A Look At Almamy Thiero

One of the benefits of watching the Rim Rocker tournament last weekend was a good chance to see how Almany Thiero, a 6-8, 240-pound inside forward for Mount Zion Christian Academy in Durham, North Carolina, has improved.

Thiero came into this season after having a solid summer. Before this tournament, the last time we spoke to Thiero was at the end of the summer. Thiero had told us in September he was interested in Memphis, Michigan, Louisville, Tennessee, and Kansas State. Since then, John Calipari and Memphis won the recruiting battle.

And Memphis has to be happy.

The good points: Thiero works hard inside and is a very physical player. Bad point: He will get into some foul trouble.

Good Point: By being physical, he scoops up almost every rebound. This results in putbacks and dunks.

Thiero is not by any means a perimeter oriented big man. He understands that the low post is where he makes his living. Thiero takes advantage of his size and strength and doesn't pretend to have a 15-foot game.

Almamy can hit the lane jumper and does a good job in getting position and giving his guards a lane to pass the ball to him in the post.

On the defensive side, Thiero does a good job of defending. He has quick hands and can intercept the entry passes to his offensive opponents. He is not flashy but he wears that hard hat inside. Thiero is certainly a top 100 player due to his smarts to make his living down low in the post.