More on Ivan Rabb

From Phil Kasiecki:

"Ivan Rabb (6’11” Sr. PF-C, Oakland (CA) Bishop O’Dowd HS) has been ranked among the elite players in the country for a while now. Some services have had him atop their list at one time or another. You can understand why when you look at him and see his physical gifts, as he’s long and athletic to go with his size, but watch him play and you might have questions.

Rabb’s motor has been a bit inconsistent, as he doesn’t seem to have an edge to him that drives him to dominate. He’ll put up numbers, and you can see he has a good skill set for the post, but he can seemingly disappear. One analyst thinks he’s trying to process the game more, and considering how well he can pass, he may well be conscious – one could argue too conscious – of involving teammates.

Those questions were nonexistent on Monday afternoon. Rabb played with a competitive motor he hasn’t shown very often, especially in the second half. While his opposite number, Jaylen Brown (6’7″ Sr. SF), had a big first half, it was Rabb who took over in the second half. He scored 16 of his 24 points after intermission to lead the way. He scored often on the post, getting a tip-in one time using his length, and was constantly attacking for close field goals. He added 12 rebounds and five blocked shots.

Rabb had good help from Paris Austin (5’10” Sr. PG), who was the big X-factor in the game. Austin had 18 points and nine assists, and the Boise State-bound guard can still mature more physically. He had a highlight reel play once when he went coast-to-coast with a spin move mixed in at the foul line to get to the basket. Both teams had a star who played well, but Austin was the difference-maker for his team.

But Rabb was the star and won the battle of them that counted. Brown may have out-scored him (31 points) and matched his rebound total, but Rabb’s team won and that matters most."