Five Takeaways: IMG at Wiregrass Ranch
The IMG national varsity team made a visit to Wesley Chapel on Wednesday night.
Wiregrass Ranch brought a big crowd filled with students who were there to watch high flying dunks and a slew of future Division I players. The home team Bulls held their own in the first half trailing 49-37 at the break.
However, IMG pulled away from there on out clinching the night with a 103-66 victory.
Junior guard Josh Green led all scorers with 30 points for the Ascenders.
Here are five takeaways from the outing.
Josh Green is getting bigger and better
The Australian born guard/forward arrived at IMG this summer and he’s propelled himself into the top 10 or 20 players in the country for the class of 2019. Green cruised to a 19-point first half before ending the night with 30 points. At 6’6″, Green is both fast and long and he has the strength and shooting ability to hurt teams.
Darius Days never quits
A senior LSU commit, Darius Days is a hard worker. At 6’7″, he’s all about using his size to win battles inside time and time again. He had 19 points, pacing Green. He works well off the inbound and he’s a tough draw for any team on the defensive end with his toughness.
Daniel Biglow is a sound athlete
At Wiregrass Ranch, Daniel Biglow is a dual-sport athlete who can do it all on the football field and basketball court. The 6’3″ senior led the Bulls with 20 points as he stretched the floor with his shooting and his attacks. He had a dunk off a steal in transition that was all bounce.
Noah Farrakhan has serious skill
It is hard to believe Noah Farrakhan is only a sophomore. The 6’1″ 2020 guard commanded the offense with his high-end passing and vision while pitching in with 17 points. Farrakhan has a ridiculous vertical that helps him on dunks and with his weaving ability past defenders.
Elijah Howell and Valentin Garcia are smart leaders
Starters Elijah Howell and Valentin Garcia combined for 23 points for the Bulls. Howell, a 6’0″ junior guard had 11 points with some nice attacks and jumpers early on. Garcia, a 6’4″ senior forward produced 12 points doing plenty of damage on his drives to the rack.
Quick takes on both teams
IMG – Led by Green and Days, IMG has a ton of potential to make a run for Dick’s Nationals. It is tough with Silvio De Sousa leaving early for Kansas but with Farrakhan, 7’2″ center Chol Marial and senior Arkansas commit Keyshawn Embery, the Ascenders will be just fine.
Wiregrass Ranch – Biglow, Howell and Garcia are the top three scorers for this tough-minded Bulls group. Seniors Jordan Miner, Justin Rush, Nkem Asomba and Vashuan Williams give really good minutes. In a deep Class 8A-District 8, Wiregrass Ranch will have to dig deep to come out of the district as champions.