Dominican Runs Past Greenfield
GREENFIELD, Wis. –– A favorite in Division 3, Dominican (15-2) took to the road Tuesday night and challenged Greenfield (9-10) in a non-conference matchup. Taking care of business early, the Knights were able to pull their starters with roughly 11 minutes remaining in the game, cruising to a 56-35 win.
Alex Antetokounmpo
Giving Dominican a little bit of everything, Antetokounmpo registered 11 points, six rebounds, and three assists in limited duty.
The younger brother of NBA All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo, Alex is another raw, intriguing talent with a ridiculous ceiling. He’s not as tall as Giannis, but looks to be more filled out at this stage. The versatility in the open floor is very exciting. Antetokounmpo can grab a rebound and take it coast-to-coast. The 6-foot-7 sophomore has nice handles for his size and the ability to change directions in the open floor and even change gears when he gets around the rim.
Antetokounmpo was a menace on the glass Tuesday. Against a zone, his looks were few and far between so Antetokounmpo constantly crashed the boards and was too long and athletic to keep away from the rim, putting home a few second chance opportunities.
If Antetokounmpo hits even half his ceiling, he’s almost a must-offer for Division 1 programs. The question is, will he get there?
The scary part about Antetokounmpo’s development is there’s still a ton of room for growth. His jumper is inconsistent, his ability to create offense in the half court needs work, and his defensive impact isn’t always what you’d like for a prospect that gifted. Without a doubt though, Antetokounmpo has made some serious jumps since last year and appears headed in a good direction.
Omarin Bartlett – 2020 – G – Greenfield
Greenfield was without its best player, but Bartlett showed some things. The sophomore scored a team-best nine points in what was a tough night all around for the Hawks.
Able to play either guard spot, Bartlett had some moments against Dominican’s perimeter defense. He got by the pressure with a nice in-and-out or crossover dribble, completely fooling the defense and getting to the rim. Bartlett can play in traffic as well. When the help-side defense comes, Bartlett was able to maneuver around opposing bigs with a euro-step.
Also a standout quarterback on the football field, Bartlett has good overall size/strength and instincts on the hardwood as well.
Gacoby Jones – 2018 – PG – Dominican
Jones started to take over late in the first half. The senior point guard was dictating a ton offensively, getting into high percentage areas against the zone and either getting a clean look at the rim or dropping off dimes to his teammates.
A lightning bolt on the floor, Jones’ speed was unmatched on Tuesday. Defensively, he was picking people’s pockets and taking the basketball the other way before the opposition even knew what hit them. Jones moves very well laterally and is tough to get by. On the ball, Jones has great hands and is looking to generate steals/cause havoc every time his man has possession.
Jones is a better athlete than he’s given credit for. It’s not just his speed, but the 6-foot floor general can play above the rim or out-hang people in traffic. Jones is surely a solid Division 2 talent and holds offers from Wayne State and Bemidji State. Jones could play his way onto a Division 1 roster if he can become more of a vocal leader and display a consistent perimeter stroke. Milwaukee, IPFW, Montana State, and Bradley are currently monitoring his progress.
Abe Scruggs – 2020 – PG – Dominican
Playing alongside Jones, Scruggs gets a chance to be more of an off-the-ball scorer and he delivered Tuesday night. Despite foul trouble, Scruggs scored all 10 of his points in the first half, which helped put the game away early.
Against Greenfield’s zone, Scruggs stretched out the defense with two 3-pointers from well past the arc. Scruggs has a really good shot fake that gets defenders out of position. A high-IQ guard, Scruggs moved the zone around very well, either with the pass or his eyes. If he wasn’t making the pass that led to a bucket, he was making the hockey assist, registering two assists on Tuesday.
We didn’t get to see it, but Scruggs has some deceptive explosiveness. If he gets going in the open floor, Scruggs can drop the hammer.
Based on his performance in July, Scruggs appears to be a low to mid-major prospect. He’s currently fielding interest from Wisconsin, Montana State, Green Bay, Milwaukee, Northern Iowa, Wright State, and Western Illinois.