GopherHole.com Recruiting Profile: Charles Bass

Charles Bass, a 6'9" 200-lb power forward from Crete-Monee High School in Crete, Illinois, is long on potential - literally. He has a wingspan well beyond his 81 inches. He also moves very well for his size. Combine those two physical traits with his rapid development and good feel for the game, and you have yourself a sleeper with a big-time upside. Charles will be on campus this weekend making an official visit to the University of Minnesota, where he'll no doubt get a chance to scrimmage with the current team, take in the Gopher Football home opener, and see what campus life is all about.

While the Gopher coaching staff has been working hard to find a couple of post players they feel will look good in Maroon and Gold, they're also in the fortunate position of not necessarily needing someone who will make an immediate impact. Next year's frontcourt is already in good hands with Bauer, Hagen, Holman, and Rickert, so Coach Monson and staff are looking at guys with developing talents and big upsides - exactly like Charles Bass. Charles isn't going to pull a Chris Webber (who is?) and be an unstoppable force in the paint from day one, but with a little time and some good coaching he has a chance to be a good one.

Charles is not ranked among the nation's elite high school players, but he's in everyone's Top 200 and is also ranked among the top 15 players in the state of Illinois by High School Elite and Edgy Tim. More importantly, he's on the rise. When I saw Charles play in the Howard Pulley Invitational back in early May, he impressed me a lot with his size and quickness but not quite as much with his talent and play. Offensively, he looked like a player who was still growing into his body and working to find how to take advantage of his defender. Watching Bass on defense was another story though, as he was already a big presence who blocked several shots and altered many more.

All accounts from Charles' performances this summer indicate that his defense is still top-notch and his offense and athleticism are developing rapidly. He's found that he can make up for his current lack of strength (Charles does need to spend a lot of time in the weight room the next couple of years) by using his quickness to get around his defender both inside and outside. He's also developing a nice shooting touch. Factor in wiry agility and the fact that he's a lefty (which never hurts), and you see why he's becoming a tough match-up for defenders. Throw in another 20 pounds of muscle, and you realize he could be an extremely tough match-up a few years down the road.

In addition to Minnesota, Charles will also likely be taking official visits to Ohio State, West Virginia, Colorado, and George Washington (and possibly an unofficial visit to Illinois). The Gophers (along with the other schools besides Illinois) have reportedly offered Charles a scholarship, and they appear to be in pretty good shape. They offer the potential to play for an up-and-coming team in a big-time basketball atmosphere and arguably the top conference in the nation, and Coach Monson's motion offense and preference for versatile players look to be a great fit. Give the coaching staff some time to develop a player like Charles Bass, and the sky's (make that the ski-U-mah's) the limit.

Talk about Charles and Gopher recruiting on the Gopher Basketball message board.

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