared to resume playing for L'Hospitalet.

Against one of the elite teams in the Spanish LEB Gold (the Spanish second division) ranks, Alicante Costa Blanca, Ibaka scored 10 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, as L'Hospitalet lost by 26 points. In 28 games, he averaged 11.9 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, the third-best season total in the LEB Gold ranks. He also led the LEB Gold with an average of 3.14 blocked shots per game.

ANALYSIS

Positives: Has a thin, yet deceptively strong body, with a large wingspan (88 inches), long limbs, good balance and foot speed, along with room on his frame to carry additional bulk ... Can elevate higher than any other prospect in this draft (46-inch vertical), that he combines with his length and wingspan to be a physical presence crashing the boards ... Does a very good job reaching over the defender to get to the rebound, as he plays with a relentless nature attacking the rim, using his lower body strength well to push his man out of the paint ... His frame has yet to mature, but at this stage of his development, he has those overwhelming physical attributes, athleticism and love for the game that has some comparing him to former Houston great, Hakeem Olajuwon (not as big, but doctors feel Ibaka's frame will reach over seven feet and have the ability to mature to 250 pounds by the end of his growth development. Remember, he is only age 18) ... Runs the court very well for a big man, good enough to stay with wing players, despite his size ... Has very good stamina on the court and is the type ho can eat up large minutes of playing time without needing a breather (does have some foul issues, though) ... Can easily glide through the air to get to the basket and block shots ... Quick-twitch athlete who is a quick study that will not repeat the same mistake during the game ... His quick reactionary ability allows him to come off curls, stop on the dime to catch the ball while pulling up to sink a jumper ... Still, his money shot comes when he attacks his way inside the paint to put in a rim-jolting dunk ... Has shown steady improvement with his shooting mechanics, as he can consistently deliver with a very high release ... Still a work in progress with his overall game, but is an extremely hard worker that the coaches have to throw out of the gym, only to go home and spend the rest of the day watching game film (to say that basketball is his passion is an understatement) ... Can hedge on screens and shows the long reach and natural hands to reach around and take his man off the dribble ... Has started to develop efficient ball handling skills, showing later in the past season that he can put the ball on the floor for a dribble or two and then simply explode past slower front court defenders ... Uses his reach with good efficiency to keep the ball high when attempting the put-backs ... Has good mechanics and technique in regards to his shooting release point ... Has a strong defensive presence, and is quick to establish position under the boards ... Good at setting screens and is quick enough to handle full court defensive rotations ... With his ability to run the floor and mirror shooting guards, few perimeter shooters had success getting off their shot vs. him, as he has that outstanding vertical leaping ability and the timing to hit the floor and elevate on his second jump, giving him an excellent opportunity to alter shots ... What makes him such a physical shot blocker is his ability to explode off the floor and use his length to reach from behind the shooter that is attempting to finish at the rim, only to have Ibaka deflect the ball away ... As a professional in 2008, he seemed to have developed better timing when rotating from the weak side to alter shots above the top of the rim than he showed in junior competition last year ... Is very determined when playing off the offensive glass, where he can easily power his way and elevate for the put-back ... Nimble mover on the open court, displaying decent lateral agility to defend vs. smaller shooters on the perimeter ... Stays low in his stance and keeps his hands active when defending vs. the pick-and-roll ... Excels going for the rebound, as he has the large, soft and natural hands to come up with the ball while consistently boxing out his assignment ... Has very good coordination, especially when moving laterally and the explosive elevation to get up and over the rim to alter shots ... That excellent coordination is on display when he makes off-balance grabs for the ball on the rebound, using his long arms to get to balls that most forwards can't ... Can launch off the ground in an instant and hang in the air with good elegance on the way to the rim ... Displays very fluid footwork when parked in the post ... Explosive moving up and down the court ... Very good in the transition game, as he has the body control to consistently finish ... In LEB Gold competition, he introduced scouts to another developing area of his game, putting down turnaround jumpers from mid range with good success (mostly a dunker until later in the year) ... His game facing the basket is slowly developing, but he seems just as comfortable with his back to the rim ... Shows good balance and body control, setting his feet properly to get off a smooth turn-around jumper ... Has the range to make shots from the NBA three-point level, but needs to work on his accuracy ... Around the basket, he shows good touch and much better shot selection than he does along the perimeter ... Has developed an effective jump shot, but still makes most of his points off resounding dunks ... Likes to attack the basket from the inside and is showing a good feel for knowing how to draw contact to get to the free throw line ... Refined his free throw shooting mechanics last season, showing more fluidness with his elbows and a quick wrist flick.

Negatives: Naturally strong, but definitely needs further growth develop (must add at least another 20-25 pounds to his frame) to play the four-spot at the NBA level ... His offensive game is progressing, but he will still revert to executing dunks, as he does not yet have the confidence in his outside shooting skills ... With his raw skills in the post, he might not be ready to play power forward in the NBA, but he lacks the perimeter shooting range to get quality minutes at small forward ... Still developing a feel for the game and his basketball IQ is not yet ready for the pro ranks (has only one year of pro competition under his belt) ... Seems right-side dominant when attacking his opponent, making him a bit predictable when in the lane ... Needs to develop better post-up moves, as he does not get his body positioned properly for the guards to pass the ball inside to him ... Despite his size, he is more comfortable facing the basket as a shooter, as he seems to rely solely on his jump hook when playing with his back to the rim ... Must do a better job of filling open spaces when asked to get back and defend on the fast break ... Solid shot blocker and rebounder, but needs to face up to the smaller shooters better to prevent them from slashing to the rim ... Lacks that natural feel and court vision to be an efficient passer (41 turnovers trying to dish the ball out last year), sometimes rushing the ball to a spot he thinks his teammate will get to, only resulting in a costly turnover ... Has never played vs. elite competition (French team played in the third league and his Spanish squad was a member of the second level) ... Has a very nice and high release point, but needs to get his shot off quicker, as he takes too much time setting his feet before executing his shot ... Prefers to take the ball inside for the big dunk, as he has good mid-range shooting ability, but has yet to develop the confidence to consistently shoot from that area ... His jumper is developing, but he is too slow with his release, needs to improve his footwork and must show better fluidity with his follow-through ... Type of player who lacks savvy and crafty moves to the basket and unless he has a clear path to the rim, he is not going to fool many opponents with his pump fakes and hesitation moves.

Compares To: HAKEEM OLAJUWON-ex-Houston ... Rocket fans might crucify an analyst for this comparison, but keep in mind that Ibaka is only 18 and his body is starting to develop into the seven-foot, 250-pounder his father was. He has an outstanding blend of length, athleticism and a superb wingspan. From an athletic standpoint, you can see that he has better lateral agility and tenacity than most power forwards in this draft. He shows developing finishing skills around the basket and once he gains confidence in his mid-range jumper, his offense will greatly improve. He is a physical rebounder who explodes to the rim for offensive put-backs. He does a good job of elevating high above the rim to block shots, but with just over a year of professional experience, he still does not have much court savvy to con the defender when trying to put up his shot. For a big man, his back-to-the-basket skills are marginal. He might always be a liability as a passer and ball handler, but once his offensive game jells, with his stamina, he will be good for 15-20 points and 10 boards a game.

CAREER NOTES:

Ranked second on the team with 234 rebounds in 2007-08, topped only by Jose Antelo Paredes (244) ... His average of 3.14 blocked shots per game led the LED Gold, surpassing Michael Southall of Melilla, who ranked second with an average of 2.32 blocks.

2007-08 SEASON

Appeared in 28-of-the team's 33 games, sitting out five games while the team cleared up his release from the Congo Federation ... Logged 737 minutes of action, as he scored 332 points (11.9 ppg), shooting 55.0 percent from two-point range (138-of-251), 25.0 percent from three-point range (5-of-20) and 64.1 percent from the foul line (41-of-64) ... Pulled down 234 rebounds (8.4 rpg), including 76 from the offensive glass ... Had 88 blocked shots (3.14 bpg), but the opposition blocked just seven of his shot attempts ... Collected eight assists with 16 steals, turning the ball over 41 times.

C.B. L'HOSPITALET GAME

ANALYSIS

JUNIOR BASKETBALL Was a member of Etoile Sportive Prisse Macon, a third-level team in the French league at age 16 ... Played on Avenir du Rail, a Congo junior national team that he led to the won the "Championships Africa," a sort of Euroleague on the continent ... Also played with the senior national team (Inter Club) ... Played with the L'Hospitalet junior squad early in 2007 and then joined the Joventut U-20 team for the final round of the U-20 Spanish Circuit played in Inca during the summer ... Make a trip to Vitoria in August, 2006 and worked out privately for Tau.

INJURY REPORT

PERSONAL

Born Serge Jonas Ibaka Ngobila on 9/18/89 in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo.