Michigan Scouting Report: Utica Ford at New Haven
Story written by Thomas Beindit On paper, this looked like a game that might end up pretty one-sided. New Haven came in with plenty of momentum, a loaded roster, and would be playing at home. Nonetheless, and as fans are…
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Continue ReadingStory written by Thomas Beindit
On paper, this looked like a game that might end up pretty one-sided. New Haven came in with plenty of momentum, a loaded roster, and would be playing at home. Nonetheless, and as fans are well aware, the games aren’t played on paper.
From the opening tip, Utica Ford really played with energy and fire. In particular, Alex Iafrate and Donnie Schuster were productive early and helped push the Falcons ahead. It was a battle early on, but Utica Ford continued making plays and by halftime, Utica Ford led 38-30 over New Haven.
In the second half, New Haven started coming back thanks to some great plays from Romeo Weems and Eric Williams, Jr. Additionally, the Rockets brought energy on the defensive end and were able to force some rough turnovers. By the end of the third quarter, Utica Ford led 56-52.
The fourth quarter was an absolute battle on both sides. Weems or Williams would make a huge play for New Haven and Schuster would respond with one of his own. The final few possessions were literally a back-and-forth affair between Williams and Schuster. Ultimately, the Falcons hit the key free throws down the stretch and came out on top.
All told, Utica Ford pulled off the 73-71 upset over New Haven on the road.
New Haven Rockets
Eric Williams, Jr., 6-4 junior, G/F
A quick guard with decent size, a decent shot, and largely relies on his speed to get things done. He’s still improving around the rim, but he does a nice job of moving without the ball. Undoubtedly, he came up biggest in the fourth quarter when he settled down and was able to finish better around the rim. He finished with an impressive 32 points on the evening with 14 in the fourth quarter. Williams is ranked No. 52 in Prep Hoops Michigan’s 2017 rankings.
Alante Stevens, 6-1 senior, G
He’s a guard with decent speed that is dangerous in transition. Along with that, he uses his hands well on the perimeter on the defense end. Hit a big mid-range jumper in the second quarter when New Haven was struggling offensively.
Innocent Nwoko, 6-11 senior, C
A true center with a nice combination of athleticism and a lengthy wingspan. He’s still continuing to add size and strength, but can get inside and use his size in the paint. Additionally, he displayed major shot blocking ability in the lane. Even when he didn’t have the ball, he did a nice job of setting backside screens to open up the baseline drive. Nwoko is ranked No. 13 in Prep Hoops Michigan’s 2016 rankings and is committed to Central Michigan.
Jerry Ben, 6-9 senior, F/C
A forward with a decent amount of length that knows how to use it. Not only can he use his length and hands to close out on shooters on defense, but he also was effective with his mid-range game against a stingy Utica Ford zone. He stayed effective by keeping the ball in good position, finishing over defenders, and using some decent footwork with an emphasis on his pivot foot. Ben is ranked No. 20 in Prep Hoops Michigan’s 2016 rankings and is committed to Cornell.
Romeo Weems, 6-6 freshman, G/F
A steady guard with a diverse game that is continuing to polish up. He’s still improving his consistency with his on ball defense, but really showed the ability to drive the lane and create for both himself and his teammates with his mid-range game. He also uses his length and shot creating ability well to finish over defenders. Notably, he really came up huge in the first half and was the key reason that New Haven was able to make a second half run when he took over the team’s offense. He finished with 22 points overall. Weems is ranked No. 2 in Prep Hoops Michigan’s 2019 rankings.
William Moore, 5-8 junior, G
He’s an aggressive on ball defender that stays low and has a good bit of lateral quickness. Along with that, he can stay with opponents in transition and has a decent ability to close out on the perimeter, despite his size.
Utica Ford Falcons
Alek Grishaj, 6-1 junior, G/F
He was a relatively quick guard that did a nice job of finding teammates in transition.
Sammy Rizzo, 6-1 senior, G
He had a nice tear drop bucket in the third quarter off the drive. Along with that, he really showed effort late in the game, including some big plays on the offense end in the final minute to help Utica Ford move on with the win.
Alek Ivanovic, 6-4 junior, F
He connected on a few big threes in the first half that helped put Utica Ford ahead. He also made the final free throws to seal off the win.
Alex Iafrate, 6-5 junior, F
A solid forward that makes plays despite not having elite athleticism. On Thursday night, he was Utica Ford’s most consistent producer early on and did it in a variety of ways. In particularly, he showed a nice ability to work around defenders by staying low with the ball. Along with that, he had a tough matchup defensively for most of the night, but still fought on the boards and ran pretty well in transition. Hit a big three to tie things up in the first quarter.
Kenyatte Byron, 5-10 junior, G
He’s a solid guard that fought in transition. He also made a few nice plays behind the defense without the ball.
Justin Cheeks, 6-3 senior, F
He may not have played the most out of his team, but he had some nice moments to help his team grab the win. In particular, he hit a huge three early on, had a really nice dump pass off his jumpshot to feed the ball inside, and had a huge and one late in the third quarter when it looked like New Haven was starting to take control. Also, he had some of the most impressive bench celebrations out there.
Donnie Schuster, 6-2 junior, G
A steady guard that operates as a true point guard. He has a decent handle and works hard to find teammates in transition and in the half court setting. Largely operated through the pass early on, but showed a nice ability to drive later on and fight through contact by keeping his shoulder low and keeping the ball away from defenders. Additionally, he connected on a huge three early in the third quarter to slow down a New Haven run and made some huge plays late in the fourth quarter when New Haven was beginning its comeback effort. Schuster is ranked No. 124 in Prep Hoops Michigan’s 2017 rankings.