Hosana Kitenge

Hosana Kitenge, 2000, 6’8’’, F/C, Charnwood College (11pts, FG-4/13, 8reb, 3ast, 3to, 2stl, 3blk)

Hosana is a force to be reckoned with, built like a tank that will go through anything that stands in his way. Positioned himself well under the rim, playing back to the basket and finishing strong in traffic through contact nicely. Kept his hands active by blocking few shoots and was able to snatch the ball away twice. Didn’t seem to be focused all the time, having a poor selection on a few shots. Slow footed wasn’t always able to rotate fast enough and was occasionally getting lost in rotation.

We close this section by talking about another two players who were also last summer in the FIBAU18 as part of GB roster. Anchoring the paint and become an impact player on both ends was Charnwood Riders’ center Hosana Kitenge. Meanwhile, coming from the bench in an all-around or 3&D role was Myerscough Scottish forward Callan Low.

Hosana Kitenge has become a recognized figure in the British youth hoops scene on his own right. An essential player for his club Loughbourgh Riders, and a member of the U18 national team in the last couple of seasons, the 6’7 F/C possesses a massive frame very useful to eat space on the post, box out and battle around the rim. If able to establish position deep, he becomes virtually unstoppable at this level, using his body strength and a good set of spin moves to finish either hand baby hooks. But what really impresses the most is Hosana’s ability to move his body and feet at high speed carrying such weight, plus his vision and good ball-handling: a difficult matchup for slower big men off the dribble/far from the post.

However, he still needs to improve his lateral movement when facing smaller players, and work his FT shooting plus shooting range. This would open the door to a more versatile offensive game. All the same, Kitenge represents a rare combination of muscle and skill, which naturally brought NCAA’s attention to him. Hosana picked Coastal Carolina in the Sun Belt as his new destination, where he’ll have to adapt to the athletic level of competition while sharing roster with some other European prospects as Ebrima Dibba and David Kralj.