VITALS: 6-9, 195, Westbury Christian HS (TX) OVERVIEW: Ebi committed to Arizona, before deciding to enter his name in the draft. The 6-9 forward is of Nigerian descent and played in high school at Westbury Christian, a private school near Houston. In his senior season, he averaged 22.7 points and 11.6 rebounds to lead his team to a state title. Ebi, who was born in London, participated in the McDonald's All-American game and guarded LeBron James, turning in a credible defensive effort. He scored 11 points in that game as well as the Capital Classic All-Star game. Ebi chose Arizona in part due to a close relationship with assistant Josh Pastner, who is from the Houston area. LIKELY DRAFT POSITION: Late first or second round. There are several teams that might gamble on a high school player in the first round. Portland (23) is the most notable of them, although the rest of the teams of the first round who follow that pick - LA Lakers, Detroit, Minnesota, Memphis, San Antonio and Dallas - could as well, as those organizations can afford to wait on a project. COMPARATIVE UPSIDE: Eddie Griffin, Stromile Swift COMPARATIVE DOWNSIDE: Tim James ROLE PROJECTION: Future starter. POSITIVES: Ebi has a lot going for him. He has great size for a small forward at 6-9, is blessed with tremendous speed and athleticism and can shoot the outside jumper. In addition, Ebi shows good polish with his back to the basket for a high school player. His long arms, vertical leap and height make him a threat as a shot-blocker. Ebi can beat opponents down the court in up-tempo situations. SHORTCOMINGS: Ebi's ballhandling is solid but still needs to improve as he makes the transition to the perimeter in the NBA. In high school, Ebi easily dominated by using his height and athleticism in the lane. The NBA lane, however, will not be as kind. Ebi's 195-pound frame will get destroyed there, and he will also be abused defensively.
