We've seen a lot of players come through our doors over the years, varying in appearance, skill level, and everything in between. We decided to put forth a 'Getting to Know' series on some players who have attended events but still remain on the lesser-known side of things. Each of these prospects embody being a student-athlete and getting it done in the classroom as well as on the basketball court, and today's edition will take a closer look at Ryan Bottomley of Alleghany.
We've seen Bottomley in multiple different settings, including at our most recent All-American camp, where we stated, 'Finishing up, we look at a player that highlighted a very steady, straightforward two-way presence, Ryan Bottomley. He's a long, wiry, low-maintenance post prospect with a clear willingness to do whatever necessary to provide his team with an edge. Bottomley doesn't look to force the action, rather shows an understanding of how to produce within his role. He finishes, rebounds, alters shots defensively, and runs the floor well in transition. Next in his development process is working on the use of his off-hand, as it would make him a more reliable finisher around the basket. Coach Harmon on Bottomley: 'Ryan has nice touch from the elbows. He can improve on establishing post position and work on utilizing length to his advantage. Ryan is very coachable and has a great attitude. He can be more aggressive on both ends of the court. Ryan can work on getting stronger defensively, moving without the ball, and developing his ball-handling skills. He also has a very nice jump hook, and needs to utilize it more.' Bottomley did a lot of things well at camp and should have a pretty productive senior campaign for Alleghany.'
Entering his senior season, Bottomley has the tools to be a useful interior cog on both ends of the floor. He plays hard, does the little things, and understands how to make an impact without necessarily requiring a ton of offensive touches. Bottomley is a capable finisher, rebounder, and shot-altering presence with great size and clear upside remaining. He runs the floor well in transition and does a nice job of working within the team concept at all times. Bottomley has the tools to be a useful college player, so it'll be interesting to see what programs get involved over the coming months.
