Five Takeaways: Chaminade
The Chaminade Red Devils have been frequent visitors to Columbia, Mo for the Final Four of the Missouri Class 5 state tournament. In 2015 and 2016, McDonald’s All-American Jayson Tatum led the the Red Devils to a third-place finish and a state championship. After Tatum and his group graduated, a new crew came up to lead the Red Devils back to Columbia for a fourth-place finish in 2017.
This year’s edition of the Red Devils appear to be just as potent with an 11-2 record and an entertaining style of play. Here are five takeaways from Chaminade:
They can really, really score: Chaminade can really put the ball in the basket and they have several players that can do it. In four of their past five victories, the Red Devils have scored 96, 102, 107 and 99 points. The 107-point outburst came against Illinois state power Chicago Morgan Park at last week’s Highland Shootout. The Red Devils move the ball well, they can score in transition and they can really shoot the basketball.
Jericole Hellems: The 6’7″ 2018 forward has followed in the footsteps of former CCP stars David Lee, Bradley Beal and Tatum as the lead dog of the program. The North Carolina State signee averaged 21 points a game as a junior and really blew up during the summer at the Nike EYBL Peach Jam. That stellar play has continued into his senior year as he is averaging 23 points a game while scoring from just about anywhere on the floor, including 39 percent from 3-point range.
Emergence of Jadis White and Keyyaun Batchman: White, a 6’1″ 2018 guard, and Batchman, a 6’2″ 2019 guard, basically shared the point guard position last season with mixed results. They are starting together this season and have emerged as one of the top backcourts in the state. White has been a facilitator for much of his career, but he has emerged as a scorer who can knock down 3-pointers and score in transition. He is averaging 11 points a game. Batchman cut his teeth early as a defensive stopper, but he is now an excellent offensive threat who can shoot the deep ball. He is averaging 14 points a game while shooting 43 percent from 3 point range.
Luke the Marksman: The Red Devils are getting some stellar play from 6’6″ 2020 wing Luke Kasubke, who is averaging 12 points a game while shooting 43 percent from 3-point range. He knocked down four 3-pointers in a big victory over Vashon at the Ramey Shootout in December. He enjoyed his big breakout performance against Morgan Park last week when he scored 27 points and made seven 3-pointers.
The Outlook: The Red Devils appear to have all the tools to make another run at the Final Four, which would be for the fourth consecutive year. They have some experience seniors who have been part of those previous three state runs while mixing in some talented underclassmen who are starting to make their mark in the program.