Ja’Hari Reed on Stratford Style
Stratford Spartans have a unique style of basketball. They rattle off big scoring surges and then suffer significant scoring droughts. All of their games in 2017-2018 seem to be rambunctious.
Senior wing Ja’Hari Reed scores in bunches, but he also tends to ignite big scoring runs by his team.
Wild scoring swings can be indicative of poor guard leadership, or at the very least poor on-court understanding of time/score. In almost every game this season Stratford has faced a deficit. The purposeful hard-charging style of play was summoned by trailing on the scoreboard. Once Stratford gets down the seniors certainly do click into high gear. While they may be occasionally unable to control other team’s there is no question that Stratford can rattle off buckets in tight succession.
Stratford has an unreal ability to change fortunes. They can do 8-0 and 0-8 runs better than anybody I have seen this year.
— Prep Hoops Tennessee (@PrepHoopsTN) December 2, 2017
One key to Stratford’s scoring depth is Juwon Carpenter. The junior flourishes in tight spaces. Stronger and tougher than he initially appears, Carpenter looks like the best college prospect on the squad.
Stratford boasts a nice grouping of players, that do enjoy fighting for the same cause. Their ability to have a really strong year will be dictated by limiting the defensive breakdowns. The coach understands strategy and the players can score in one-on-one settings. But zones have confounded the Spartans a couple times this season.
Also, there are a lot of confident players on the team. Is there a pecking order? Does there need to be?
The Stratford method is anything but ordinary. Maybe that is for the best.