Chris Cyrus 6’3 160 2023 VA Venom / Hampton Christian
Chris is a talented and instinctive scorer who can beat you with the jumper or off the dribble. A silky smooth shooting lefty who can knock down shots from anywhere on the floor with impressive consistency. He’s one of the better shooters in the 757 and displays good efficiency at all levels and in a variety of shooting scenarios. Chris hits the catch and shoot jumper at a good rate and his range extends beyond the arc. His footwork is superb and he gets to his shot pocket quickly, his release is high, and given his length it is difficult to contest for most guards. He also shows good consistency scoring off dribble pull-ups. Chris has a nice combination of length and athleticism and taps into those assets nicely as he uses quick rips and rangy strides when attacking space. He has a very good first step both from a standstill and off a dribble move and quickly gets into the seams where he reads defenses nicely and is capable of scoring in a variety of ways or distributing the basketball. He uses runners showing that same deft shooting touch he displays from all levels and also finishes at the rim with a good measure of strength and plenty of versatility. Has a great touch on floaters as well. He’s not necessarily shifty but Chris uses his length and incredible body control to slice around defenders and through defenses and he can also shift into another gear attacking secondary defenders and when attacking the rim when he spots the slightest bit of daylight.
Chris can play slow to fast and that burst combined with his length including a tremendous wingspan allows him to get where he wants to in a hurry. He uses basic crossovers and timely hesitations, doesn’t waste dribbles, likes to get an angle, and attacks space emphatically. He’s very good shooting off dribble pull-ups both off hesitations and on the drive where he brakes and elevates nicely, gets a great lift, and is incredibly efficient. He can create for teammates and was the primary ball-handler on his high school team so he is effective both on and off the ball. He’s probably a little too unselfish given his penchant for putting the ball in the basket. I’ve seen Chris more than a few times go on scoring binges where he can put 10-12 points on the board in a hurry and make it look easy. He’s skilled, talented, and instinctive offensively and requires plenty of defensive attention!
Chris can defend 2-3 nicely and is very good off the ball as well. His length and anticipation skills allow him to be in a position to make plays in passing lanes and he’s also willing to battle inside for rebounds. He’s a very good offensive rebounder with great timing to cash in on stick-back opportunities. He’s a very good leaper, gets off his feet quickly, doesn’t take much time to gather for a second jump and he plays tall. Chris had a breakout summer for VA Venom and established himself as a guy who can be a dominant scorer. Expect him to start drawing serious attention from college coaches and to continue his assault on defenses. He just knows how to score and has the tools and the tenacity to get it done!