Scout Notes: Hamilton Heights-Ensworth
The mighty Hamilton Heights Christian Academy Eagles (17-6) dropped a struggle Friday night to a relentless Ensworth unit, 71-56.
Take a look at a few of the college prospects and how they performed.
Jaylan Clemmons (Ensworth)
The senior Clemmons shot wonderfully Friday evening. The converted forward knocked down four three-pointers in the opening half.
This is the best I have seen Jaylin Clemmons in 4 games this year. He is attacking with the dribble and finding soft spots around the arc. 34-25 Ensworth leading.
— PrepHoopsTennessee (@PrepHoopsTN) February 2, 2018
Clemmons has no recruiting interest, but his shooting touch coupled with good guard size makes him a potential DIII-NAIA prospect.
Warren Zager (Ensworth)
The play of Warren Zager was spotty. Zager has the skills to thrive against college athletes, but this was not a showcase performance. Sure, Zager didn’t cost his team anything as he always plays composed and calm. Still, Zager needs to be a top-flight scorer for this Ensworth team to reach its potential.
Can Zager play college basketball? Probably. It takes incredible consistency to compete at the college level though. An offer can be cultivated from one or two splashy nights, but to succeed in college basketball takes an absurd ability to be exceptional often.
Uros Plavsic (Hamilton Heights Christian Academy)
The 7-foot-1 center, Uros Plavsic hammered the Tigers in the paint. The court awareness of the budding big continues to impress. He catches and keeps the basketball high every time now. Plavsic played the entire second quarter and even managed to help the Eagles engage in man-to-man.
His poorest play of the night came late second quarter as Plavsic dunked the basketball well after the whistle, netting HHCA a technical foul.
Keshawn Lawrence (Ensworth)
Once again Keshawn Lawrence dislpayed remarkable agility and strength. he is absolutely a high major prospect in basketball. Sadly, football and football recruiters got a hold of him already.
Keshawn was the show Friday night. As good as he was in the first half, the game opened up thanks to his explosiveness.
Lawrence moves about the court with that bizarre elegance that only professionals have. If he pursued only basketball (he won’t), then Lawrence just might become an NBA player. The athleticism is that rare and he scores against elite athletes with relative ease.
Wheza Panzo (HHCA)
The sharpshooting Wheza Panzo didn’t really work outside the arc. Most of his game was hunting offensive rebounds and swinging the rock. When Panzo focuses on hitting corner triples he is a dangerous, dangerous scorer. He can do much more than shoot, but tonight HHCA needed points and Panzo was not consistently hunting those opportunities.
Panzo’s ability to change direction is improving by the month. He can certainly play a college wing.
The gap between Panzo’s great games and forgettable games needs to shrink.
While Panzo might not be a angry, vociferous leader somebody has to demand more accountability from the newcomers. Panzo has the skills and physical qualities to lead.
It falls on him or perhaps Jordan Rawls to tug along the lagging teammates.
Jason Jitoboh (HHCA)
The gigantic center Jitoboh didn’t score much (two points), but he was a monster on the defensive glass. Jitoboh cleaned up almost every miss against Ensworth.
Jitoboh remains a fantastic post defender, especially as a help defender. He blocked one attempt with both forearms at once. Volleyball outside hitters would salivate at his technique.
He could get lighter on his feet defensively. It is difficult for HHCA to play man-to-man defense with Jitoboh on the floor because most opponents lack a post-only presence. Jitoboh needs to be able to at least faux-closeout at the college level.
His hands are ok. This is an area Jitoboh can make the most improvement. His ability deter points is far ahead of his ability to create them.