4 observations from Briarcrest Christian’s open gym workout
After watching Center Hill on Wednesday, I made my way to Briarcrest Christian on Thursday to watch the Saints scrimmage.
I sat right next to head coach John Harrington as his team played somewhere between 4-5 games. There was arguing between sophomore guard Tyler Harrington and junior wing Delvin White. There was trash talking between other teammates as well.
Coach Harrington didn’t have half of his team on the floor as the other half is still playing football. Key players like Reggie Neely, Rodney Newsome, Omari Thomas, Jabari Small, who are all juniors, were missing from practice and will not join the team until the season starts.
Harrington is hopeful the football players will not sustain major injuries and will be a full-go once the season starts.
Briarcrest finished 29-4 last season. The Saints return key players from last season in point guard Kennedy Chandler, forward Marcellus Brigham, along with the football players. Briarcrest added White over the summer after he transferred from Hamilton High School.
The Saints also added David Dixon, who transferred from Ridgeway. Harrington will have a steady state title contender for the next two years, barring any injuries.
After watching Briarcrest scrimmage for an hour and a half, I took four things away from the open gym workout.
Here are my four observations:
Tyler Harrington is the team’s best shooter.
Tyler Harrington always seemed to get open either on the wing or in the corner. The 6-2 guard can’t be left open. There were times he had a defender in his face and was still able to knock down the long ball. The right-handed sniper is a perfect piece to the Saints’ offense. Harrington could be considered as the JJ Redick or Jimmer Fredette on the team.
David Dixon can turn into a solid rim protector.
Forward David Dixon is a star in the making. He’s only 15 years old with room to grow. He found himself around the basketball most of the time during the scrimmage. Dixon scored some baskets, grabbed rebounds, and played defense. Coach Harrington mentioned Dixon will get some playing time this upcoming season. Dixon playing alongside Marcellus Brigham and the rest of the junior class gives Briarcrest depth in its frontcourt.
Kennedy Chandler and Delvin White can play both guard positions.
Kennedy Chandler and Delvin White will work great with one another. Chandler is a tremendous outside shooter. He has solid ball handles and sees the court very well. White has made some progression on his jump shot since the Jerry Peters Memphis Summer Classic at MUS over the summer. If Coach Harrington is ever in a situation where he has to use White at point guard, Chandler is offensively skilled enough to move to shooting guard. White can present a matchup problem at point guard because of his 6-2 1/2 frame.
Briarcrest has an offense that will score a lot of points.
Kennedy Chandler can score the basketball. Delvin White can slash to the basket. Marcellus Brigham’s outside jump shot has improved. Tyler Harrington can shoot it from deep. David Dixon can catch lobs in transition. Rodney Newsome is a solid post player. With these pieces together, this bunch can score a lot of points. Coach Harrington is excited about his offense, knowing how dangerous it can be.