Sunkist Shootout: 3 Thoughts from Day 3
1) Even a rusty Jared Butler is still good
Last night was Jared Butler’s first game back in the Sunkist Shootout, after missing the first two Riverside games with an ankle injury. He was noticbly rusty, but by Jared Butler standards that means that he only went for 28 points, and a huge 3 to save Riverside’s undefeated season and send the game against McGill Toolen (Mobile, AL) to overtime. Butler played much of the game in foul trouble, so he picked up a lot of help from Garland Robertson who dropped 24 points.
2) There’s some really good small guards available
This tournament has showcased a number of undersized guards that are capable of producing at a high level. There was a really good matchup between Eli Mouton of Ascension against Bailey LeLoux of Notre Dame. Both are small but very quick guards that are capable of lighting it up on the offensive end. Grace Christian’s Ben Preuett was also one of the best guards we saw all day, and does a great job at facilitating to the talent around him.
3) Rummel’s offense needs a retooling
Rummel has a trio of extremely talented guards that all look best when attacking off the dribble in a drive and kick offense. However, much of the offense that they run is either the flex or a motion cutting offense, which doesn’t compliment the strengths of their roster. They don’t have a lot of size, but Aaron Brule is a great screen setter, so I don’t understand why they don’t have a pick and roll based offense. They ran a single pick and roll in their game yesterday, and guess what was the result? A wide open made three. If Rummel wants to reach their potential, their offense is going to need some work.