Half Moon Bay is often known for its foggy disposition along the San Mateo County coastline. In addition, the idyllic community is often overshadowed by San Francisco to the north and San Jose to the south. In prep basketball, this is also the case for 6-foot-10 post prospect, Owen Putz, from Half Moon Bay High.
The No.33 ranked 2013 NCP prospect was critical in leading his Cougars to a 24-7 record and an appearance in the NorCal regional tournament. Half Moon Bay is a defense-oriented team that likes to play man to man. With a post presence in Putz, the Cougars can plan their defensive strategy around their starting center.
Putz is primarily a back to the basket player who has good length and makes for an easy target for entry passes. His strengths include offensive rebounding, blocking shots, and helping on weak side defense. During the upcoming summer, Putz plans on working on his offensive post moves, rebounding positioning, and improving his strength for battling low post opponents.
In addition, Putz will play in his second year for his Bay Area Warriors club. The team plans to make trips to Las Vegas and Southern California for additional exposure.
Bay Area Warriors Head Coach Randal Bessolo says, "I have known Owen since his freshman year when he was already about 6-foot-6. In addition to growing a couple more inches, his basketball skills, feel for the game, athleticism, and level of aggressiveness have all improved significantly. Frankly, the continual improvement is a great sign of more improvement to come in the future. In short, Owen still has a lot of upside! This upside should make him a great recruit for whichever school gets him."
Surprisingly, Putz says that he has not received any legitimate contact from college programs. He is academically eligible and is open to playing anywhere in the country.
Bessolo has coached the high school levels in both Chicago and San Francisco where he has helped send numerous prospects to the college level. "Owen is very coachable and a super teammate that gets along with everyone. He is always thinking of others and keeps a positive perspective on things regardless of the situation."
"Owen is clearly a college player with the ability to play at the D3, D2, and D1 level," continues Bessolo. "That being said, he is a very good student and will be looking for a school that will be the right fit for him academically and socially as well as basketball. His parents Ingrum and Lene are super people and have done a terrific job supporting Owen in his efforts to be the best basketball player and person he can be."
In the early summer events, Putz has been showing signs of aggressiveness in his post play in terms of rebounding, blocking shots, and attacking the basket. He is often the tallest player on the court but would benefit from adding some bulk and strength to battle against equal sized opponents. Watch for this Cougar to emerge out of the fog in Half Moon Bay during the summer club season.
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