Cary M'Arlon

The first thing one has to notice when taking a look at Cary M'Arlon is his outstanding physical attributes. He possesses outstanding athleticism in his genes, as his father excelled at the long jump in high school and his mother was a well-renowned 400m swimmer. He possesses extremely long arms, really to the point that he can be considered a freak, with an astounding 7'5" wingspan at only 6'9", and can touch the rim effortlessly without jumping.

Like what his father did on the track, M'Arlon runs the floor extremely well for his size and is often the recipient of passes, making highlight reels a daily fixture for Beruz McAllen. He gets off the floor quickly, stays poised in the air, and his long arms help him to dunk the ball in what seems to be quite a faraway distance from the basket. He can also pull off incredible-looking shots at times which other players could not hit, due to his offensive creativity and physical attributes. He has great bounce in his step and a decent first step off the bounce, taking slower SFs and PFs off the dribble towards the basket if necessary. Although this part of his game is relatively unproven due to playing with smaller players and lesser competition, he has shown an edge on rebounding, mostly due to his long arms and sheer talent.

M'Arlon has also started to develop the consistency on his jumpshot necessary to perhaps make the SF transition in the NBA. He has decent arch, a smooth release and a soft touch, which gives him potential to really become an above average shooter in the next level. Already, if he is left relatively open or if his teammates run the plays well for him, he has proven that he can knock down even shots from NBA three point range (although not with consistency). He still first and foremost prefers the athletic dunk or shot around the basket, due to his dominance in the high school level, but if he is forced to he can certainly stick in the mid-range jumper.

M'Arlon's potential also extends to shotblocking, which could really be where he makes his money in the NBA. His wingspan allows him to play bigger than his size and weight and alter shots from the weak side, from the strong side or even flatfooted. He doesn't play the most concerted defense, nor does his team, but his sheer talent allows him to get away with many of the things he could probably get away with in the NBA as well. When he blocks shots it is so easy to see how his hand extends taller than rim level.

On the flip side, however, M'Arlon is still extremely skinny. He can certainly put on weight, but his body will probably fill out at roughly 220 lbs. He doesn't have much muscle tone, body fat/mass, and even so, he wouldn't want to lose his athleticism/floorspeed by working out the weights excessively.

Still an extremely raw player in every sense of the word, although that word "raw" generally applies to extremely talented players who are starting to come into their own and discover their god-given abilities. Many parts of his game, specifically ballhandling, playing the cohesive team concept, improving and polishing his overall team defense, etc., still need work, and even his jumpshooting to an extent. Doesn't always make the best decisions in terms of deciding what to do (passing, attacking, or jumpshooting?) when he gets into a triple threat position but improvement here would probably come in time.

Has not always been receptive to coaching, for whatever reason. Seems to be a calm kid on the court, but his coach has reportedly had some feuds with him in the past and he sometimes looks lackadaiscal out there, probably due to the fact that he is just so talented. Like all youngsters he can be capable for very inconsistent stretches as well.

Although less of a problem, the word "tweener" may be applied to him currently. He's stuck in the Hakim Warrick body, with a chance to become a full time SF or PF, he doesn't seem the type to be capable of manning or defending both positions consistently. He plays SF better so that is probably where he will turn out, although his ballhandling/jumpshot need to better for that.

Overall, M'Arlon is a great physical specimen, full of potential of all sorts, and perhaps would be one of the players with the most potential in whatever draft he chooses--he is planning to enter somewhere around his fresh/sophomore years once he attends Villanova. He is currently a potential player, but his makeup and his skill set is coming along rapidly and perhaps could translate into a force in the NBA, if he decides to put his mind to it.

Strengths: Great wingspan, purportedly at 7'5" or around that vicinity...Astonishing physical attributes including good footspeed, extremely long wingspan, etc...Excellent dunker due to his athleticism, dominant around the basket at the HS level...Has shown rapid improvement in his jumpshot in the past few years...Runs the floor well and finishes as the recipient of plays...Extreme potential...

Weaknesses: On the skinny side...Can be a bit lackaisical on the court at times...Doesn't always play the strongest defense he is capable of, gives the feeling at times he can better than what he is currently playing...Very raw, especially with refining fundamentals, post skills, rebounding box-outs, etc....Decision-making is not always good...Can be a bit of a "tweener" now...

Intriguing specimen with a lot of potential. Long wingspan and great shotblocking ability are currently his best attributes, although he is fine-tuning his game and shows raw potential on both ends of the court. He has some attributes that many will simply never have in the NBA. That in alone has got to account for something, but questions about his drive and hunger still linger. Has all the talent and athleticism in the world, but how bad does he want it?