10 Best: O’Connell vs. St. John’s
ARLINGTON, VA — From a fan’s perspective, last night’s game between Bishop O’Connell and St. John’s had everything. Good ball movement, hot shooting, hustle plays, lead changes, and eventually overtime. Here we recap the 10 best from the Knights win over the Cadets.
MVP | XAVIER JOHNSON | DJO ’18
Xavier Johnson turned in another dominant performance for the Knights. He stayed aggressive, defended well, involved his teammates, and made timely shots to help his team secure an important win.
BEST OFFENSIVE PERFORMANCE | XAVIER JOHNSON | DJO ’18
The Nebraska commit, who scored a game-high 29 points, got anywhere he wanted to on the court. Johnson is always a threat to find his shooters if you help, but attacks very quickly when he senses no help.
BEST DEFENSIVE PERFORMANCE | XAVIER JOHNSON | DJO ’18
Johnson set the tone defensively on the first play when he intercepted a pass from a help side position and took it coast to coast for a reverse layup. He pulled down 6 rebounds, and took a charge as well.
BEST UNDER-THE-RADAR PERFORMANCE | JAHMAL BANKS | DJO ’20
Jahmal Banks is a very fundamentally sound player at 6’4. The long limbed sophomore plays solid defense, works hard at all times, and demonstrates a good understanding of the game.
BEST GUY OFF THE BENCH | DEVON DUNN | SJC ’19
Shooter in the building! Devon Dunn drilled 5 of 8 from downtown in this one. The class of 2019 guard finished with 17 points, a total which was significantly higher than any other bench player.
BEST UNDERCLASSMEN | ISHMAEL LEGGETT | SJC ’20
Ishmael Leggett continues to show that he can do a bit of everything on both ends of the floor. The promising 2020 guard prospect handed out 7 dimes and knocked down 2 of 3 from downtown on his way to 12 points.
BEST INTANGIBLES | MATT BECHT | DJO ’18
Not only does he shoot the ball at very high percentages, but Matt Becht‘s high basketball IQ is another reason why it’s impossible to keep him off the floor for extended periods of time. The Mount St. Mary’s commit is always communicating with and encouraging his teammates.
BEST PASSER | TRE WOOD | SJC ’18
We saw Tre Wood deliver several accurate passes from all types of angles to hit open teammates last night. The lightning quick UMass commit found his shooters in transition, and made some nice skip passes in half court sets.
BEST REBOUNDER | CASEY MORSELL | SJC ’19
Casey Morsell led the game with 9 rebounds from the two guard spot. As an added bonus, he also recorded 4 blocked shots.
BEST STORY TO WATCH MOVING FORWARD
Xavier Johnson is making a strong case for WCAC Player of the Year in his senior campaign. What will it take for him to win the award? There’s still a lot left to play for, and he certainly looks like one of the favorites to win the award.