Five Takeaways: Lafayette Jeff vs. Twin Lakes
The second game of the Franciscan Health Hoops Classic brought us a blowout as Lafayette Jeff dominated Twin Lakes, 77-39. James Burns was impressive scoring 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 blocks. He wasn’t the leading scorer as his sophomore teammate Avery Beaver scored 24 points and grabbed 4 rebounds. Twin Lakes was led by Brayden Houser with 9 points, 3 rebounds. Lafayette Jeff will play Central Catholic in the Semifinal game on Friday.
Best Team Lafayette Jeff Has Had Under Radeker
Jeff head coach Scott Radeker has been at Lafayette Jeff for 8 years and this might be his best team he has had. This is including a stint with Rashaun Richardson. This team has a good balance of players with guys like Max Grimes who can bring some toughness on the perimeter, Avery Beaver who showed he can put up some massive point totals, as well as James Burns who became a rim protector and wing scoring threat overnight. They are also very young with their core. Beaver, his younger brother Ashton, and Max Grimes are all underclassmen. This team could put up some big numbers this year and it wouldn’t surprise if they won 18+ games this year.
Jeff Will Win Franciscan Health Hoops Classic
There were three teams coming in to this tournament that we thought were threats and so far we have only seen Jeff play. However, they were impressive enough that they are the ones that should be able to get it done. They are the deepest team with enough balance of scoring and shooting to withstand any matchup they might have. A game against LCC on Friday is an easier path than a potential West Lafayette/McCutcheon matchup on the other side of the bracket. Given how they played last night, they are our pick.
James Burns Is Turning Potential Into Production
Over the summer, we saw James Burns start to really put everything together. Now, he’s turning all of that potential we saw into production with his 21 points, 7 rebound, 6 block outing against Twin Lakes. He was really good in this game scoring 21 points on 9/12 shooting. His path might be a big longer as a JUCO stint isn’t out of the question but the end result is a potential DII/DI player that brings a ton of versatility. The key here is the consistency. If he can play like this game in and game out then we see him hitting the highest upside.
Avery Beaver Showed Scoring, Not Just Shooting
Heading into this season, we knew one thing about Avery, he could really shoot the ball. He was a catch-and-shoot guy this time last year and made his hay doing just that. After last night’s game, he really stepped up his upside with his ball handling and scoring ability. Was able to drive and get into the lane well but also creating along the perimeter to get more open. He score half of his 24 points in the lane or at the line. Some players don’t make that step in their sophomore seasons and they can fall into the label of shooters. Avery is trying to break that label.
Max Grimes Will Be One To Watch
We brought Grimes in for PHI Freshman Showcase this past Fall and he was solid, not great. However, it isn’t always the best setup for guys with scoring not their top skill. That is the case with Grimes. We saw much more out of him in this setting where he was on the ball a lot more and had a lot of toughness. He finished with 7 points, 4 rebounds but seemed to provide the pace and control of a group that in year’s past weren’t so good with that area. His leadership and control might be his best assets right now along with his ability to play at the rim. His jumper is solid and will get better with work which only shows what he can become as he grows.