TEN BEST: Lafayette (Wildwood) vs. Lafayette (St. Joe)
Ten Best: Lafayette (Wildwood) vs. Lafayette (St. Joe)
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — The two namesakes squared off in the opening round of the Arvest Tournament on Thursday with the Fighting Irish showing they will be a team to be reckoned with this season.
Lafayette (St. Joe) got a game-high 23 points from 2019 guard Ike Book en route to a win over the Lancers.
MVP: Ike Book (6’3, G, Lafayette, St. Joe). Book got some quality varsity run last season when Caleb Bennett went down with an injury and he largely stayed in the Irish line-up throughout much of the season. He has grown physically and has good size for a high school wing player. He is a terrific shooter and moves well without the basketball.
Top shooter: D’Karee Gray (6’1, SG, 2018, Lafayette, St. Joe). Gray really lit it up out of the corners, knocking down 3s, then, instead of forcing the issue, put the ball on the floor and attacked poor closeouts. He is a strong finisher around the basket.
Best Rebounder: Trey Griffey (6’6, PF, Lafayette, Wildwood). Blessed with terrific size and a big strong, frame, Griffey is tough to keep off the boards due to his size. He can score in the paint a little, but is at his best taking up space, setting screens and getting on the boards.
Best defender: Ontreyonis Washington (6’2, G/F, 2018, Lafayette, St. Joe). Washington works hard at the defensive end of the court and has the ability to defend on the perimeter or in the paint He is a hard nosed player who does a lot of the little things at both ends of the floor.
Best passer: Diego Bernard (6’0, PG, 2018, Lafayette, St. Joe). One of the Kansas City area’s premier point guards, Bernard is a smooth ball handler who combines terrific speed, quickness and athleticism with good court awareness. He made several terrific passes on Thursday setting up teammates for easy buckets.
Best ball handler: Jack Schmitt (6’1, PG, 2019, Lafayette, Wildwood). An underrated guard, Schmitt did a good job handling the ball and attacking the basket when opportunities presented themselves. He showed a knack for finishing tough chances around the basket.
Name to Know: Chris Harstick (6’8, PF/C, Lafayette, Wildwood). Harstick has good size and length at 6’8 and is capable of creating mismatches around the basket or at the high post as he is often on the court together with 6’6 post man Trey Griffey. He has a soft touch around the basket and is a good post presence at the defensive end of the court.
Stock riser: Ike Book (6’3, G, Lafayette, St. Joe). Most observers knew entering the season a lot would be on Book’s shoulders as Lafayette replaces a Division I player in Caleb Bennett, and a really good all-around performer in Sterling Hicks. But Book showed he is capable of shoulder a big offensive load this season with his performance on Thursday as he gives Bernard an offensive weapon to play off of with his ability to shoot and spread the court.