More Majors Jumping In On Big Man

Martin Iti, a 6-11 center from The Winchendon School in Massachusetts, spent last weekend playing for the New York Ravens AAU team at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions.

"Martin has great upside," said his high school coach Mike Byrnes said. "If he is able to put his game together he is going to have a lot of schools after him."

Well, it appears, at least for one weekend, that Iti has started to put his game together. Iti ran the floor well and did a nice job in handling the ball in the low post. In other words, Iti displayed the ability to make a move or two in the paint when he had the ball.

Memphis and Louisville continue to keep in touch. Iti certainly thrives in an uptempo type of game. He can beat his defender down the court. Iti usually finishes off with a dunk. But the upside is tremendous for Iti, who still is learning the game of American basketball.

The junior center from Australia saw his playing time decrease over the final couple of months during last season because, according to the Green Waves' Byrnes, Iti hit the proverbial "wall."

Rivalshoops.com watched Iti play five times last season. Iti certainly has the skills to be an impact player a year or two down the line on the college level. There was recruiting interest this past winter by Cincinnati, Connecticut, North Carolina, and Syracuse. The summer will determine his list for sure. Iti is off to a good start.