Post by Go Niners on Jul 18, 2021 21:35:41 GMT -8
C Phuc Ho
7'2"
215 lbs22 years old
Vietnam / Houston
Strengths:
-Great work ethic, very intelligent kid
-Terrific size/athleticism making him a good shotblocker
-Outstanding footwork making him a naturally good positional defender as well as inside scorer
-Reads the floor very well, making him a terrific passer
Weaknesses:
-Started playing basketball at 17 years making his basketball IQ questionable, prone to careless turnovers at times
-Awkward shooting mechanics makes his outside shooting very shaky though he isn't afraid to launch it from beyond the arc
-Slim frame makes it difficult for him to box out at times
-Lacking in strength, sometimes does get overpowered by stronger bigs and finds himself getting into foul trouble
Bio:
Born in Vietnam, Ho grew up in the poorer area of Ho Chi Minh which was rampant with crime. Phuc took a liking to soccer, falling in love with the game and playing all the time up until he was 17 years old. He has always been a terrific athlete and was consistently considered one of the best players on the pitch. He did however see massive growth spurts throughout his teenage years shooting up to 6'10" by age 17. It was at that point, the local basketball coaches throughout the city took notice and urged him to play the game. He realized that he didn't have much of a future in soccer due to his height so decided to give basketball a try and never looked back. By the time he graduated high school, he was nearly 7' and in his lone season of high school basketball in Ho Chi Minh, he put up absolute monster numbers earning him an invitation to BBS' Basketball Without Borders program in Nashville, Tennessee where he won Tournament MVP. Multiple schools had offered him full scholarships including blue blood programs such as Kentucky, Duke and Kansas. After visiting different cities, Ho ultimately decided to attend the University of Houston due to the fact that he had family in Houston as well as the large Vietnamese population in the city. While he didn't play much his freshman year, he did continue to grow ultimately reaching 7'2" by his sophomore year. It was that year where he really made a name for himself on the national stage putting up monster numbers and becoming a finalist for the Wooden award, he won the award during his junior year leading Houston to the Final Four but was due to how raw his overall game is, he decided to return for his senior year. The footwork from his soccer background helped tremendously making him an elite level defensive player, his size/athleticism made him an absolute force at the collegiate level. The summer following his freshman and sophomore years, he worked with University of Houston alumni Hakeem Olajuwon on the post game making his post game natural and smooth. His soccer background makes his footwork elite allowing for him to be an incredible inside scorer as well as positional defender. His soccer background also helps him read the floor incredibly well making him a gifted passer. He considers Olajuwon to be his mentor and is in fairly constant communication with him while continuing to improve his overall game.
