Jeremiah Massey

From a pure statistical standpoint, you’d be hard pressed to find many more impressive players in the Euroleague than Jeremiah Massey. The 6-7 Kansas State product has been playing in Greece since he finished college in 2005, and is on his way to establishing himself as a very important player in Europe, fairly soon. He recently acquired a dubious Slovakian passport (his team Aris has a magical ability to get all their American players European passports somehow) which should make him even more of a commodity on the open market once his contract is over.

An undersized left-handed power forward, Massey might be the most athletic big man in European basketball. He’s unbelievably quick and explosive, showing freakish leaping ability and being able to get off the floor and make incredible plays with the greatest of ease. He’s become a bit of a crowd favorite for that reason, and his dunks are a regular fixture in top-10 highlight reels here.

Offensively, Massey isn’t the most skilled guy around, but he’s so much more athletic than everyone else he faces, that it doesn’t even really matter at this level. The left-handed jump-hook shot is his go-to move, and he likes to face the basket and attack his matchup off the dribble with his terrific quickness, which draws quite a few fouls. He’s not a bad ball-handler, but he has a tendency to abuse this skill, which results in some bad turnovers.

Massey is an unbelievable asset to have in transition, as he regularly beats his matchup up the floor and is rarely going to miss once he gets the ball with space to operate. He also shows great toughness, which gets him some production simply by moving off the ball, catching in the post, and grabbing offensive rebounds, where he really seems to excel. You’ll never see him back down from anyone, which is why he finds a way to be productive despite his lack of size. Massey’s jump-shot is not pretty, but that doesn’t stop him from attempting one and a half three pointers per game, of which he hits only 19%. He can hit a mid-range jumper, but again, with streaky results. He’s actually not a bad passer.

Massey’s problem is that he doesn’t seem to know (or care) what his limitations are at this point, often looking out of control with his post-ups, showing very little ability with his right hand, taking wild turn-around and pull-up jumpers, and generally not being a very reliable player in terms of the consistency or focus he brings to the floor. His lack of size makes him a very average rebounder on the defensive end (as opposed to the offensive end where he is terrific)—a product of the poor fundamentals he shows boxing out his man.

Massey is a feast or famine type defender, gambling excessively in the passing lanes, showing poor awareness, leaving his man to help out aimlessly, and often getting lost in the process. His footwork guarding the perimeter is average, but his quickness, wingspan and explosiveness allows him to come up with quite a few steals and blocks (although only with his left hand). The fact that he’s so undersized means that bigger interior players can just shoot over him, though.

At this level, the positives Massey brings to the floor far outweigh the negatives, especially when we’re talking about a mid-level Euroleague squad like Aris, considered the third best team in Greece. To make the step to the next level, Massey must continue to work on his fundamentals and decision making skills, since many top European coaches won’t always tolerate the way he plays. The NBA at the moment seems out of reach considering his size.

Not every player in the NCAA is playing only for a shot at the NBA draft. For many of the better players at non-tournament bound schools, a solid showing in the postseason after a good regular season could lead to a possible Chicago or Portsmouth camp invitation, or to a contract with a top team overseas. One such player who may be playing his way into some work is Kansas State power forward Jeremiah Massey.

Massey, a 6'7; JUCO transfer from Oxnard (CA), has had a great senior year, dropping 20 against arch-rival Kansas, 25 on top 5 Oklahoma State, 23 against a streaking Iowa State club and is averaging 17.6 points on the season. Also strong is his 79% mark from the free-throw line, a great sign for any aspiring pro big man. But his final collegiate year has to be highlighted by his 28 point, 19 rebound performance on Saturday. The Wildcat forward was 10-of-13 from the floor, scoring mostly around the rim and on offensive put-backs. Of his 19 rebounds, a whopping seven were offensive. With no chance at an NCAA bid, Kansas State needed this road win over Colorado to keep them in consideration for a postseason NIT berth, and thus more face time for a guy like Massey to impress some pro scouts.